As a thank, you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced readers copy I shall give an honest review of Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause. The following novel was one that unexpectedly took me by surprise. As the story began it featured a debt collector named Valencia who unexpectedly has many fears and a cause for her quirks is in her mental health. This novel depicts mental health in an honest and gripping way. As a mental health therapist, I can attest to its depiction of OCD, or Obsession Compulsive Disorder, Anxiety, and depression. The mental health representation is an important part of this story and was well executed. This story weaves together two women who at best have nothing in common but as the story continues do we find that age is nothing but a number. Due to Valencia’s OCD, she has many fears, of them, are flying and turning thirty-five. As Mrs. Valentine enters the picture do we find many aspects to her identity being expressed to her travel companions as she rides on the bus, and by plane to New York. As the story of these women unfolds we find a love story with hints of nostalgia and what it means to truly live. I enjoyed this novel very much and highly recommend it. I give this novel three point five stars out of five. On goodreads, I shall give it three.

Suzy Krause's debut novel is a charming low-key tale of two women whose lives have been formed by stories. On the one hand is garrulous old-age pensioner Mrs Valentine, always ready with a twinkle in her eye and a new instalment of her colourful life-story. On the other is Valencia, crippled by neuroses and social anxiety, stuck in a dead-end job as a debt collector. Her stories are within her mind: the relentless litany of things that might go wrong if she forgets to do one tiny little things. Crushed by past guilt, Valencia has limited her life to her flat and the four walls of her work cubicle; but, as her thirty-fifth birthday approaches, she begins to long for change. And then, quite of the blue, the possibility of change appears: in the form of a new colleague and an unexpectedly friendly client. Could this be the start of a new life? Or will it be simply the same old tale of opportunities missed through fear, shame and cowardice? 

No one could ever accuse Mrs Valentine of being ashamed or cowardly. She may be old, but she's facing her octogenarian years with grace and humour. When her best friend Mrs Davies dies, Mrs Valentine decides to take on Mrs Davies's granddaughter Anna as a home-help - although Anna soon realises that her purpose is as much to listen as it is to clean. Mrs Valentine has a heartful of stories to recount: a life full of romance, adventure, spontaneity, love and grief, and she wants to share them all. As Anna settles down, Mrs Valentine begins to tell the story of her very first trip, at the time of her thirty-fifth birthday. Waking up one morning, she realises that life will never change if she doesn't do something to encourage it and, rather than go into work, she takes a flight to New York. Here she will find an authentically different world but, at the same time, something even more precious: the unexpected man of her dreams.

Valencia may be eyeing up her approaching thirty-fifth with the same distaste as Mrs Valentine once did, but she can't be sure that she's going to do anything about it. She knows she should. Her therapist has told her many times that she needs to face her fears: of flying on planes; driving on the highway; risking herself in any way whatsoever. And so Valencia dutifully makes lists of places she wants to go, knowing full well that she'll probably never make it anywhere but her flat and her desk. She can't even bring herself to drive home to see her dying grandmother, despite her mother's tearful pleas over the phone. It isn't indifference: it's pure, intense terror. Valencia's OCD handicaps her as effectively as two broken legs, making it impossible for her to seriously contemplate going anywhere without immediately imagining the numerous awful ways in which she will, inevitably die as a consequence.

And then something changes. Valencia's office has always been the domain of identikit brown-suited, unexciting men, but one morning Peter is there: young, good-looking, friendly (if only she could remember how to conduct successful social interaction!). Embarrassed by her hopes for him, Valencia tries to keep him at arm's length, because someone so charming and handsome will surely be disgusted the moment he realises how completely incompetent she is. She takes solace in increasingly chatty conversations with James Mace, one of those rare clients who doesn't threaten to kill her when she calls him about his debts. In fact, the more they chat, the more their relationship strays away from something professional and towards something... softer. More personal. More like friendship. Perhaps, Valencia thinks, this is the only kind of friendship she can have - one where the person is at arm's length, without the challenge of having to deal with them in real life. And so, shrinking and shy and miserable, she forces herself onward, wondering if she will ever truly find a way out of the prison her mind has created for her.

Krause is very good at conjuring up the claustrophobic agony of obsessive thought and mental illness. This could very easily have been a kind of 'kooky' book and there are one or two moments where it does fall over the line; but Valencia's struggles are so real and suffocating that it stops things from feeling too saccharine. Her blinkered life is thrown into ever-greater relief by the ebullient Mrs Valentine's stories of her globe-trotting and her love affair, things that perhaps Valencia will never be able to relax enough to enjoy. But, if this book has one message, it's that none of us can truly predict where we can end up. It's well-intentioned and sweet, a little indie heart-warmer of a novel, and, if you sometimes feel yourself longing for a bit more richness or depth - or perhaps characters whose overriding trait isn't 'quirkiness' - you can't help feeling a bit mean. 

