Elle Spellman
Auteur van Two Doors Away
Werken van Elle Spellman
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Statistieken
- Werken
- 2
- Leden
- 9
- Populariteit
- #968,587
- Waardering
- 3.1
- Besprekingen
- 2
- ISBNs
- 4
- Talen
- 1
Story:
Broadly speaking the story has three elements: Steph’s story, Eric’s story, and their joint story, which includes their search for the mystery behind number 26’s sudden silence.
Steph’s story was the most irritating to me. A part of it could be because of Steph’s obsession with Instagram, an app I simply can’t understand the appeal of. But even otherwise, Steph comes across as very impulsive and shortsighted, and even shallow, none of which made her very likeable to me. Steph’s arc has very few redeeming parts, mostly in the second half.
Eric’s story arc is somewhat better. While his character also lives in the past and he doesn’t seem to figure out how to move on, his emotions come across as far more realistic.
The best part of the story is where the two characters intersect. Their connection, their repartee, their friendship, all make for an enjoyable reading experience. If only the rest of the book matched up.
I was not very fond of the writing style, which is very meandering and takes its own sweet time to proceed with the plot. The initial 30% or so just drags. Things start moving faster only once the lead pair meets, but still not as fast as I would have liked. In addition, there are way too many characters in Steph’s and Eric’s lives and remembering them all is a tedious task.
I must give credit to the author for this: For a change, the male lead works in a routine low-end banking job rather than being a high-flying businessman or top-level corporate honcho like in almost every other chick lit. Yay for a regular guy!
Because of the cover and blurb, I assumed that this would be a light, happy read. But it turned out to be much darker and intense. Both Steph and Eric carry a lot of regrets and guilt about the past, and this weighs down heavily on the story. Unfortunately for me (and for the book), I was not in the mood for a sombre story. (The topic itself would have been okay but the rambling writing drove the final nail in the coffin of my expectations.)
My heart wants to give it a 2 star rating but my head is pointing out that it was also picked up in the wrong mood and with the wrong expectations. So I’ll let go of my usual stingy self and give it 3 stars. Okay, 2.75. The Rating Scrooge in me doesn’t want to compromise too much.
My thanks to Orion Publishing Group and NetGalley for the DRC of “Two Doors Away”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
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