Cover Image: The Regrets

The Regrets

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Member Reviews

The Regrets is a great book for someone who has something they are dealing with. Despite being fiction, it is a story that allows you to dig within yourself. I recommend it, but not for everyone.

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The Regrets by Amy Bonnaffons is a book that holds you at arm’s length. It’s also not quite what the summary on the back advertises, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The overall effect adds up to a bizarre and compelling story about a toxic relationship.

Rachel’s life is one of empty drudgery in an unfulfilling job as a librarian. When she notices a strange, golden-haired man at her bus stop, it isn’t long before they strike up a relationship. Their attachment only builds in intensity even though she soon learns that he is actually a ghost stuck in a strange limbo.

That summary might make you think that most of the book would focus on Rachel and her perspective, but that isn’t the case. The Regrets feels more like a collection of related novellas with different viewpoint characters. Rachel only drives the action in two out of the six sections.

The opening chapters introduce Thomas, the lingering ghost who will eventually become Rachel’s lover. The opening does a lot of heavy lifting to set up the world and its rules, emphasizing how Thomas risks terrible consequences if he makes any personal connections during his period of enforced on-Earth limbo. Naturally, he doesn’t let that stop him.

There are also two sections from the perspective of Mark, another of Rachel’s romantic entanglements. Mark is still among the living, so he would theoretically be a more suitable object for Rachel’s affections, but nothing comes easy in the world of The Regrets.

I’d had The Regrets on my shelf for a while before I finally picked it up to read along with a book club run by several of my friends from Austin. The theme of the club is “steamy” reads, i.e. romance or generally sexy books, and they picked the book because NPR deemed it sexy in their year-end wrap-up.

However, we all agreed that the book wasn’t particularly steamy. There are sex scenes, yes, but those moments of connection all ultimately curdle into toxicity as the doomed relationship between Rachel and Thomas slowly disintegrates.

Despite the fact that the book wasn’t quite what I expected it to be, I still really enjoyed it. The writing is great, and it feels like a very specific depiction of how romantic relationships can go wrong and linger after their sell-by date. I’m also always a sucker for books with a slight twist of surrealism, so I was primed to enjoy this one from the start.

After I read this, I bought a collection of Bonnaffons’ short stories. It’ll be interesting to compare her short work with this novel, which really did feel like it only just graduated from a shorter medium.

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Omg, I'm so late with this review. I ended up buying the book and had it on my TBR for ages. I finally got around to it and ehhhhhhhh. I LOVE the concept. Where are my sexy romance books about ghosts? So this sort of scratched that surface but not necessarily in the way I wanted it to. Namely because it wasn't a sexy romance book about ghosts. It was a twisted and uncomfortable story about ghosts. I liked the beginning, didn't like the middle at all, and then finally came around by the end.
Would I recommend it to patrons? Not really, unless I knew them really well.
Do I regret reading it? Ultimately no.

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What a delightfully weird book. I’ll be thinking about it for a long time - it was a much-needed escape

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This is a fun debut. It's weird, but I love a weird book that I can just dive into and escape the world for some time. This fits the bill.

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Charming and engaging love story between a man insufficiently dead and a woman perhaps not quite living. I can imagine THE REGRETS as a film with a more developed ending, the only aspect of this tale of two complicated lovers that I felt was just a tad off. This is a fast and delightful read; I will look for more by author Amy Bonnaffons, as I’m sure she will continue to impress. I received my copy from the publisher from NetGalley.

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This was a DNF for me. Couldn't find the connections in Bonnaffons work. Though it's clear the narrator is intentionally unlikable, the afterlife depicted in The Regrets is equally as flawed. There sees to be nothing redeeming about this world, and every bit of graphic sexual imagery is used for shock value rather than to make a point, progress the story, or provide a sense of space.

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sardonic, gratuitous-erotica, dark-fantasy, noir

Thomas is a deeply disturbed young man who had a transformative experience with a slipshod death angel when he was a grade schooler. He can't really connect with others and is basically without direction. Very interesting.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Little, Brown and Company via NetGalley. I know the review looks a bit underdone, but it's the best I can do. However, I did pay for the audio on the basis of what I'd read.

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The book has appeared in several lists, and I wanted to like it. Unfortunately, the writer's style just did not grab me. I tried reading my requisite 50 pages before giving up, but it never grabbed me. There may be a good story there, but I could not get to it.

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I went into this not sure what to expect of it but it was a pretty wild ride.
In the beginning I felt a lot of sadness and sympathy for our Thomas but as the story progressed, the dynamics certainly changed.

I couldn't help but root for our doomed couple Thomas and Rachel. However the inevitably of what's to come lingers like a shadow the entire time. It's intoxicating at first. This almost meet cute kind of relationship they strike up, but the way the story slips into an obsessive, all consuming dynamic between the two, you can see that the burnout is going to be quick and strong.

I found this title to be both odd and captivating and while at times it felt overly sexual to me, I believe that was also part of the story the author was trying to get across.

Slightly out of my normal reading genre but it's also something truly unique and interesting! Maybe not a book everyone will like too much but I certainly applaud it's efforts and it kept me entranced.

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I loved the first half of this book. I didn't like it as much once the third narrator was introduced. It seemed a little too forced/weird. I felt we could have done without him. Overall though I really enjoyed this one. Definitely something different.

