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A review by laural27
Not What They Were Expecting by Neal Doran
5.0
I’ve always been a huge fan of male authors who choose to write romantic comedy fiction – mainly because the genre is dominated by female authors and a lot of the time we see things from a female viewpoint. I love seeing a man write in this genre and it’s such an interesting way to see a male take on life situations.
NWTWE follows the story of Rebecca and James as they find out they are expecting a child. This time of life is stressful for any new parent to be but when James loses his job and Rebecca’s family start to fall apart, they both wonder if they are truly ready to be parents. However, life doesn’t wait around for them and soon they are thrust into a brand new world and realise that nothing can ever really be what they expected.
I love Neal’s writing and his incredibly witty sense of humour. I’m not always a lover of humour in books – often it feels too false and scripted and too ‘thought out’. But Neal is not like that at all. The humour feels so organic and natural and as the characters strike up conversation between each other and insert witty remarks, I find myself genuinely smiling as I read. I would definitely consider this to be one of Neal’s strongest assets as a writer but he also has many others.
The plot and pacing are just perfect – the story progresses so seamlessly and there’s not one point where you get bored of the narrative. Neal has really perfected the art of storytelling and keeping an audience hooked on every word and as you come to the end of a chapter, you just HAVE to read the next one. Neal also writes with a very experienced and skilled hand – it feels like he’s been writing for decades and knows all the tricks of the trade and that makes him immediately stand out from others around him.
The characters in this novel are spot on and although they sometimes feel as though they live up to stereotypes, the way they interact with each other was just perfect. Neal’s observations of family life and being in a relationship are so relatable and funny that one can’t help but wonder if it is slightly auto-biographical…!
I really enjoy Neal’s writing and predict that everyone else will too. There is sass, sarcasm and superb wit and I recommend this book highly!
NWTWE follows the story of Rebecca and James as they find out they are expecting a child. This time of life is stressful for any new parent to be but when James loses his job and Rebecca’s family start to fall apart, they both wonder if they are truly ready to be parents. However, life doesn’t wait around for them and soon they are thrust into a brand new world and realise that nothing can ever really be what they expected.
I love Neal’s writing and his incredibly witty sense of humour. I’m not always a lover of humour in books – often it feels too false and scripted and too ‘thought out’. But Neal is not like that at all. The humour feels so organic and natural and as the characters strike up conversation between each other and insert witty remarks, I find myself genuinely smiling as I read. I would definitely consider this to be one of Neal’s strongest assets as a writer but he also has many others.
The plot and pacing are just perfect – the story progresses so seamlessly and there’s not one point where you get bored of the narrative. Neal has really perfected the art of storytelling and keeping an audience hooked on every word and as you come to the end of a chapter, you just HAVE to read the next one. Neal also writes with a very experienced and skilled hand – it feels like he’s been writing for decades and knows all the tricks of the trade and that makes him immediately stand out from others around him.
The characters in this novel are spot on and although they sometimes feel as though they live up to stereotypes, the way they interact with each other was just perfect. Neal’s observations of family life and being in a relationship are so relatable and funny that one can’t help but wonder if it is slightly auto-biographical…!
I really enjoy Neal’s writing and predict that everyone else will too. There is sass, sarcasm and superb wit and I recommend this book highly!