I appreciate the chance to read and review Not Exactly What I had in Mind by Kate Brook. This is a book I liked a lot for it's themes and ideas and representation but liked less for execution, which is a highly personal aspect of a review (we are all different kinds of readers, if the plot sounds good I say go for it). I appreciate the copy from NetGalley and Penguin Dutton

What I liked:
1. Relationships in early adulthood are messy and I think this book honors that while also examining sexuality and different relationships. I think some won't love the messiness of the characters, which I too struggled with at times, but it is also a fair reflection of young adulthood today.
2. Pregnancy for non heterosexual couples, and for individuals not in a relationship, does require thoughts about fertility treatments. I am someone who struggled with fertility (but am not of a minority sexual identity) so I both appreciated this plot point but also struggled with how it was executed (see below). But what I liked is the attention to all people, all couples, seeking a chance to parent.
3. The book was fairly fast paced for me. I did not feel it got slow or bogged down even if I didn't love everything about the story itself.

What I struggled with
1. I had trouble relating to the characters, which is not per se a problem with the book but more a statement that these characters aren't for each person. I felt the same when I read Rooney's Normal People, I just could not relate to the lives and I felt disenaged from the story. that's me as a reader, not necessarily a problem with the book.
2. I will often struggle with themes on IVF, it is very complicated, expensive and emotional. I found this part of the book less helpful in raising this awareness aspect and a bit under developed/too humorous for me to really like. That's a personal experience connection, these themes don't often work well for me so I mention this for other readers who just might not be up for this topic, even if it's not an overly emotional portrayal.

So, this is a solid ~3.5 stars for me, it has a lot of promise and discussion worthy plot points but it was also a book that was not as strong as I hoped it would be for me.

I'm not the ideal reader for this book, and while I tried to give it a fair shot, I have to admit it just didn't land with me. I would have preferred a deeper, more personal narrative voice that focused in on just one character of the cast we have here. I also felt more intrigued by Daria and Emily's relationship in theory, but found their storyline about IVF particularly surface level. I can see plenty of readers enjoying what's going on here--the London setting, the art scene, the talks of feminism, etc--but the voice and prose just wasn't quite right for me.

So I actually did not finish this book.....

It started off great! Mid hookup. I was immediately interested. There are not many books that start off with the main characters hooking up.

Then, it kind of got boring. The story introduces the main characters (Hazel and Afi), the reason for their hookup and their feelings towards each other. It cuts to another couple (Hazel's sister and her partner) and starts to introduce their relationship and their problems. I was waiting for the story to get interesting or at least have a concept for me to grasp onto and keep me reading. But I did not find that to be the case.

I appreticate the diversity of the characters but also found their development lacked depth. I found myself wanting more. It seems like it had promise - maybe if I kept reading? But I found myself easily distracted.

Okay first thing’s first: I really really liked this book! The whole time I was reading it I thought, “wow this is a really cute and funny and female-empowered modern day romance novel.” I didn’t give it 5 stars because while I truly enjoyed it, it didn’t have that umph and addictive quality that would have made me bump it up to 5.

But…guys this is a really good one and I recommend any romcom fans to pick this one up once it’s out. Aside from having a lot of humor in it, it also tackles some pretty serious topics (trigger warnings included in Instagram post).

There’s a lot of plot points I could give away by explaining what I loved about this book, and what drove me mad, so I won’t go into detail. The emphasis on modern dating and the pitfalls that come out of it were fun and interesting to read about, and I adored the fact that Hazel, the main character, is a cartoonist who uses social media to share all of the nitty gritty parts of dating and being a woman (I couldn’t get @violetclair out of my head while reading, her candid yet hilarious art gives off the kind of vibe I was getting from Hazel’s art).

The characters were all very likable, except for one who we won’t name but will be very clear upon reading. Alfie is somehow both adorable and 🔥 at the same time, Hazel felt very relatable, and Daria and Emily’s very honest and caring relationship, combined with their journey towards having a baby was heartbreaking yet inspiring and gave me the warm and fuzzies.

A book filled with many of life’s unexpected twists and turns, Not Exactly What I Had in Mind definitely shows that everything doesn’t always go the way you expect it to, but that it might be for all the right reasons.

Thank you Netgalley and Dutton Books for the gifted copy.

This was a very enjoyable read. The novel is a great reminder that the “best laid plans……” can always go awry. Easy read, rom-com, and perfect if you need to get away from the stress of everyday life. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

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

Simply sweet at first with a genuinely good male protagonist, but it built up to be satisfyingly spicy. Perfect five

This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind selecting this book. I actively avoid women’s fiction, chicklit and the like in all shapes and forms. This book somehow squeaked by pretending to be a proper novel, but once you get into it, the contents give it away – it’s essentially a collection of genre clichés.
Cliché #1. The main couple, the will they or won’t they twosome of blubbery milquetoasts, with the female counterpart being much more tedious of the two. The book begins with sex, as either a desperate and all too obvious grab for reader’s attention or at attempt at certain authenticity. The sex is good, but the situation is somewhat unconventional, since the two of them are roommates. So, it’s convenient but challenging and thus, though the two of them are obviously, OBVIOSULY, meant for each other they proceed to convolute their way out of it, mainly talking too much and never saying the right things.
And then the girl of the pair, an instacomic artist/barista, decides it would be a baller move to date Miles, a pretentious artsy hipstery man-bunned trash pile of a man. Despite the fact that she doesn’t really like him all that much and he’s crap in bed, she proceeds with this relationship because a. he’s hot and b. she thinks he might further her art career. That should probably tell you all you need to know about what sort of person she is.
Cliché #2 - her sister and her wife are trying for a baby. Because if one must write lesbians, it has to be babies. So, they are sperm-hunting and no man is safe around them. While one of them (not the one who’s going to actually do it) had tokophobia, which is a fear of pregnancy and childbirth. So that’s their major drama.
Eventually, to no one’s surprise, Miles turns out to be a vindictive f*cker, the lesbians go through pregnancy ordeals settling (again to no one’s surprise) on the main guy from the cliché #1 for their baby daddy. Which, gasp, complicates the already laughably ludicrous would-be not-quite relationship between the original pair.
Oh my, though, let’s face it, not quite Shakespearean. Motions, motions and a profoundly unsatisfying resolution and then it’s over. Taking its time. Potential is there, specially for a debut, but the overall impression is mostly frustration and some annoyance. And the thing is, it is an eminently readable book, crap like this tends to be, and it tries, it really tries to be more – more serious, more topical, more important – but in the end it’s just too formulaic and too estrogeny for its own good.. Unless you’re into that sort of thing…then by all means. Otherwise pass. Thanks Netgalley.