Pretending : A Novel
Holly Bourne
On Sale Date: November 17, 2020
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In this hilarious and heartbreaking debut novel perfect for fans of Fleabag, a woman struggling to move on after a traumatic relationship pretends to be “the perfect girl” in an act of vengeance that goes awry when she finds herself emotionally compromised.
He said he was looking for a 'partner in crime' which everyone knows is shorthand for 'a woman who isn't real'.
April is kind, pretty, and relatively normal - yet she can't seem to get past date five. Every time she thinks she's found someone to trust, they reveal themselves to be awful, leaving her heartbroken. And angry. Until she realizes that what men are really looking for is Gretel.
Gretel is perfect - beautiful but low maintenance, sweet but never clingy, sexy but not a slut. She's a Regular Everyday Manic Pixie Dream Girl Next Door With No Problems.
When April starts pretending to be Gretel, dating becomes much more fun - especially once she reels in the unsuspecting Joshua. Finally, April is the one in control, but can she control her own feelings? And as she and Joshua grow closer, how long will she be able to keep pretending?
MY THOUGHTS
This is the second book I’ve read by Holly Bourne and as I reflect on the first – The Places I’ve Cried In Public – and this one - PRETENDING – I can see similarities in the narratives as well as my reactions to them.
Bourne writes books that make it difficult for readers to remain aloof; she writes about sensitive topics with such rawness that I can’t help be invested in the emotional journey of the characters. I find myself thinking about the surface and underlying messages Bourne is writing about, and I like that she makes me stop and think about how I would react if confronted in certain situations.
For all this, I found PRETENDING to be a disappointing read for one very simple and very important reason. Not once did any of these characters think about or do anything to help themselves reach a point where they liked themselves; where they were content with themselves or the selves they were working towards being. Instead, the key message that I got from reading this book was all about the importance of finding and keeping “the one” to avoid being lonely and alone. How utterly depressing that with all they go through, April, her flatmate Megan and other female characters were striving for was the approval of someone else – a man.
Bourne’s writing can tug at the heartstrings. It can make you laugh as well as bring out the most cynical side of you. This book has so many important things to say but, in my opinion, she focused on the wrong thing and as a result, the power of her intended message is diminished.
I do think the book is worth reading for the messages that it is trying to convey. And while this was just an okay read overall, I would not discourage anyone - especially men - from giving it a go
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BUY LINKS
Barnes & Noble | Amazon | Apple Books | Kobo | Google Books | Bookshop.org
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Holly Bourne is a bestselling UK-based YA and Adult Fiction author and is an Ambassador for Women’s Aid. In 2019, she was an Author of the Day at the London Book Fair, and was named by Elle Magazine’s weekly podcast as one of “Six Female Authors Changing the Conversation in 2019”. Pretending is her US debut.
I felt very similarly about this book. It's not a bad book at all, but I wanted them to be empowered to get some help and learn to advocate for themselves and have boundaries.
ReplyDeleteYes! Self-advocacy and boundaries would do wonders for these characters.
DeleteThanks for stopping by.
Em