I found this book very difficult to get into and not as intriguing as I was hoping it would be. Maybe I will come back to it at a later date.

Hard read that was slow and dragged on. I didn’t feel connected with any of the characters.

Review copy provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. First off, I love books with multiple POVs and I was excited that this book carried that aspect. The three POVs are from Venus, Alex, and Gilles. The story takes place in London, another awesome part of this book! This book gave me so many emotions. I was happy, I cried, it was just a roller coaster of emotions for me. I enjoyed all of the characters also, and I really came to care about what was happening in their lives.

I felt genuine grief and heartache for the characters in this book. But it was hard work keeping track of the story. It kept switching narrators and points of view, and I struggled through the middle section of the book. Perhaps it was written in this distinctive way to depict how grief and love can crash and subside like waves. I definitely felt a bit tossed about while reading it. Still, an impressive debut.

I wanted to like this as I thought the premise was great but it fell short. Too odd. Hard to follow. Needed better editing

BROOKE’S REVIEW

Alice Burnett’s debut novel, Ideal Love, explores what happens when love is torn away and found again. Venus Rees’ husband Gilles dies unexpectedly at 35. What Venus later discovers is that he passed away from a treatable genetic condition, and it leaves her world spinning. Still haunted by the fear that Gilles withheld treatment, Venus accepts love again with Alex.

This beautifully-written book explores the themes of love and loss, but more than that, it explores the themes of the secrets that partners keep from each other and the role of the individual in a relationship. What are the boundaries that we can keep, and what do we owe each other to share? Burnett has a strong debut into the literary world, and readers will look forward to what comes next.

PRAISE

“Burnett's ear for dialogue between lovers - and friends - is second to none. Ideal Love is an extraordinary interrogation of the human heart in all its complexity. Anyone who has ever felt they might die for love will relish this book.” - Rowan Pelling

"A rich and evocative novel about what it means to love and, above all, what it means to be human." - Annabel Abbs

"Interesting and challenging" - Katie Fforde

AUTHOR

Alice Burnett grew up on a farm in Devon, England. She studied maths at Cambridge University followed by a degree in philosophy, a subject she is still passionate about. She qualified as a lawyer in the City and worked in London and Paris before leaving law to write full-time. Ideal Love is her first novel. She is currently working on a second. Alice is 42 and lives in London with her husband and three sons.

This was my first book I read specifically to review and unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan.

Whilst the idea of the story was great, the layout of the book made it difficult to follow easily. Probably a great book if you like one that really challenges the mind but I prefer to know who/when I am reading about easily rather than figuring it out.

The story itself was good but not a love for me.

Thank you Net galley for the free ARC.

I am sorry, but this book was not for me. The characters did not appeal to me, Gilles was a sexist pig. Venus was kind of clueless. I felt the chapters were very disjointed. I was attracted to the plot of not knowing that he had an inherited condition, but that really was not the main story. Sorry! .