The concept of lists seemed like a good writing style but by page 50, it was boring.

LiteraryMarie

I can’t get into this book. Two chapters with the main character talking about lists and how much he does not want a child with his wife. That he’s broke and can’t make his failing bookstore work. This book is not for me.

Loved the creative use of lists, as this story is told entirely in lists, though I lost interest somewhere in the middle.

This book was a good love story. Had a couple of twists I didn't expect. I loved the format of lists. Made for a fast read.

*3.5 Stars*

**Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review**

One thing about me is I love quirky books. Books told in unconventional ways or with quirky characters are right up my alley. This book definitely fits in that category. As a lister, I really liked that this was told in lists. It's difficult to evoke information, characterization, setting etc. by telling the story this way, but Dicks does this quite effectively. I was drawn into the story, feeling the character's vulnerabilities and laughing out loud at funny observations and opinions. I don't necessarily agree with a major piece of information he is keeping from his wife, but he was still a likable, if misguided and flawed guy.. I was really enjoying this book until about 3/4 of the way through when the protagonist does something rather idiotic and extreme, and that is where the novel lost me. I just didn't like that development. It was funny when he referenced thinking about doing it, but to actually do it was too much and very unbelievable.

While I was disappointed in the direction the story took, I am glad I had the opportunity to read this and I will likely check out other books by this author.

As a chronic list-maker, I was intrigued by the format of this book. I wondered if I could be pulled into a novel written entirely by lists and be able to follow the pacing. To my surprise, I was. Twenty-one Truths About Love introduces us to bookstore owner Dan and all of his thoughts spilled out into countless lists. Dan quit his job as a teacher to fulfill his dream of becoming a bookstore owner. However, his bookstore isn't making as much money as he'd hoped (or as much as he tells his wife) and he is afraid it will bring him and his wife financial ruin. In the middle of keeping this secret, he discovers his wife is pregnant. While making daily lists, Dan is able to bring readers along the ride for all of his fears, including becoming a failure and not being able to talk to his father who abandoned him at a young age after his parents divorced.

While I was entertained by these lists enough to keep reading, there were several times I shook my head and sighed at dear old Dan. I just didn't know how to feel about him as a character. There was a time or two when I could relate to some of this thoughts, but they were too few and far in-between. I kept hoping for more action or more "something," but I wasn't quite sure what it was. By the midpoint of this book, I was mostly looking forward to how everything would pan out.

I admire that Dan finally faced some of his fears, but the one time he took a chance really didn't bear any consequences on his part. I suppose he became a better man by the time he created the final list, and I can appreciate that as a reader. I was just hoping for something more.

Twenty-one Truths About Love
By Matthew Dicks
11/26/19
4*

The idea of writing an entire book in list form is quirky, innovative and interesting and is what originally attracted me to this title. I really admire an author who takes risks and tries something new. I enjoyed reading the lists and seeing how they evolved each month, growing more complex and revealing more and more about the characters. However, by the middle of the book, the format became tiresome. I wanted even more depth from the characters.

Dan Mayrock, the main character, is a former teacher who now owns his own, not profitable, book store. Some of his list items were so tedious that I found myself skimming over them. However, many of Dan’s observations witty and humorous, and I often found myself laughing out loud (for example, his “proofs that I am stupid” list). I did not like the fact that he kept his financial situation a secret from his wife. I also found it unrealistic that a person would be writing lists during important moments in his life. Finally, his “big plan” was so unrealistic and farfetched.

I found the ending delightful and touching, and it was nice to end on such a wonderful note!

My thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in any way.

The fact that the books is written entirely in lists intrigued me. At times it annoyed me however. But as you read the book you start to understand the man, and find that it is a book of love, family, insecurity. I ended up really enjoying the book. Thanks to NetGallley for the opportunity to review.

DNF @28%/ 2 Stars / 0 Steam Fans

This is the one time that bites me in the butt for not reading the blurb before attempting to read this story. This book is written entirely in lists and this may seem interesting but by the 28% mark, I was annoyed and bored with the content. Daniel quit his job as a teacher to open a bookstore, he is also lying to his wife - Jill about their finances, doesn't want to start a family, and he also comes off as super awkward with random ramblings that do nothing to help set up a plot for this story. Obviously, there are people that like this sort of thing but it did not work for me.

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Twenty-one Truths About Love is written in an extremely creative format. I love how it is a book completely made of lists, and it makes sense! I am only giving four stars because there were times when creating the plan to rob the BINGO halls seemed a bit far fetched. I loved the rest of the book though and found the characters humorous and endearing.

This is probably going to be a polarizing book because I don't think many people are going to be neutral about Dan Mayrock. You'll either love him or hate him, and there's a decent chance you'll end up hating him and then loving him. I definitely veered back and forth between the two extremes multiple times throughout the course of this book.

Either way, Dan is very comfortable with his flaws. There probably aren't many people who would admit to being very ambivalent (at best; decidedly anti- at worst) the idea of having children and probably even fewer who would say that they are (a) jealous of their wife's first husband, who has since died and (b) that they don't really like their dog, who was actually the first husband's dog. 

And here's the thing about Dan: most of this is because he really loves his wife (and, eventually, the idea of their baby) and he is so afraid of losing her and them that it feels like he almost tries to make it happen so that he can stop freaking out about it. It's not a great way to be, but on the plus side, he doesn't like himself any more than I did for a lot of the book.

