At first impression of the Dinner List, judging by the cover and synopsis, I felt that this probably wouldn't be my cup of tea. I decided to give it a try anyway – it's good to try something different – and was pleasantly surprised. The narrative was breezy, had a distinct voice and the story was more intriguing than I first gave it credit for.
I don't generally enjoy romance or dream-type novels, but the characters here are varied and there are plenty of nuggets to suggest some interesting backstory yet to be revealed. From the beginning questions were already left hanging to entice the reader in, and to this more and more were added throughout the first thirty pages. I like the fact that most of the characters at the dinner party are people from Sabrina's real life, and she has a complicated relationship with most of them – in particular her dead father who has been absent most of her life and Tobias, an ex who she has unresolved feelings for. One dinner can surely not be enough to resolve all of the issues, and the focus will likely be on these, tied in with flashbacks, throughout the novel. I enjoyed the sections of conversation involving all of the guests, the debating over what to discuss and the philosophical direction of the conversation. The character of each member of the party clearly came through even in these short snatches of conversation. I didn't mind the flashbacks as the whole thing worked well and it is obviously a necessity in order to tell the story, and the backstory was overall very readable. However I hope that the novel doesn't reply too heavily on flashbacks as it is the dinner sections that I most enjoyed reading and in my opinion this is what sets this book apart from other romance type novels.
The cover is eye catching and I think appeals to the target audience. It stands out on a bookshelf and gives a good feel of what the novel is likely to be like to read. I like the shade of blue and the gold swirling lettering. The silhouette indicates the setting and style of the novel.
Overall I would read and likely enjoy this book, but would not go out of my way to do so.
I don't generally enjoy romance or dream-type novels, but the characters here are varied and there are plenty of nuggets to suggest some interesting backstory yet to be revealed. From the beginning questions were already left hanging to entice the reader in, and to this more and more were added throughout the first thirty pages. I like the fact that most of the characters at the dinner party are people from Sabrina's real life, and she has a complicated relationship with most of them – in particular her dead father who has been absent most of her life and Tobias, an ex who she has unresolved feelings for. One dinner can surely not be enough to resolve all of the issues, and the focus will likely be on these, tied in with flashbacks, throughout the novel. I enjoyed the sections of conversation involving all of the guests, the debating over what to discuss and the philosophical direction of the conversation. The character of each member of the party clearly came through even in these short snatches of conversation. I didn't mind the flashbacks as the whole thing worked well and it is obviously a necessity in order to tell the story, and the backstory was overall very readable. However I hope that the novel doesn't reply too heavily on flashbacks as it is the dinner sections that I most enjoyed reading and in my opinion this is what sets this book apart from other romance type novels.
The cover is eye catching and I think appeals to the target audience. It stands out on a bookshelf and gives a good feel of what the novel is likely to be like to read. I like the shade of blue and the gold swirling lettering. The silhouette indicates the setting and style of the novel.
Overall I would read and likely enjoy this book, but would not go out of my way to do so.