Hello Now
Author: Jenny Valentine
Published by: Harper Collins
Pages: 191
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★
Published by: Harper Collins
Pages: 191
Format: Paperback
My Rating ★★
In the beginning, there was only me and Mum. Then Novo arrived. I was like an atom in his orbit. Suddenly in the moment. In the Now.
Goodbye to life as I know it…
And Hello Now…
‘Like nothing you’ve read before, this is a stunningly written exploration of what it means to live and love in the moment – and a story that quite literally transcends logic and time.’
Goodbye to life as I know it…
And Hello Now…
‘Like nothing you’ve read before, this is a stunningly written exploration of what it means to live and love in the moment – and a story that quite literally transcends logic and time.’
My thoughts:
Normally I would begin my review with a brief synopsis of the book, but I can’t do that with Hello Now because I genuinely cannot tell you what this book even was. It involves time, magic and romance… but plot wise, I just don’t know.
The book is less than two hundred pages, but it felt so much longer. Jude and Novo are the main characters. They’re instantly attached and the story of why gradually slowly unfolds… Kind of. I felt like it was supposed to be romantic and lyrical but actually came off as muddled and Jude's character seemed a little pretentious.
Unfortunately, although I can certainly appreciate the writing, this book just wasn’t for me. In places it became too weird and it didn’t really explain itself enough for me to be able to follow it properly.
I couldn’t picture the characters at all, and I really struggled with that. Just like there is not a very clear plot, only vague elements, there is only a hazy sensation of who the characters are within the book. It’s extremely descriptive, and the book is written almost entirely from Jude’s point of view. I found the narration quite tedious at times and this made it hard to engage with.
There were some elements that I enjoyed whilst reading, but I feel the book had the potential to be so much better. The original concept is interesting, but maybe a bit too ambitious for a book of this length. It's very tough to tell a story of such complexity with just two hundred pages to spare.
However, the writing is great and I found the book strangely hypnotic and mysterious. It captured and held my interest throughout, but ultimately I wanted more. More explanation and clarity. I wanted to love Hello Now, but on the whole I found this story quite confusing and abrupt.
It all comes down to personal preference really, and I know others who took part in the read-along found it easier to embrace the storytelling style and enjoy the book much more than I was able to on a first reading. I do look forward to reading more of the author's work in future.
Thanks to Tandem Collective and Harper Collins for sending me out an early copy of the book to review. Give it a try and see what you think for yourself!
Overall reaction:
Normally I would begin my review with a brief synopsis of the book, but I can’t do that with Hello Now because I genuinely cannot tell you what this book even was. It involves time, magic and romance… but plot wise, I just don’t know.
The book is less than two hundred pages, but it felt so much longer. Jude and Novo are the main characters. They’re instantly attached and the story of why gradually slowly unfolds… Kind of. I felt like it was supposed to be romantic and lyrical but actually came off as muddled and Jude's character seemed a little pretentious.
Unfortunately, although I can certainly appreciate the writing, this book just wasn’t for me. In places it became too weird and it didn’t really explain itself enough for me to be able to follow it properly.
I couldn’t picture the characters at all, and I really struggled with that. Just like there is not a very clear plot, only vague elements, there is only a hazy sensation of who the characters are within the book. It’s extremely descriptive, and the book is written almost entirely from Jude’s point of view. I found the narration quite tedious at times and this made it hard to engage with.
There were some elements that I enjoyed whilst reading, but I feel the book had the potential to be so much better. The original concept is interesting, but maybe a bit too ambitious for a book of this length. It's very tough to tell a story of such complexity with just two hundred pages to spare.
However, the writing is great and I found the book strangely hypnotic and mysterious. It captured and held my interest throughout, but ultimately I wanted more. More explanation and clarity. I wanted to love Hello Now, but on the whole I found this story quite confusing and abrupt.
It all comes down to personal preference really, and I know others who took part in the read-along found it easier to embrace the storytelling style and enjoy the book much more than I was able to on a first reading. I do look forward to reading more of the author's work in future.
Thanks to Tandem Collective and Harper Collins for sending me out an early copy of the book to review. Give it a try and see what you think for yourself!
Overall reaction: