Don't Get Me Wrong by Marianne Kavanagh
| Don't Get Me Wrong by Marianne Kavanagh | |
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| Category: Women's Fiction | |
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Reviewer: Sophie Diamond
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| Summary: A sweet and entertaining read that's nothing to write home about | |
| Buy? No | Borrow? Maybe |
| Pages: 336 | Date: September 2015 |
| Publisher: Text Publishing Company | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-19252406033 | |
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Don't get me wrong, this was an enjoyable read but it's not one you'll rush and tell your friends about.
Kim and Eva are sisters who always look out for each other, Kim is hot-headed, self-righteous and angry, Eva is calm, collected and at peace with the world. When Eva brings the charmingly, self-assured Harry home one day, Kim dislikes him from the word go. Through the years, the friction between Harry and Kim never eases, and Eva remains firmly in the middle as the person they each love most. When the unthinkable happens, Kim and Harry have to decide if they can put their differences aside for the greater good of the one they love.
This book was light, charming in places and often witty but it was not a brilliant story. I don't know whether Kavanagh has taken a stab at bringing Pride and Prejudice up to date but she's fallen short of the mark. My main problem with this book was Kim: I just couldn't stand her. Her whole dislike of Harry was so completely contrived, the point of the story was that she needed to hate him but Kavanagh never convinced me why Kim hated him so much, which I found very frustrating. Harry, on the other hand, was a great character, he had an interesting background, was very likeable and more importantly, it was clear why he acted the way he did. Despite the story being mainly in Kim's perspective, Kavanagh hasn't fleshed her out to the same degree as Harry, and that really let the story down. I understand that the plot relies on the tensions of the opposite characters but it didn't really work.
Tensions aside, the plot was actually quite enjoyable. There were some really fun and funny moments and other moments which made me a bit teary. I loved the relationship between Harry and Eva, it was complex and layered and also really private. They shared their own bond that no one else in the story really understood. There were other really great characters too, like the girls' horrid mother who flies in and out of their lives with incredibly little care for either of her daughters.
I also really liked the way the story span years and worked alongside the financial crash. It made the plot incredibly relevant and easy to relate to. In truth, I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did because there are many things I liked about it but nothing I felt particularly passionate about.
Kavanagh has created an ok book, I would go as far as to call it good but it lacks the sincerity needed to make a book great.
If you fancy reading a brilliant story of adverse circumstance and overcoming your difference try Me Before You and [[After You by Jojo Moyes]
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You can read more book reviews or buy Don't Get Me Wrong by Marianne Kavanagh at Amazon.com.
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