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beate251's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this ARC.
Mary, 54, is not content with her life. Her husband Dean is in insurance and does nothing but play golf in his spare time, neglecting her. Her daughter Kendra is planning to move to London shortly with her boyfriend Nate. Mary has menopausal symptoms and on top of that she regrets throwing away her career in TV reporting for becoming a mother and housewife. When she sees a magazine article about popular TV anchor Liz she thinks it should have been her and suddenly her wisdom teeth start hurting in response.
Then her cousin Darbi tells her a weird story - her wisdom teeth are coming through because she regrets a decision in her life and if she gets them taken out she will be the age again she was when she made the decision she now regrets. First she encourages Mary, saying it worked to reset her own life by seven years by allowing her to marry her wife Jacqui but when she hears that Mary would be a whole 30 years younger, she tries to discourage her.
This story is based on a hefty dose of magical realism, which I normally don't have a problem with. However, the reset confused me - it seemed odd that she was now 24 but everyone else was the same age. Would that not cause perception problems with other people? Even now that I write about it I can't get my head around it. Give me "normal" time travel any time!
This novel suffers from a lot of repetition. There are three things being repeated ad nauseam:
1. Mary wants to become a famous TV anchor at a major national news network, but not for serious news just feel-good fluff pieces.
2. You only appreciate what you had once it's gone. Before she becomes younger, Mary does nothing but complain about Dean and her wasted life. The moment she gets her wisdom teeth out, she regrets it and finds only the good in him and her old life. I almost got whiplash, it was so sudden!
3. Mary doesn't understand she can't return to her old life. She has reset her life by 30 years and must live them again. She is not in an alternative world, she's simply 30 years younger and there is no known way of returning to the life she left behind.
"Taking a mulligan" is an expression used in golf to describe when a player is allowed to replay a stroke after a poor shot. Giving Mary the last name Mulligan is a clever play on this expression and explains that Mary gets to replay the last 30 years, and that it's rather a curse to her than a blessing.
This is such a frustrating read. Mary stubbornly assumes things, doesn't listen to Darbi's warnings, constantly repeats what she would do when she got back to her old life and just blunders into situations without thinking. Darbi isn't a real help though - she has plenty of opportunities to explain to Mary the repercussions of her decision but always chickens out and lies by omission.
Mary at one point opines that "She couldn’t believe she’d ever thought a career at a news station would fulfill her. Only the love of her family and friends could do that."
To me that is a deeply problematic statement, that a woman shouldn't attempt a career as only being a wife and mother would give her life happiness and meaning.
This, coupled with the weird magical realism rules and Mary's stubborn stupidity put me off this story. This is a unique story about regrets but it wasn't for me.
Mary, 54, is not content with her life. Her husband Dean is in insurance and does nothing but play golf in his spare time, neglecting her. Her daughter Kendra is planning to move to London shortly with her boyfriend Nate. Mary has menopausal symptoms and on top of that she regrets throwing away her career in TV reporting for becoming a mother and housewife. When she sees a magazine article about popular TV anchor Liz she thinks it should have been her and suddenly her wisdom teeth start hurting in response.
Then her cousin Darbi tells her a weird story - her wisdom teeth are coming through because she regrets a decision in her life and if she gets them taken out she will be the age again she was when she made the decision she now regrets. First she encourages Mary, saying it worked to reset her own life by seven years by allowing her to marry her wife Jacqui but when she hears that Mary would be a whole 30 years younger, she tries to discourage her.
This story is based on a hefty dose of magical realism, which I normally don't have a problem with. However, the reset confused me - it seemed odd that she was now 24 but everyone else was the same age. Would that not cause perception problems with other people? Even now that I write about it I can't get my head around it. Give me "normal" time travel any time!
This novel suffers from a lot of repetition. There are three things being repeated ad nauseam:
1. Mary wants to become a famous TV anchor at a major national news network, but not for serious news just feel-good fluff pieces.
2. You only appreciate what you had once it's gone. Before she becomes younger, Mary does nothing but complain about Dean and her wasted life. The moment she gets her wisdom teeth out, she regrets it and finds only the good in him and her old life. I almost got whiplash, it was so sudden!
3. Mary doesn't understand she can't return to her old life. She has reset her life by 30 years and must live them again. She is not in an alternative world, she's simply 30 years younger and there is no known way of returning to the life she left behind.
"Taking a mulligan" is an expression used in golf to describe when a player is allowed to replay a stroke after a poor shot. Giving Mary the last name Mulligan is a clever play on this expression and explains that Mary gets to replay the last 30 years, and that it's rather a curse to her than a blessing.
This is such a frustrating read. Mary stubbornly assumes things, doesn't listen to Darbi's warnings, constantly repeats what she would do when she got back to her old life and just blunders into situations without thinking. Darbi isn't a real help though - she has plenty of opportunities to explain to Mary the repercussions of her decision but always chickens out and lies by omission.
Mary at one point opines that "She couldn’t believe she’d ever thought a career at a news station would fulfill her. Only the love of her family and friends could do that."
To me that is a deeply problematic statement, that a woman shouldn't attempt a career as only being a wife and mother would give her life happiness and meaning.
This, coupled with the weird magical realism rules and Mary's stubborn stupidity put me off this story. This is a unique story about regrets but it wasn't for me.
anas27's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Nice concept. Good execution.
A bit heavy on the "How hadn't she realized that?" and "Dean's wife and Kendra's mother" sometimes. But otherwise quite good.
Reminded me of the film "About Time" with time travel being an important but not too important an element and the focus more on the character and character development than a complicated plot.
Secondary characters could've been a bit better, though.
Recommended. 👍
A bit heavy on the "How hadn't she realized that?" and "Dean's wife and Kendra's mother" sometimes. But otherwise quite good.
Reminded me of the film "About Time" with time travel being an important but not too important an element and the focus more on the character and character development than a complicated plot.
Secondary characters could've been a bit better, though.
Recommended. 👍
cardigans's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
lara_ayrolla's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Before anything, I would like to thank Diane Barnes, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I decided to read this book because "Shrek Forever After" is one of my favorite movies, and the plot seemed similar enough. It didn't disappoint and I did have a similar experience to the movie.
I didn't care enough about the characters, since I didn't get to know as much about them, and I disliked many things. However, overall, it was a good experience and I enjoyed the reading.
Pros:
I decided to read this book because "Shrek Forever After" is one of my favorite movies, and the plot seemed similar enough. It didn't disappoint and I did have a similar experience to the movie.
I didn't care enough about the characters, since I didn't get to know as much about them, and I disliked many things. However, overall, it was a good experience and I enjoyed the reading.
Pros:
- I got emotional many times while reading. I finished the book literally sobbing, and it broke me for a few minutes. I had to take a break to stare at a wall and breathe.
- A lot of the characters are unique and lovable.
- The message in the book is great, and I like how Mary was able to find a balance between prioritizing herself and the people she loves in the end.
Cons:
- Mary is insufferably dumb. The things she says and instantly regrets make absolutely no sense.
- Also, her assumptions make no sense. No rational person would assume the things she does without further evidence.
- Her assumptions are used as a plot device to create mystery, but it is all predictable and unnecessary.
- So many sentences are repeated that I feel 50% of the book could be removed to avoid the same sentence appearing twice.
- This is probably because of my early copy of the book, so it won't be considered in my evaluation. Still, I thought it was important to point out that there were a lot of typos and a few grammatical mistakes that the author might want to check before the book comes out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death