Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

THIS BOOK

I decided to pick this book up on a whim several months after my entire life was tipped on its head and experienced several traumatic losses one after another and was beginning to lose myself again and sight of the point of waking up on the morning.

For as long as I can remember I’ve always had a morbid curiosity with the afterlife and “what if’s”. I’ve had to make several life altering decisions and sometimes I wonder what my life would’ve looked like if I had of made a different decision. I don’t consider these decisions regrets in the slightest but sometimes i just wonder how different my life could’ve look now if I made different choices.

This book explores the concept of regret and making the most out of the life you’re given. As someone who has also looked down the barrel of death on several occasions and toyed with the idea of not waking up in the morning, this book NAILS what it’s like to be faced with those choices and the difference between life and death.

Without spoiling anything I suggest that everyone reads this book, particularly if you’re feeling lost, in a dark place or navigating your 20s/midlife crisis. EVERYONE should read this book.

Was it perfect? No absolutely not. But was it honest? Yes. Did it tackle a topic of the human condition and struggles many people face at least once in their lives in a way anyone can understand and conceptualise? FUCKING YES

Do yourself a favour and read this book.

Characters: 9/10
Writing: 9/10
Plot: 9/10
Atmosphere: 10/10
Intrigue: 7/10
Logic: 9/10
Enjoyment: 8/10

Overall: 8.7/10

Content Warnings

pebabmey's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I have an unfortunate habit of starting to mirror characters in the media I consume, for better or for worse. At the halfway point, I was nervous that it would make me miserable. Nora Seed, however, contains multitudes. This book was a delight. Although I correctly predicted the ending and the plot itself was very easy to divine, I still had a good time watching Nora's journey. Definitely a good addition to my library.

Content Warnings

bdingz's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I understand why this book isn't for everyone. It certainly is for me, however.

Content Warnings

annemyne's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

lv_ct's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

TW: Suicide, Death

Nora Seed feels as though her life is collapsing around her, and she is just a black hole.
Enter The Midnight Library.
In this library are books containing alternate universes, all surrounding Nora's potential lives and the regrets she holds not pursuing certain decisions in her "root life." Led by her old school librarian, she explores these lives, with a promise that when she finds a life she wants to stay in, she can. However, the ultimate question stands - what is it that Nora Seed was missing from her root life? And will she find the life she wishes to live before time runs out?

Notice: I do not believe this book is glorifying suicide. While there is something to say about suicide being used to "kick things off," Haig also uses Hugo's character to show that suicide is not how you enter the Midnight Library/explore these alternate universes/go on an adventure.

Furthermore, I feel as though this book is not supposed to fully be an anti-suicide PSA, but more so a "live your life how you dream it." It is an inspirational tale of how the ordinary can be important. If you're someone like me who does fight depression and has dreamed of more fantastical living (*cough* daydreaming you were a Marvel hero *cough*) and felt as though you were missing out on your life, then I highly recommend this book.

Pros:

This book feels very hopeful and inspirational, filled with many lessons to learn.
I enjoy the style of writing that Matt Haig uses (but this is a personal feeling, I know others have said they do not enjoy it.)
I am glad that Matt Haig does not make the moral of the story "Well she just needs to be married and have a child to feel better." Nora discusses how her own parent's mental health affected her and her brother's lives.
This book got me emotional a good few times! There are moments where Haig's writing helps to depict Nora's emotions and it helped me envision those feelings.
The "main regrets" Nora held were explored well. All of them feel pretty naturally depicted in their flaws (except for:
Arctic Explorer life.
)
Lots of good philosophical quotes/lessons!

Cons:

The lessons are not as subtle as they could be, unfortunately. Often they are spelled out for the reader.
I do wish there was more time to explore some of the "side lives" Nora experiences towards the end of the book.
The fact that what was "disappointing" in
her Arctic Scientist/Explorer life (and what subsequently brought her back to the library) was the unsatisfactory sex with Hugo felt kind of silly to me.
I wish the relationship with her brother was dived a bit more into in the earlier parts of the book than the mid/later sections. It would have made a lot more moments a bit more poignant.
- Furthermore, I wish we could have just had a bit more of how her brother's life was affected by their parents.
  We get an explanation of how his gay identity made life a bit more difficult when trying to live up to their parent's expectations, but it was kinda just thrown in.
I believe this book could have benefited from being a bit longer just to flesh out some bigger details.

Conclusion:
I enjoyed this book! It actually interested me in looking into more of Matt Haig's writings (How To Stop Time is up next for me!) and I think there are some good inspirational messages within it. It left me with a feeling of appreciation, and there were many moments in which I had to take a second to self-reflect. It's ultimately a book that shows that we all create our own destiny - a message that I believe a lot of people need to hear.

Content Warnings

vb_marie's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

A narrative self-help book with a creative twist. The premise is different from what I've come across in this genre. However, the writing could have been a bit better. I felt the first few chapters could have been a little shorter and less cliché. Additionally, some of the dialogue seemed stiff and unrealistic.

Content Warnings

maddielle's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

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