I first came across this title as part of a class assignment and, upon reading the synopsis, thought, “this is a British version of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood”. Now that I’ve read the book, I firmly stand behind my initial hypothesis.
Cat, Lissa and Hannah live together in East London, brought into each other’s lives through grammar school and university to create a bond of friendship that encompasses their differing backgrounds and personalities. The storyline twists and turns throughout the years, moving forwards and backwards as their stories unwind and tangle back together. In this sense, I was definitely at a disservice having listened to it as an audiobook. Sometimes the change in years was easier to follow than others, but since the point of narration also shifts between the three women, it sometimes felt like too much to keep track of.
The life and story of each of the women was unique and challenging in its own way, providing intriguing plot developments and interesting scenarios as the main conflict of the novel revolves around them getting older and the struggle, anxiety and ~expectation~ that comes along with the aging process. The backgrounds, family lives and personal struggles of each woman was starkly different and interesting, but I struggled orienting which background/experience went with whom. Again, this could have more to do with me listening to rather than reading the text, but I realized in the last chapter that a character I thought was blonde was actually brunette and that was a weirdly jarring moment.
Aside from the confusion in some defining details, I thought the book was well written, the triumphs and trials of the characters emotionally impactful, and the reality of how friendships evolve over time brutally realistic. While I wouldn’t rank it as highly as the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, I still thought it was a good read, and the perfect length for a summer vacation.
Personal rating: 7/10
Recommend? I would recommend but not prioritize
Re-read? Maybe. I’d like to read a physical copy and see if I still struggle to follow the characterization
Time: 1:48