⭐️⭐️ 2 Stars – I’m not sure I understood it – and maybe that’s the point

This book truly lives up to its title. “The Art of Being Difficult” is confusing, fragmented, and often feels deliberately inaccessible. I’m not sure I ever fully grasped what was happening – or if I was even supposed to. Reading it felt more like navigating a fog than following a storyline. Some parts were intriguing, even beautiful, but overall it was a slow, often exhausting read. Not quite a struggle, but definitely not a breeze. Maybe it’s a book that wants to be felt rather than understood – I’m just not sure how much of it I actually felt.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy in exchange for an honest review :)

William Chekhov's The Art of Being Difficult offers a unique and unconventional narrative that i haven gotten the chance to see before. In order to have the best reading experience, i would embrace these challenges.

This was a tough read. The chapters were all over the place, though I understand that was a part of the story-telling. However, I don't think it benefited the story at all-- instead I found myself lost with who was who and what was happening and why.

Chekhov’s blend of humour and practicality made the whole process of learning to say "no" and set boundaries feel doable and even fun.

The anecdotes are so relatable, I found myself nodding along and thinking, "That’s how I feel!" The advice is spot-on and really helped me understand why I struggle with assertiveness and how to handle it better.

There were a few moments where his tone felt a bit off, and he sometimes wandered off-topic, but overall, it didn’t detract from the value. I came away feeling it might be more possible to stand my ground in social situations. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to be more assertive without losing their cool!

Thank you to NetGalley, Mendelssohn Press, and author William Chekhov for the eARC. I prefer not to leave negative reviews, so I'll keep it brief: this book just wasn't for me.

What did I just read? This is a fever dream in the most fun and devasting way. You're so lost reading each chapter, and it only makes sense once you've read the whole book. It throws heart-wrenching curves at you while keeping you engaged and entertained. I can't even describe what this book is about but I'll try.

Kotan has difficulty finding love and he settles for a relationship with Inyoku. What follows is lies, betrayal, passion, murder. Wow.

'The Art Of Being Difficult' is the perfect title for this book as I found the writing style for this book awkward and difficult to read. The story was ok and could have easily been rated higher however I just really did not like how it was written.

I read this as an ARC. It is now published.

I will also post a review on my TikTok account.

The art of being difficult by William Checkoff is one of the strangest written book I’ve ever read. The first 10 or so chapters are only a sentence or two long then when it finally gets into the grit of the story it jumps confusing the reader and making me wonder if this is independently published because OMG I hate to say bad things about a book I absolutely love books but this one was difficult to get through and they strange read all together. Maybe this is just another artsy thing that is way above my IQ either way I’m sorry but I didn’t like it when it started with the guy at the cash register it was funny but then when it jumped to the lady I just was so confused and if you’re confused by the summary join the club. I want to thank Mendelssohn press for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes I am blind and dictate my review.

I will start thanking NetGalley and the publisher that made this ARC available, but unfortunately this book wasn't for me.
The title explains quite well the experience of reading this book, that truly lives up for his own name because it really is "difficult", starting by the way it's set up, to the confusing way it was written.
This books try to talk in a poetic way and jump between different POV and timelines, but even after finishing it I realize that I still didn't understand what I've read, especially the characters and what was the actual point of it all.
I think someone would find something in this book to enjoy, also because it has very short chapters and it's a fast read, but unfortunately it really wasn't my thing.

I'm still very thankful to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity!

I honestly don't even know what I just read. I do know that I didn't like it, it was not at all my style of writing. The story honestly made no sense to me. I'm sure someone may find this great but that's not me.
I don't usually write reviews like this but I really don't know what else to say.

I was able to read this book through NetGalley and it definitely followed suit with its name. The Art of being Difficult was indeed difficult to finish for being a short story and even more difficult to follow. The one plus was that it did have short chapters. I have it a two star purely because it kept me reading trying to figure out the actual plot to the book. Maybe I missed it? I really wanted to love this book based on the description and I unfortunately couldn’t.

Thank you again NetGalley.

Difficult Read

“The Art of Being Difficult” by William Chekhov truly lives up to its own name. There is a difficulty in following the multiple storylines because the chapters jump all over the place. Some chapters are give us substance to go off of and satiates the need for a story. Other chapters share the heartache and longing of characters. There are short poetic-style chapters thrown in the mix.

Maybe that was point in writing it this way. I also understand why the novella has been given its title. I read it twice to get a better understanding of the characters but I don’t think it helped much at all.

