Welcome to Litsy!

Hannah, Lissa and Cate, these three best friends that I first liked, then hated, then loved again, experience their mid-life trials and tribulations in that bleak space where pain is caused by the gap between desire and ambition, expectations and reality, in search for an answer to the ever tormenting question of what it takes to lead a meaningful life.

This was good 😊.
I thought it might be a bit light but it was deep enough to keep me interested and had enough relevance to my life to resonate.

My daughter picked this and I've borrowed it before she goes back!
Very readable and parts are quite relatable.

I didn‘t dislike this and I can‘t name loads of things wrong with it, but I also don‘t see myself remembering it loads. Three women who used to feel promising and now have lost their way circle about each other in london. Some nice poignant stuff about motherhood but also… eh, not in the top 20 books about sad millennials I‘d recommend.

A story of 3 women, friends, whose story stretches from university to late 30s. It explores the tensions in the relationships, struggles with small children, infertility, thwarted ambition, hopeless male partners, ailing parents and more. It felt like the author was expressing personal experience and was a compelling read. It's a while since I read 'wake' so I'll definitely try and read 'the ballroom' next year.

Toward the beginning, I thought I was reading something a bit fluffy. Lissa, Cate, and Hannah have been best friends for years, but now in their mid thirties, they no longer seem to hold that bond, due to the different course their lives have taken. The book alternates viewpoints, so we get insight from all 3 women. The exploration of their lives goes very deep, so that this book didn‘t end up being the chick lit novel I originally thought.

House is (fairly) clean, dinner is ordered, and it‘s cocktail hour. Don‘t mind if I do.

Remember when you were a wide-eyed university student with grand plans for your life? How does that compare to the life you are actually living in your mid and late 30s? This was a really lovely read about female friendships and mother/daughter relationships and motherhood generally and career aspirations. Heavy content warning for infertility but I really loved this. Thanks again Trish. 😘

I really enjoyed this - so much so that I'm prepared to overlook the fact that it is, at least in part, yet another story about well-off people living in fashionable parts of London feeling sorry for themselves because their lives aren't as perfect as they'd like. It's really well written and engaging, and the style of jumping back and forth across each character's timeline makes it a real page turner.

Next up

The premise is how three friends‘ lives may not have met the expectations of their younger selves. It touched on brilliance in the scenes with Lissa and her activist mother: “You‘ve had everything. The fruits of our labour. The fruits of our activism. Good God we got out there and changed the world for you. For our daughters. And what have you done with it?” An engaging read with great writing but ultimately I wanted so much more from it.

Finally, a new adult fiction book 📖 that I actually enjoyed. The characters were a bit baby obsessed but I enjoyed reading about the struggles of people who are only ten years older than me.

#expectation #annahope #read #review

I read this back in June, very much enjoyed it. It about female friendships. Three friends Lissa, Hannah and Cate. Friends from Uni and now in their 30s, their lives have taken different paths. It goes back and forth through their friendships. #books

3 women, best friends, Hannah, Cate and Lissa, find themselves in their mid-30s wondering what happened to the women they were supposed to be.

This was an incredibly fascinating novel.

First off, this novel is a slow burn. The book starts off on the slow side and then gradually gets more and more interesting as it progresses.

Full review: https://oddandbookish.wordpress.com/2020/05/10/review-expectation/

This book had a lot of support on its release, but I wasn‘t a fan. I wonder sometimes if there‘s something wrong with me, because I don‘t seem to ever feel about things the way characters in books do!

#Expectation #ReallyRandomFebruary
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

An honest truthful book about women and friendship - I really enjoyed this! The characters were real - happy, sad, struggling - sometimes you need to read something that reminds you it‘s okay not to have your sh*t together all the time. I liked the different voices of the 3 friends and the hopeful and honest ending. Sometimes a friend lasts forever and sometimes only a short while.

Would it be too obvious to say that Hope was high for this one but it didn‘t meet my expectation...

Losing points for inconsistent prose and use of present tense (including in flashbacks), this is an ok read but not, IMO, the “feminist” novel its being hailed as. As an exploration of women‘s relationships, it‘s a decent story, though as a woman of similar age to the characters, I would have expected to be able to relate more to it.

"Expectation" explores how female friendships change over time. I found it to be very relatable and enjoyed learning about the lives and friendships between Hannah, Cate and Lissa. It's 5 stars from me!

My full review is up on my blog now ?