This review will go live on 30 July 2019 at the following link:
https://theidlewoman.net/2019/07/30/valencia-and-valentine-suzy-krause

This story is told in two perspectives: Valencia and Valentine. Valencia is a young woman suffering from OCD and lets her fears dictate the way she lives her life while Valentine is an eighty-seven year old woman who lives the majority of her life in isolation. The author weaves in supporting characters from Valencia and Valentine's life in a way to reveal towards the book's end the connection that the two unknowingly share. I originally decided to read this book because of the hype it was receiving on social media, but I must say that this book was not for me. I felt like the author drew things out, which made for a boring story overall and almost resulted in me filing this book away as "DNF."

This is one of my favorite books that I read this year. I really enjoyed the quirky sweet characters and their developing friendship.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I accidentally requested this not realizing I already had a copy. But I can't bring myself to read it after reading several Goodreads reviews. I don't think this is the book for me. Sorry, and thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

This book was okay. I'm kind of tired of this trend of protagonists that are "quirky" and "weird." The writing was all over the place and seemed like it was taking elements of other books (like Elinor Oliphant) rather than building a unique story.

📚 Series:   No.
📚 Genre: Fiction.
📚 POV:  Third person alternating.
📚 Cliffhanger: No.

⚠ Content Warnings:  Discussions of OCD, Anxiety, Depression. Being buried deep in thoughts of someone with OCD, can be triggering.
⚠ Read if: you are looking for something quirky with a nice writing style.

I unfortunately have read unsatisfied reviews on this novel from GR friends. I still dove in and gave this once a chance.

I am grateful that I did.

Valencia and Valentine is a read that I definitely enjoyed, mainly because of the way it was written. I was captivated by the writing style. The prose and the metaphors got me and hit me when and where I needed.

This book tackles mental health concerns, and like I said, if you are someone who has triggers especially on 'death', dying, and things around it, this book might not be for you.

Some people raised concerns about the wrong comparison of this book with Eleanor Oliphant. I cannot comment on that though because I have not read the other one.

What I can say is that I enjoyed my entire reading experience, even though the plot twist was quite easy to guess.

Kudos to the author. I am looking forward for more of her works.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the novel even though it was a bit difficult to follow. Valencia is a young woman with severe anxiety, and the condition limits her possibilities in life and causes her to create stories of a more adventurous life.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I can’t say I loved the story but I also couldn’t stop reading. At times, the stream of consciousness narrative was hard to tease out the actual story. But, there was still something fascinating about it. I loved the contrast between the old and young narrators which showed that people can have fears at any age. I did not see the ending coming. It seems it is human nature to create stories to help us cope with reality.

A special thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Valencia has been working as a debt collector for the past 17 years. She suffers with crippling OCD and is incredibly timid. Of all her fears, it is both flying and turning 35 that are her worst. She longs to break free from the constant trepidation that she feels so her therapist suggests that she fly somewhere before her birthday. After speaking with James Mace, a repeat caller from New York City, and developing feelings for him, Valencia thinks she has the perfect destination. The only problem is that he may not exist.

Mrs. Valentine is 87-years-old and fears her time is coming to an end. She has a mild fascination with death (after all she frequents the funeral home a lot) and is desperate for company of any kind. When Anna, her new cleaning girl, provides an ear, Mrs.Valentine recounts her life story which includes a love story and adventures with her husband before his mysterious disappearance.

Valencia and Mrs. Valentine appear to have nothing in common and are worlds apart, but life is never predictable.

Krause's debut effort is an unconventional love story with themes of loss, and second chances. Unfortunately it is not without issues. Not only did it take a while to get into the story, but I struggled with both characters—what was with their mild obsessions with death? I love quirky characters, but Valencia was exhausting.

The plot was convoluted at times and other times it was repetitious and circular. There was a pivotal event in high school—which was I assume the catalyst for Valencia's downward spiral—that should have packed more of an impact, but instead it left me with more questions. Also, there were some issues with timeline and the only thing I can come up with is that this was done on purpose to mislead the reader.

Surprisingly this book was a bit dark and depressing and I was expecting more of a feel-good story rather than a character study. But please don't let this review sway you away from reading it, Krause's writing is quite good, I just don't think the book was for me.

As someone who also suffers from OCD, this book was a treat for me. I, too, am terrified of flying, but sometimes you have to do what you're afraid of to conquer that fear. And just to live!

Valencia and Valentine is cute, kind hearted, and I found it a really good book about self reflection. It surprised me, and romance type books normally aren't my thing. But I'm glad this is one that I read.

I enjoyed this book so much!
I'm not sure if this book will be understand or embraced by many..
But I particularly felt so much related to Valencia! Some parts were scary real, copy paste of myself.
I appreciated reading it.
.
An unique protagonist with OCD,
.
Loved the short chapters that alternate between different timelines.
Thanks Netgalley!

Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause is a charming novel that will stay with you long after the final page has been turned. This is an engaging story about mental illness and aging that is both relatable and sensitive to those who suffer. Valencia is a character that many readers will connect with, if only at a rudimentary level.

The story unfolds in alternating perspectives. Valencia, who suffers from crippling OCD, is a debt collector on the cusp of her thirty-fifth birthday. Facing her fear of flying, she decides to book a trip to anywhere to mark the occasion. Mrs Valentine, meanwhile, is an eighty-seven year old woman who recounts her brief marriage as a time of exotic travel and never-ending adventure. Two very different lives are laid bare, but will they prove themselves to be inextricably linked?