I love the fact that this entire book unfolds through lists. I thought that it would be weird and confusing, but it wasn't. It was fun and I thought it worked really well.

This book isn't for everyone. I think a lot of people won't be able to get past Dan being Dan, and I feel sorry for those people. I found this book incredibly fun and I hope we get to check in on him again. (Maybe from his wife Jill's perspective?)

Twenty-One Truths About Love by Matthew dicks is my new favorite book of the year! As a teacher, I really enjoyed the snarky commentary about the education system. I also laughed out loud reading so many of the lists that this book is composed of. The whole concept of creating an entire novel made up of lists only is so novel and attention-grabbing. I lost a lot of sleep over the past couple of nights because I just could not find a good stopping point to put the book down and go to bed. My only wish is that the end had been a bit different but I'll stop with that comment so that I don't do any spoilers. I read this as an advance copy from NetGalley but now I need to buy my own print copy because there were so many parts that I wanted to highlight. I will definitely be re-reading this book and I'm generally not a re-reader. That's how good it is! Read and enjoy!

TWENTY-ONE TRUTHS ABOUT LOVE by Matthew Dicks might take you a little while to get into because of its’ unique format. Told completely in lists by the main character, this novel talks about a man’s insecurities and how far you’ll go to take care of those that you love. Once you realize how many incredible lines rest in between remembered quotes and other random pieces of information, you find yourself completely dedicated to finishing it. At least I know that I did. 3.5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Times I was amused by endless lists: 0
Times endless lists annoyed the heck out of me: that’s up for debate. I lasted until 25% and got totally fed up!
I just couldn’t do it. I didn’t care enough about the story/characters to keep going on. This is definitely one of those books where you actually say you have wasted too much of your time.

Written only as a series of lists, this is a better idea than a completed book. The lists are all over the place and actually aren’t that engaging. The protagonist is a procrastinator and a worrier so the list-writing serves his purposes while slowly driving me a bit batty. Apparently his wife and family/friends love him. It didn’t work for me but perhaps it will for other readers. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

What a unique book and not just because it is sort of a romance book written entirely from a male perspective. Twenty-one Truths About Love by Matthew Dicks is also written entirely in lists. It is rather thought provoking to think what our lists can tell us about ourselves. A rather ambitious piece of writing.

Through these lists you can see how great is Daniel Mayrock’s love is for his wife. Yet you see how much self-doubt he has within him concerning his worthiness. It seems he was comparing himself to his wife’s first husband which increased his self-doubt. Much is good, some is silly and all is enlightening.

I would love to talk my husband into reading this book, fiction is not his “thing” just to see if any of these thoughts are accurate or common. My favorite item on the list is number 9 from May 28th, “Love does not make everything better, but it makes everything a little easier..” So yes some thoughts are accurate.

I received an ARC of this book for an honest review. This book operates under an intriguing premise-it's a book of lists from a weary book shop owner. However, the lists got tiring after while and I kept putting this book down, it was a struggle to get to know the character because of the writing style.-he comes across as insecure and needy and since you don't really hear his wife's voice, it makes for an incomplete narration.

Twenty-One Truths About Love
by Matthew Dicks

I think there might be mixed feelings about the format of this book—told mostly in lists—but I thought it was engaging and made for a fast-paced read.

(yes, you know I’m totally going there with the lists)
 
This book has so much going for it:
1. a smart, charming, funny protagonist…
2. who quits his job to open a bookstore.
3. Ok, yeah, so that was really enough to get me to read it.

But, as we all know, owning a bookstore is not a get-rich quick scheme. So, when the business starts to fail (or actually, never really gets off the ground),
does Daniel Mayrock decide to:
1. Host author events
2. Promote the store in social media and in town
3. Talk to his wife?

No, he does not. Instead, he comes up with an idea to get out of debt that is:
1. Spectacularly far-fetched
2. Kind of insulting, at least to this reader.

What happened to smart Daniel?
1. He became a wimp
2. The story went off the rails
3. I kept waiting for him to say, “yeah, I was kidding. It was a joke.”
4. He did not.

But wait, you gave it 4 stars!
1. The writing was so engaging that I finished it despite being annoyed.
2. I am hoping that next time Dicks stays true to his character, because Daniel deserved better.
3. But I can’t wait for the next one, because this was a story with heart.
4. I am a sucker for heart.
5. Who isn’t?


For Goodreads:

Why I picked it —I liked the idea of a story told in lists, especially one about a bookstore
Reminded me of… weirdly, it reminded me of To Rise Again at a Decent Hour, by Joshua Ferris, maybe because of the humor and honesty of the male narrator.
For my full review — click here

Great read. The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

Dan makes lists. As a matter of fact, this entire book is made up of lists that expose the characters thoughts, feelings and insecurities. It was a very unique way of presenting the content of this story and I really liked that about it. At first I wasn't so sure how it was going to work, but in the end, Dan's lists were more than lists -- they were his life. He has insights. He has flaws and isn't a great communicator. He also has some major financial issues. Some people might say he's a mess.

But through the lists which he uses as a form of journaling, the reader learns lots about Dan and what's really in his heart and mind.

If you are a list maker, you may like this book. You will probably relate to Twenty One Truths About Love. Not sure how well it plays for non-list makers (some people just don't like them!) There's some interesting twists and turns at the end, and it's worth reading just for the unique way the story is told. It definitely left an impression on me, and I'm happy to have found this new-to-me author.

An ARC was provided for review.