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A book that defies description a ghost story a love story.This is so charming so unique enjoyed every page.Fir a different read nothing like you read before this is the perfect read.#netgalley#littlebrown

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3 1/2 stars

The Regrets is one of the more unique books I've read in a while. In my opinion, it combines genres, but is primarily paranormal as one of the main characters, Thomas, is basically a ghost. The story of how Thomas became a "ghost" is a little different. It isn't because he had unfinished business, it's basically because someone messed up on the "other side" and when his time truly came, he couldn't pass over like most people normally did. At this point, he is told to follow a 90 day protocol before he can try to cross over again. In the meantime, he is advised to keep his interactions with people to a minimum. So, what does he do? Falls in love and starts a relationship with Rachel. That makes perfect sense, right? Needless to say, this creates all kinds of issues for not just Thomas, but Rachel as well.

Initially, I really liked the premise of the book and felt that it started strong. However, towards the end, it became disjointed and felt off to me. Also, I thought "the issues" wrapped up far too quickly.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

What an interesting debut novel. If you want to read a love story that isn’t sappy this February, check out this book.

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Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC!

The Regrets by Amy Bonnaffons had an unfortunately appropriate title for me, but it might be the perfect read for February for all of that (especially if you aren't big on Valentine's Day). As is clear from the cover, the book centers on a relationship between a woman (cute, little, childish) Rachel and a ghost, Thomas. (The almost poetic descriptions of Thomas are the best part of the book). However, the book is quick to distance itself from source material like Caspar (the film version) or Ghost. As Bonnaffons writes, "You may have read books, or seen movies, about hauntings - the rustling of curtains, the inexplicable flushing of toilets, the flickering of candles, even good old Patrick Swayze slow-dancing to 'Unchained Melody.' That's kid stuff." And she sets out to prove it by taking the poetic aspects of the book and turning them crude-bordering-on-raunchy as the romance between Rachel and Thomas becomes a love triangle involving an ex -- and then a square involving an exorcist. The story is told in alternating viewpoints and I couldn't root for any of them. If you're looking for a sharp-edged, nontraditional romance, this one may work for you. As for me, I'm left with regrets!

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This romance was like none I've ever read. Think: ghost sex. I mean, I've read some smutty romances, but I've never read anything like this. The word "penetrated" was used a lot. Let me break down two quotes that capture the energy of this book for me:

- "You belong so well in the world. Fucking you would be like fucking the world." Here, Thomas is commenting on how physically solid Rachel is, ya know, being a living member of the world and all, unlike him. At least that's what he was commenting on in the first sentence. Then he went there.
- "Death had penetrated me. I had penetrated death." Here, Rachel is commenting on fucking Thomas. Who is dead.

I don't know why, but those two quotes are so funny to me. Somehow they don't gross me out. They're just so absurd. I like how one Goodreads reviewer put it: "offbeat dark comedy." But anyways. Besides the ghost sex, there are some deeper themes too: relationships, connection, letting go, moving on. I actually found myself relating profoundly to how the characters felt a disconnect from the life happening around them.

"I occasionally felt bad about this difference between us—about the way I reliably failed to inhabit a moment, instead hovering outside of it, catlike, waiting to isolate and pounce on a tellable detail."

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It is always fun to read something unexpected and totally unique and I can easily say that about this book. It went places I was not expecting but it definitely left things to be desired as well. I did think there was a general malaise for me by the time I finished the book but I did feel a bit like, what's the point. I will say that I am still thinking about things from this book now, though, which is almost as much as one can expect.

The Regrets comes out next week on February 4, 2020, and you can purchase HERE. This was definitely different -- sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't.

You may relive--vividly, and at unexpected times--the moment preceding your death. This symptom is natural in those with no Exit Narrative. Refrain from seeking any form of self-medication (pharmaceutical, alcoholic, sexual or otherwise), or you may incur regrets.

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I guess this book could be put into the ghost story genre. It is a story of Thomas who died before his time and is stuck in limbo on earth for 90 days so paperwork can be processed. There are some rules he is to follow but after a few weeks he loses interest in his daily report and is bored. He meets Rachel at a bus stop where he watches people and rides to put his report in a special mailbox. this is the first book I've read by this author. For me it was an ok read. Readers who enjoy romance and ghost will love it. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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A special thank you to Hachette Book Group Canada, Little Brown and Company, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel Starr is the girl with the bright red lipstick and glasses. She's a reference librarian from Brooklyn. For weeks, she's been noticing the same melancholy guy sitting at her bus stop. Finally mustering up some courage, Rachel introduces herself and the two have unquestionable chemistry. Thomas Barrett is smart and funny and handsome. But there's one tiny problem: he's dead.

Thomas is stuck in a surreal limbo where he is unable to cross over to the afterlife. As per the bureaucracy, he has to complete a 90-day stint on earth under the condition that he is not to get involved with any member of the living—lest he incur "regrets." When Thomas and Rachel break this rule, they unleash a torrent of consequences.

The Regrets is a surreal love story and unlike anything I have read. It is quirky and weird, but it works. Bonnaffons comment on dying—with or without regrets—is dark, but light and playful.

The writing is beautiful and haunting, Bonnaffons is also surprisingly witty. Sex was paramount to the story, not just the act itself, but that it is fragile and intimate. It is also a form of connection.

There are some incredibly long passages with little to no dialogue, and sometimes this was difficult to slog through. I did feel that the first half was stronger and then my attention started to wane.

A love affair between the living and the dead, The Regrets is a novel about life, death, regrets, and the power of love.

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I really enjoyed this weird, existentialist book about love, sex, and death. In it, a man dies, then awakens after a sort of bureaucratic error. Later, a woman falls in love with the man, who is already dead. The switch between perspectives was between very dissonant voices and in fact separate stories, which helped to heighten the sort of anxious incorporeality of the novel. I think it would make a pretty bad movie, but I hope someone makes it into a movie anyway because it would be my favorite kind and would slot perfectly into a film series/collection I have.

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