Member Reviews

An indepth exploration of first love, Rosie and Will fall hard and fast as teens and even after their break up, they keep re-connecting - with something significant keeping them from making that permanent commitment.
An intense powerful read that will resonate with a lot of readers, it is beautifully told and sensitively handled.

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I wouldn’t normally choose to read a love story, but I absolutely loved everything about this book. I was totally invested in Rosie and Will, and just had to know how their story played out. I devoured it in a couple of days.
Thank you very much NetGalley for the advance copy.

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Thanks to Michael Joseph & NetGalley for ARC.

Rosie is a perfect schoolgirl, diligent, aspirational, loyal to her family, close with her mercurial twin Josh. She meets Will, Josh's maths partner, at a bonfire, and suddenly her world feels different.
Will's background is different, as are his aspirations. His troubled past has given him a reputation he can't live down.
Over time, they talk, mainly at night, often after long gaps where life gets in the way of their ability or desire to connect.

Life happens, beautifully written and often with emotional impact as there are deaths, marriages, illnesses and career changes.

I didn't mind the lack of speech marks that niggled other reviewers - for me it helped the dream-like quality of the prose. I just didn't really believe the central premise of the protagonists' immediate and lasting connection, sustained over time, geography, life experiences. For me that seemed so implausible I couldn't get over it. Blame me and my peripatetic childhood, not forming deep attachments in my childhood or teens. I also struggled with the treatment of blameless and underwritten Simon (no spoilers). In the end, I was unmoved by the entire endeavour, which may be a little unfair to the talented writer who spent so long crafting this tale, and the people who believed in the premise.

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Rosie and Will are clearly meant for each other. However, all manner of events and crises conspire to keep them apart, while at the same time, forging a link can never truly be broken.

We meet them as teenagers. We are given teasing hints about Will’s troubled background and personality, which are slowly (very slowly) eventually revealed. My niggling questions and the occasional obscure slight hints kept me reading when I was wondering whether to give up, as I can’t say I was enjoying the read.

There’s really not much joy in their story. Even during times when there are signs of hope for a happy future for them, either as a couple or separately, there is a pervading grimness to it all.

Something which irritated me no end is the lack of speech marks. Are they too much to ask? I assume it’s done with a specific purpose, but quite what the reason is, I’m not sure. I suppose it makes it all a narrative, as if it’s reported speech instead of actual speech. Is it intended to distance us from the characters? If so, it certainly worked in my case.

I give it 2 stars, rather than 1, because, although the characters and the story were not for me, some of the writing was lyrically quite beautiful.

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Do you ever look at a book cover or read a book description and just know that is the right book for you, that you will love it and that it will be a favourite read? That is me and this book, I knew from the moment I opened my NetGalley email with a request now option, that this was the book I needed to read - I was not wrong.

From the opening sentence to the last full stop this book holds my heart. Days later and I am still thinking about it.
This is no soppy love story, this is a real-life, imperfect and flawed tale of two intertwined hearts who always come back to each other.

So here it is, my first 5* read of the year and one that, no doubt, will still be holding space at the end of 2023.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my copy of this beautiful book.

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I like to find new authors and also explore different book styles preferably set in the UK. Talking at Night by Claire Daverley fits my more adventurous selection of trying a book that does not initially grab me but intrigue steps in.

I’m not sure why I requested an advance copy, After downloading I read the summary again and one afternoon thought let’s give this a go. I’m pleased I did. This is far from my normal go to crime and thriller, it could be described as a bit slow at times but the friendship, love and tension between Rosie and Will starts to grip which means, yes I kept on reading. The writing style is slightly odd as there is a lack of speech marks but once I got used to this, it added to the flow and the developing story of loss, relationships, dreams and hope. It really thought provoking and cleverly gets you thinking and hoping.

So although I questioned my choice, I just kept on reading and thoroughly enjoyed my time with Rosie and Will and the tensions around their relationship with each other and also with themselves. A great book and shows it’s well worth trying different authors and writing styles.
.

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An emotional read about an on/off slow romance. At times a little frustrating as the story unfolds and follows Rosie and Will from their time in sixth form at school to their thirties. Plenty of drama along the way as their two lives separate and come together over several years. A little slow in places but beautifully written and descriptive that I got totally invested in the characters and immersed in their story. Some well depicted peripheral characters too which lent depth and made the plot believable and relatable.

