Thank you St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
The Collected Regrets of Clover mood board ;-) https://www.pinterest.com/barclayann27/book-reviews/the-collected-regrets-of-clover/
The narrative carries you through naturally, with an easy flow that allows the reader to wade in all of Clover’s memories and emotions as they come. The story is intriguing and unique. It is recommended to those who enjoyed “TheMidnight Library” and I can certainly see why. Many of the same themes are explored in both of the books, but in The Collected Regrets of Clover,” I felt that the regret of loneliness is actualized most fully.
Even if we are not recluse death doulas, it is easy to relate to Clover entirely for the fact that we have all felt lonely before with the fear of no remedy. For a book entered largely around death, and how the knowledge of it informs how we chose to live out our lives, it was a heartwarming read.
I found Clover an easy character to fall in with, lovable and dynamic. It was so easy to love and miss Clover grandpa just as she does. Their relationship is tender and a joy to read. Though Clover is a stellar main character, there was no other I ended the novel loving more than Claudia. Not only is her relationship with Clover the most interesting in the book, alongside that of Clover and her grandpa, but her personality and history won my heart entirely.
As I’m sure many will, like Clover, I found Sebastian to be annoying. I was happy to see the way his and Clover’s relationship ended up and that it didn’t t follow down the path the reader may have originally anticipated for them.
While the majority of the book had a me smiling to myself, there was the occasional moment that had me sighing with disbelief- some moments that felt a bit over dramatic in correlation to the other parts of the book that towed a steady line between what read as realistic, yet still exciting, and events that seemed a little bit too convenient. This is a slight spoiler, but a fair example: Clover’’s dear friend Leo dying of a heart attack in her arm. This scene, while sentimental and sweet, all happened very quickly and felt over the top in comparison to the grounded tone the majority of the book follows. There are only a few moments like this throughout the book, and not nearly enough to take away from the enjoyment of the novel in the slightest.
The Collected Regrets of Clover hits the shelves May 9th of this year!