This is a heartfelt read that I enjoyed more and more as the narrative progressed. Well done to Ms Krause for crafting a flawlessly executed and substantive work.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.

I hate it when books market themselves by appealing to fans of another book. "Perfect for fans of fill in the blank with whatever popular book whose themes match with this one."

Can we just get over this trend of following the trend, already? I see what the publisher is trying to do by letting the readers know what they could find in the book. But being a reader, I don't want to get into a book with expectations about a certain book that I loved, and be disappointed. Also, when I love a book, it's rarely only because of the subject of the book. It's mostly always the writing and the execution of the plot that does it for me.

Also, if I were a writer, I wouldn't want my book to get pigeonholed even before it gets released. I think you're already putting a book into a disadvantage by comparing it to a popular book before it gets released.

But I guess this gets more readers to pick a new book up. So I get what the intention behind doing this. But that doesn't necessarily mean I have to like it. And whenever I see a synopsis comparing the story to a popular book, I instantly get wary. Because, rarely have such lines been able to live up to their claims.



Okay, I think I ranted enough. On to the actual book review -


It took me a long time to get through the first third of the book. Nothing happened. I could not connect with both the main characters. And guess what? It's a character driven book.

Valencia has serious OCD. I know that I'm supposed to be feeling a strong connection towards her and root for her, but instead I found myself wanting to skim through the pages with her inner thoughts. Mrs. Valentine is a lonely women in her eighties. But instead of feeling any warmth towards her, I felt depressed reading her parts.

I think the problem with the book is, it is a little too depressing and morbid. Having characters with mental disorder doesn't mean that the whole book has to be told with such a grim tone. It can also be heartwarming. Like Gail Honeyman did with Eleanor Oliphant. But I found the story here to be confusing. I think that the author tried a little too hard to focus on mental health issues, that compromised on the story-telling.

This was the first book I started after a long book slump. I expected a mixture of dark comedy and heartwarming storytelling. But I found it to be depressing instead. Maybe if I'd read it on a different mood, I'd have appreciated it more. But this is an ARC that I'd fallen behind on, what with having been released a month early with me noticing too late. That's why I'll give one extra star to it. Because I think I read it when I wasn't in the right mindset for it.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "Valencia and Valentine" by Suzy Krause. Overall, the story was interesting but not exactly what I was expecting. The writing was beautiful and I really enjoyed that aspect of the book.

This was a great, quick read, and I found myself really wrapped up in what was next for Valencia!

Suzy Krause did a fantastic job of developing the character of Valencia, whose OCD has limited her life significantly in the past 16 years. Valencia is instantly someone who I'm rooting for, and Krause makes Valencia not only believable, but really sympathetic.

This story flew by, and the reveals to the plot and character points were perfectly paced. There was some really great, lighthearted moments, and some really heartbreaking moments that all brought this novel to a memorable place. I definitely enjoyed this one and can't wait to see what's next from Krause.

"Valencia and Valentine" was a very cute, fun book. I read it quickly and was very satisfied with how it wrapped up.

Valencia and Valentine is such an adorable little book that goes beyond the typical surface level issues to really explore the human condition. The book follows two characters, middle-aged debt collector, Valencia, and eighty-seven-year-old Mrs. Valentine. Although the two seem completely unrelated at first, they are in fact inextricably connected in so many ways. Mrs. Valentine is probably the most wholesome character ever to exist (it just warms my heart to read her sections) and we later find out that in her youth she was almost the mirror image of Valencia. As well, the book introduces several little mysteries and cliffhangers here and there to keep you hooked onto the story, from the question of what happened to Charlene, to the bits and pieces of Mrs. Valentine’s story. The story is slow at times, but its also eye-opening to read a book that is unafraid to talk about things like mental health, OCD, and actually brings readers into the mind of someone who has these conditions.

I will be honest, for the first third of this book I was regretting my decision to read it at all. I couldn't get into it, but decided to stick it out for obligations sake, and boy am I glad that I did. By the end I was in absolute tears. What started as hectic ended as a heartbreaking, beautiful portrait of the mind. In retrospect I'm sure that was by design. This book is both sad and hopeful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me with an ARC of Suzy Krause ‘s debut Valencia and Valentine. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.

I really wanted to love this novel but unfortunately, for me, it was a chore to get through. I think there was the making of a good story inside these pages but Suzy Krause tried too hard to create quirky characters, so instead they ended up feeling more like caricatures. Valencia, the 35 year old debt collector, was overly dark and her extreme anxieties were suffocating as opposed to endearing. While Mrs Valentine, who was meant to be light and whimsical , read like a trifling, batty old woman. I think this book suffered from lack of experience and the author trying to hard to be crafty. I was able to deduce early on what the big reveals would be and the convoluted plot was more tiresome than engaging. Lastly comparing this book to Eleanor Oliphant only emphasizes what Valencia and Valentine is lacking. Sorry, this book was not amongst my favorites.