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Very well written, a will they / won't they story that could well appeal to fans of Sally Rooney and Megan Nolan,. The central characters left me a little cold, but there is no doubt this story will appeal to those looking for the literary end of romance fiction

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This book is full of drama and trauma I can say. It's an emotional book with characters that deal with some kind of trauma and try to get on with life and its problems somehow. It was an enjoyable book and I think people who love this kind of emotional book will love it.

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This book touched my soul, there's no much I can say about it. The writing is beautiful and the love story is something I won't be able to forget.

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Rosie and Will have this on and off again relationship, starting from when they are teenagers. She doesn't believe in it and keeps going away to do what she thinks she should be doing. He is a bit messed up, however is always there for her when she needs him. Quite a one sided waiting game really. Rosie doesn't really do much with her dreams, and seems to be a bit of a victim. Will is fighting his own demons. The manner of writing is somewhat abstract, although you do get a good feel for the characters and the depth of their feelings for each other.

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Beautiful, poignant, heart-wrenching. Despite the delicate themes this is a must read. I read this at a really difficult time in my life personally so it was raw and relatable. The style of writing is unusual and takes a little getting used detailing the dialogue between the characters.

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Well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters that I fell in love with. I really enjoyed it and cannot wait to read more by this author

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Will White and Rosie Winters meet at a bonfire during their last year of school and an inexplicable bond is formed. Eighteen year old Will is a reformed bad boy who is just trying to get by day by day whereas seventeen year old Rosie has a perfectly mapped out plan of how she and (her mother)wants her life to go. However, an unforeseen tragedy happens that will change the course of both their lives and their shared future, forever.

I feel conflicted with this book because it is a contemporary romance (which I like), very character focused (which I also like) and has exquisite writing (tick for that one too!) but something just didn't work for it however, I still enjoyed it if that makes sense?!

Let me start on the writing, it is gorgeous, so poetic and lyrical but I think with the book being a contemporary romance it just didn't really fit. I feel like the book was really trying to be literary fiction and it wasn't that for me anyway. The imagery and descriptions were gorgeous and you could really feel the atmosphere at times.

This book is the definition of all vibes and no plot which I love so that was where it gained a lot of points for me. It follows the lives of our two main characters as they navigate from the end of their teenage years all the way to their mid thirties. Daverley does a fantastic job of showing life in all of it's grotesque and mundane parts while still weaving in beauty and love. This was done so well.

The book reminded me a lot of One Day by David Nicholls and people have compared it to Sally Rooney's writing also, so if you like either or both of those authors, you are sure to like this book.

This book for me is a solid 3.75 and I would recommend it. I really feel like this book is going to be insanely popular when it is published and I would love to read more of the author's writing because it really is quite exquisite.

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A slow burn romance following Rosie and Will and their long friendship which feels like it could be more, but obstacles keep getting in the way. It's got a lovely literary feel with beautoful writing throughout, akin to The Paper Palace and Summer People.

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This is one of those books I just could not put down. It is beautifully written with interesting and captivating characters. Some difficult subjects are sensitively dealt with and it clearly illustrates how family dynamics and pressures influence behaviour way beyond childhood. I am looking forward to the author's next novel.

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I thought this was a nice debut. It's clear from the beginning that it will be a will-they-won't-they love story, and that's exactly what you get. It's a very sad book, but you do find yourself carried along with Rosie and Will and their lives as they intersect and then split off across the years. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

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If you are looking for a fast paced read this isn’t it. If you’re in the market for a beautifully written, quiet exploration of love, loss and finding peace then this is for you.

Rosie and Will begin a relationship while they are still at school. It's not immediately romantic but you can tell it is immediately special. They have a real connection which walks the line between a kind of magical innocence and brutal honesty.

Already carrying the burden of a loss, they both suffer a further tragedy at the end of school and the book is the story of them navigating their lives and their relationship while coming to terms with their grief.

The story looks at different types of loss - of people, of relationships and of dreams - but it is also quite hopeful in places. Rosie and Wills relationship expands and contracts throughout their lives and it is heartbreakingly romantic in places (without tipping into the cheesy). The irony is that each really sees the other person but neither really know themselves and the book is as much about them finding peace and discovering who they are as individuals as it is their romantic relationship.

Such a great read.

Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph and Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy.

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I really enjoyed this!

Flawed, real, likeable humans who fall in and out of love and survive through missed opportunity’s of being together!

Will definitely read more by this author! Thank you NetGalley!

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I really enjoyed how these characters met as teens and then into adulthood. I think when done well it is a really good concept. I think book did it very well, it wasn’t too cheesy or hard to read at all.

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