I loved 'Lost for Words' - there were some parts I felt needed to be given more thought but the feeling when I finished the book was one of a really enjoyable novel so I was expecting something similar from 'The Curious Heart of Ailsa-Rae'. I was hoping for more of the realism and grit within that, not the ending which had felt a little OTT and 'happily-ever-after'.
There were parts of Ailsa-Rae that lived up to this, Ailsa was a likeable character, the blogging world was very relevant and interesting to read about. It was also interesting to read about what it must be like for someone on the transplant list (and importantly will hopefully encourage more people to both put themselves on the organ donor list and also to have a conversation with their family about it to ensure they respect their wishes.) However, there was far too much of a feeling of a typical trashy novel - too much like a teen-dream of a chance meeting with a very famous, very attractive person who just happens to fall in love with you and then you end up with a happily-ever after. It read too much like a day-dream that someone might have without much of the reality. It felt too forced.
I enjoyed the parts about what it was like being on the waiting list (and what it is like for parents - I particularly liked the part where Ailsa's Mum talks about how it feels to essentially be hoping for someone else to die so that your child can live). That felt very real, and the conflict that people must feel and how easily that must take over your life, the thoughts of parents and friends/extended family in that situation was well-written and thought about. Equally the feelings that someone must have when they do receive the awaited organ, knowing that they are only alive because someone else isn't, and how that feels. It is dealt with in a thoughtful, delicate way and I like that such an important subject is dealt with in the story.
The book covered a multitude of other important topics - how people deal with grief, the relationships between family and friends and how those adapt before and after a serious life-change such as this. The majority of the characters felt quite real and were people that you could relate to. I like the fact that the main character is such a real person - someone who happened to be born with a serious health issue rather than that completely defining who she is.
The main negative in it for me was the relationship with Seb which felt too unrealistic. But perhaps people need such dreams and fantasies and don't want the entirety of their novel to be real-life, and that I can appreciate. For me, it spoiled the story a little.
There were parts of Ailsa-Rae that lived up to this, Ailsa was a likeable character, the blogging world was very relevant and interesting to read about. It was also interesting to read about what it must be like for someone on the transplant list (and importantly will hopefully encourage more people to both put themselves on the organ donor list and also to have a conversation with their family about it to ensure they respect their wishes.) However, there was far too much of a feeling of a typical trashy novel - too much like a teen-dream of a chance meeting with a very famous, very attractive person who just happens to fall in love with you and then you end up with a happily-ever after. It read too much like a day-dream that someone might have without much of the reality. It felt too forced.
I enjoyed the parts about what it was like being on the waiting list (and what it is like for parents - I particularly liked the part where Ailsa's Mum talks about how it feels to essentially be hoping for someone else to die so that your child can live). That felt very real, and the conflict that people must feel and how easily that must take over your life, the thoughts of parents and friends/extended family in that situation was well-written and thought about. Equally the feelings that someone must have when they do receive the awaited organ, knowing that they are only alive because someone else isn't, and how that feels. It is dealt with in a thoughtful, delicate way and I like that such an important subject is dealt with in the story.
The book covered a multitude of other important topics - how people deal with grief, the relationships between family and friends and how those adapt before and after a serious life-change such as this. The majority of the characters felt quite real and were people that you could relate to. I like the fact that the main character is such a real person - someone who happened to be born with a serious health issue rather than that completely defining who she is.
The main negative in it for me was the relationship with Seb which felt too unrealistic. But perhaps people need such dreams and fantasies and don't want the entirety of their novel to be real-life, and that I can appreciate. For me, it spoiled the story a little.