Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: January 23, 2018
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source: E-ARC
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Blurb:
This is the classic tale of boy meets girl: Girl…goes home with someone else.
Meet Eve. She’s a dreamer, a feeler, a careening well of sensitivities who can’t quite keep her feet on the ground, or steer clear of trouble. She’s a laugher, a crier, a quirky and quick-witted bleeding-heart-worrier.
Meet Ben. He’s an engineer, an expert at leveling floors who likes order, structure, and straight lines. He doesn’t opine, he doesn’t ruminate, he doesn’t simmer until he boils over.
So naturally, when the two first cross paths, sparks don’t exactly fly. But then they meet again. And again. And then, finally, they find themselves with a deep yet fragile connection that will change the course of their relationship—possibly forever.
Follow Eve and Ben as they navigate their twenties on a winding journey through first jobs, first dates, and first breakups; through first reunions, first betrayals and, maybe, first love. This is When Harry Met Sally reimagined; a charming tale told from two unapologetically original points of view. With an acerbic edge and heartwarming humor, debut novelist Leslie Cohen takes us on a tour of what life looks like when it doesn’t go according to plan, and explores the complexity, chaos, and comedy in finding a relationship built to last.
Review:
“Because the thing about Eve is, when she does land, she sticks that landing something hard, and suddenly, walking away is the very last thought on your mind.”
The friends to lovers storyline has always been a favorite of mine. Readers will be happy to know that This Love Will Self Destruct has a different take on the popular trope. It’s not conventional in the way of normal friends to lovers stories. The two main characters don’t really have any type of relationship until later on in the book. They are acquaintances that are loosely in the same group of friends.
Eve is a very quirky character but I feel like her quirks are what make her so love-able. In the beginning of the novel when are introduced to Eve and her gang and her love interest; a moody musician, Jesse. She re-meets Ben but pretty much blows him off for Jesse. So the two in fact, do not end up going home together. Ben is the real love interest but his interactions with Eve are non-exsistent. Which was different for me. I’m used to the hero and heroine meeting and having something happen very early on in the book.
Years go by and the two run into each other again. And it happens over a look Ben and Eve share. You know what I’m talking about, the look. They then start a relationship of sorts but Eve and her past trauma hinder her from being fully invested. Then Ben has a huge freaking secret that could make or break up the couple. When I find out the secret, I became sad. Can’t really explain it without giving it away; but it brought up memories.
I truly enjoyed this book. I felt at times the story was a bit too much. There would be times when we were completely in either Ben or Eve’s head and there wouldn’t be any kind of dialogue for a few pages. That annoyed me a bit. I also would have liked to get more from the side characters. I don’t feel like we ever truly got to know them. Side characters are just as important in my opinion. Overall, I loved the book and adored Ben and Eve. Their character flaws are what made them real. I look forward to reading more from the author.
On side note, I’d also like to add that I liked Jesse. I have an unhealthy addiction for bad men just like Eve did. Plus he’s a musician and those are a weakness for me. Bleh.
*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Buy:
Amazon
Amazon UK
Leslie Cohen was born and raised in New York. She studied fiction at Columbia University, and wrote a weekly music column for a newspaper in Colorado before working in publishing for several years. This is her debut novel.
No comments
Post a Comment