Taylor Larsen

I do not understand why this book has nothing but good(ish) reviews. Reading this book was painful for me; not in a good that-really-affected me sort of way, but in a torturous can-this-just-be-over-already kind of way. Its not badly written, but the whole plot was uninteresting and tedious and made me feel depressed.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advance copy via Goodreads.

Intriguing story about a conflicted, unfulfilled man and his interactions with those around him. Better than many of the books I've read, but left a number of unfinished storylines in my opinion. This will likely be the first in a series of books with the same lead characters, which is not an approach that I like (or appreciate properly? - to me it seems as if the author is "mailing it in" by not developing new, fresh characters).

This one just didn't do it for me. The characters were thin, colored mostly by their own vanities and regrets. Michael was particularly irritating in his obsession with his road not taken, becoming an academic. I felt like he didn't take any responsibility for his decisions and just spent his time evaluating the physical appearance of women and feeling sorry for himself. The depiction of his mental illness was sort of interesting but it just didn't hold the story together for me.