Please see my review on my blog:

https://marysreadallaboutit.wordpress.com/2018/03/31/you-me-everything-by-catherine-isaac/

ThIs book fell a little flat and was very slow.

Underwhelming

This book fell a little short for me. Just, underwhelming considering I thought it might be like Jojo Moyes' Me Before You or just Moyes' writing. The only comparison? It's a love story. And, one I didn't enjoy very much. Nor, did I like the way the book was written- it was unnatural. The reader was told too much too soon. There was no anticipation, until near the end but everything else was immediately put out there. I had no curiosity for the story being told and so, it wasn't nearly as gripping as it could have been. This was also because the reader wasn't really given an opportunity to warm up to any of the characters, or connect with them.

This is a story about a love surviving against the odds. Jessica is a new mother, her boyfriend Adam failed to witness their first child's birth. He wasn't there when she needed him. Their relationship falls apart shortly after. Jessica's mother was there, Jess has come to rely on her, appreciate her more. Shortly after, her mother is diagnosed with Huntington's Disease. Ten Years Later: Jessica thinks she ought to reignite the relationship between her son and his father, for practical reasons. They're going to spend a holiday together. Things have changed: Adam has a girlfriend and his life is in France. In short: he's unavailable. But for how long?

This is a heart warming story, I sympathised completely with the family but where the author was striving to be funny, or make light of situations it didn't work. This story was much too serious for my taste. I also didn't like the choice Jess ultimately made, it didn't feel fully justified and it seemed like it was based on their intimacy. But begrudgingly, I could understand her desire to reunite her son with his father. It suggested responsibility but doing what she ultimately did felt out of character. It was unexplained, but the author knows the characters better.

Also disagree with the sentiment 'When you are surrounded by love, you have nothing to fear.' The book itself disagrees, you are fearful of heartbreak, loss, fate. The sentiment almost tempts fate, something I fiercely despise. I found a lot of the dialogue was guilty of the same crime. Telling someone it will all be okay, that they will have a good life- when life is by nature uncertain- is high on my list of pet-peeves.

Side note: the cover is rather genius.

I received this book through NetGalley.

3.5
I needed a fun easy read.
This gave me that with a little more depth that I though! Lovely!

You Me Everything by Catherine Isaac is a well-written summer read that will hold the reader's attention without being overly sentimental. Jess and her 10-year-old son William leave England to spend the summer in the Dordogne. They are staying at Chateau Roussignol which is owned by Adam, Jess' former lover and William's father. The purpose of the trip is to bring together father and son in the hope that they can get acquainted and maybe form a lasting bond. Jess has a secret reason for bringing them together which she does not want to share with either of them. Many unplanned events will occur during the summer in the French countryside. I highly recommend You Me Everything to anyone who enjoy an unpredictable love story. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The only aspects of the book I enjoyed was all the things we learned as readers about Huntington’s disease; the struggles of seeing people you love living with it and the constant fear of knowing what you’ll be facing if you carry the gene.

But I disliked Jess so much! She was mean to Charlie, unfair towards Adam for not telling him sooner about the disease, and didn’t behave the best way around William as she didn’t put his feelings and needs first in some occasions. I understood her hesitation towards Adam as her future seemed more uncertain than most and also empathized with her when she had to have the conversation with William, but other than that I found her very shallow as a character. Adam isn’t super likable either and I hate that the author decided to portray him as the misunderstood guy at the end when we have a bunch of encounters where he’s been plain awful and immature.

It’s a fast read so that’s a plus!

It took me so long to read this completely mediocre book. The writing had me bored, I didn't like the characters, and their behavior and choices made no sense. Would not recommend.

Ihana lukuromaani, kaikki päähenkilöt niin kovin inhimillisiä, elämän kuohujen keskellä. Sukupolvien ketju, perheet, karvaat ihmissuhteetkin. Uusi suosikkikirjailija löytynyt.