Three stars for the difficulty of following, the confusion, and the pensive thought process to try to understand everything going on.

Thank you to Mendelssohn Press and NetGalley for the ARC copy.

I’m not really sure what this book was. There was some nice bits of poetry in there that I related to, but overall I spent the entire time with the feeling that there was a plot and a message that I somehow kept missing. I had no idea who was who or what was going on at any point, and as soon as I thought I had a grasp on it, the perspective changed and I was back to not knowing.
Maybe I just don’t have the brain cells to comprehend the book, but I digress.
2⭐️ for the nice poetry

A Loveless Child. A Loveless Woman. Sweet Romance. Murder. Satire. Desperation. Fate.
That's it. That's the whole back cover description. I suppose the ominous, mysterious ambience was partly what drew me in, but that's what made me lose interest, too.
Hey, I'm Paige, and this is a review of "The Art of Being Difficult" by William Chekhov. I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review, but these thoughts are my own. Thank you, Mendelssohn Press!

*it was confusing to read*
I don't know how to describe Chekhov's writing style, except that it's a tough read for those seeking a straightforward narrative. To me, it looked like a bunch of scenes. There was no storyline. I think there might have been a hidden meaning or something, but I couldn't figure it out. The lack of clear structure makes it challenging to follow the author's train of thought.

*it got boring soon*
Aside from the whole 'I don't know what's going on' thing, there was another issue. The majority of this book (if it can be called a book, and not a jumble of scenes) was trying too hard to be fancy and poetic. If a book starts with explaining the plot, like this one did, there needs to be a compelling reason for readers to continue. That was unfortunately missing from this novelette.

*the lack of coherence*
One of the most frustrating aspects of "The Art of Being Difficult" was the lack of coherence. While I expected a challenging read, I also anticipated a cohesive narrative that would gradually unfold. Instead, the book felt like a series of disconnected vignettes, with no clear direction or purpose. Characters appeared and disappeared without explanation, and the timeline seemed to shift arbitrarily. As a reader, I struggled to piece together the puzzle, ultimately feeling more perplexed than enlightened by the end.

*conclusion*
In conclusion, "The Art of Being Difficult" by William Chekhov could have been an intriguing exploration into the complexities of human nature and societal norms. However, the delivery and writing style of this book was extremely confusing. While there may be hidden gems buried within the text, they are overshadowed by the overwhelming difficulty of the reading experience. Overall, I found myself struggling to stay engaged and ultimately lost interest in the book.

Kotan has always been lonely, but when he meets Inyoku, his life changes forever. Inyoku has never been in love, and neither of them has any idea how to navigate a relationship. Adultery, murder, and depression threaten to derail what they have built. Will they learn what it means to truly love before it is forever too late?

This was an enjoyable read with short (some super short!!) chapters, which I love. The story was confusing to follow, jumping between points of view and times, past vs. present, but it still held my interest. I wanted to know what was going on with the characters, even though some weren't named and didn't seem to belong.

I rate this book 2.5 🌟

I'd like to say a huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was an enjoyable novella. It had a winding path and was a good bit confusing, but I knew that before starting. There was a good message on there (but it’s going to ruminate in my mind for a bit before it arrives).

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

I gave this a 3 star as this is well written and is very unique.

I did like some of the topics explored in this book, but this wasn't my favourite writing style.

If you are going through some level of existential crisis or having some inner struggles, you may resonate with this and connect. But unfortunately, this did not click with me.

This book/story was so jarring and confusing. I felt like I had no idea what was happening at all. There were some insightful parts and some good poetry. But overall too confusing

This is a book about hating women. I can attempt to hide that in carefully placed words that sound less harsh but why hide the reality? It seeped into every page.

It's also simply poorly written. I'm not just talking about the poorly executed idea of the time jumps. It could have been good but now it just read like a fever dream.

No the sentences, everything. It's just bad. "Your flowers are at their same place". That sentence made so little sense it induced me to rage and I found myself rage reading most of the book after that. I really truly wished I could have been more positive but I found little redeeming about it. Just. No.

There were some existential gems scattered here and there, but the majority of this story (if it can be called a story, and not a jumble of exposition) was trying too hard to be esoteric and artful. If a book starts with a TLDR, a compelling reason for readers to read on must also be offered, and that was unfortunately missing from this novelette. Thank you to Mendelssohn Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.