I have conflicting feelings about this book, hence the middle of the road rating of 3. 

I felt that the book was good at the start but as the focus shifts away from Jamie, I found myself losing interest. I do wish we had a bit more focus on the boat building bit and on the main character Jamie's feelings about it all. Yes there was quite a few chapters dedicated to it but it felt way too little. It was maybe about 20-30% of the book or it felt like it when the literal title of this book is How to build a boat. I really enjoyed reading about how Tess and Jamie became friends though it didn't feel at all very natural, it felt like okay they're friends and they talk to each other

cause Jamie can't be in normal classes. Then Tadhg comes along and Tess is attracted to him (and I thought this was supposed to be wholesome) though she is unhappily married. But yes I get it, the characters are supposed to kind of help each other and this boat building brings them together. Though I am quite unsure about how Tess is involved in the boat building bit, that feels entirely Tadhg and Jamie.

 

The writing is very modern style kind of like f grammar rules and let's just bang it all out. I think I used to be annoyed at such things but now I think if it has conveyed what it needs to and remains entirely readable then I am not opposed it. Though I have to say that I don't entirely understand why halfway through the book it switches to first person then back to third. I think that part needs to have a better reason or a clearer why otherwise it feels unnecessary because the same thing can be conveyed in third person perspective. 

About the characters, Jamie feels straightforward and understandable. Tadhg's life is a bit sad and I don't entirely understand how Irish people are like and how people view people like Tadhg in Ireland but yea I feel for him. Tess is a mess and I am so tired of women and fertility problems and being so messy in general. Maybe because of this, and this is a personal choice and taste, that I find myself dreading to read it once it got to Tess' bit.

I fully do not care about this woman who chose to stay in this unhappy marriage for no reason or at least the reasons are not made very known to me. In my opinion, her unhappiness is her own doing and she has all the power to deal with it if she wants to and the fact that she doesn't until she almost has an affair makes me hate her all the more.

However, I loved Jamie's POV and the ending of him coming to terms with everything in his own way. 

I felt that this book had a lot of promise, had a lot of inklings of something good - going against the grain, fighting against the "big bad" of the school principal, acceptance in general, loss and grief, choosing something that society would frown upon. But it did not take it all the way there that made me feel like it became something full and good.