What do you think?
Rate this book
Better by Far
One of Zibby Mag's Most Anticipated Books Coming Out in 2024 | One of SheNet's Highly Anticipated Books of 2024A genre-bending story about love and loss, hope and heartbreak, and the healing to be found in life’s little limbos, those in-between spaces where you’re no longer who you were and not yet the person you will be About her debut, Out of Love, Hazel Hayes said, “The journey from writing horror to writing love stories was a short one. There is nothing more horrific than love.” In her new novel, she sets out to prove it. This genre-defying, meta-modern novel is unlike anything you have ever read, and yet at its core it is a story we all deeply understand. A story of love and liminality, and the ways in which grief grips us all. Prepare to laugh and cry; Hazel Hayes will break your heart, but then she’ll mend it for you. Following a breakup, Kate and Finn decide to keep sharing their house until the lease runs out in twelve weeks’ time, alternating week by week so that they are occupying the same space but never at the same time. Practically, the plan makes sense, but coming back each Sunday to a home where Finn has been and gone feels far too much like living with a ghost. Kate lost her mother at a young age and now this fresh grief dredges unhealed sorrows up to the surface, and soon, Kate finds herself adrift in her own subconscious, trapped in the liminal space between loving someone and letting go.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 23, 2024
259 people are currently reading
17403 people want to read
About the author
Hazel Hayes
4 books523 followersHazel Hayes (born 21 January 1985) is an Irish YouTube filmmaker, author, and presenter. She is known for her interview series, Tipsy Talk, on her YouTube channel (formerly ChewingSand) as well as her series and short films. Her debut novel, Out Of Love, was published in 2020.
Hayes was born and raised in Donaghmede, a suburb of north Dublin. She has an older sister and two older brothers. She graduated from Dublin City University in 2007, where she served as deputy president of the Student Union, with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She then took classes at the Irish Writers' Centre.
Hayes began her career working for Google and then YouTube as a manager before becoming a YouTuber herself.
Hayes began her interview series, Tipsy Talk in 2013 in which she interviews popular creators and later celebrities whilst intaking alcohol. She is also known for her short films and web series. Her 2014 short film, Dementia, was nominated for and won a work shop competition with Guillermo del Toro. Later, in 2017, she directed Fullscreen series Prank Me starring Corey Fogelmanis. The series earned her an Excellence in Storytelling award at the 2017 Buffer Festival. Other works includes her vlogs Time of the Month, web series Unnecessary Otter, pilot Hot Mess, and short films Super Brainy Zombies and Septem.
She has since directed dodie's music video for her song "Human" in 2018 and later 'I Kissed Someone (It Wasn't You)' and Anna Akana's 2019 "Disappointment" music video.
In November 2018, Hayes announced her debut novel, Out of Love, a romance novel she would publish through Unbound. It was announced on its release date in June 2020 that Rabbit Track Pictures had picked up the rights to the novel, with Hayes writing and Kitty Kaletsky overseeing the film adaption.
Hayes began hosting Prime Video Club alongside Munya Chawawa for Amazon Prime Video in April 2020, a series discussing various series and films on the platform.
Hayes was born and raised in Donaghmede, a suburb of north Dublin. She has an older sister and two older brothers. She graduated from Dublin City University in 2007, where she served as deputy president of the Student Union, with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism. She then took classes at the Irish Writers' Centre.
Hayes began her career working for Google and then YouTube as a manager before becoming a YouTuber herself.
Hayes began her interview series, Tipsy Talk in 2013 in which she interviews popular creators and later celebrities whilst intaking alcohol. She is also known for her short films and web series. Her 2014 short film, Dementia, was nominated for and won a work shop competition with Guillermo del Toro. Later, in 2017, she directed Fullscreen series Prank Me starring Corey Fogelmanis. The series earned her an Excellence in Storytelling award at the 2017 Buffer Festival. Other works includes her vlogs Time of the Month, web series Unnecessary Otter, pilot Hot Mess, and short films Super Brainy Zombies and Septem.
She has since directed dodie's music video for her song "Human" in 2018 and later 'I Kissed Someone (It Wasn't You)' and Anna Akana's 2019 "Disappointment" music video.
In November 2018, Hayes announced her debut novel, Out of Love, a romance novel she would publish through Unbound. It was announced on its release date in June 2020 that Rabbit Track Pictures had picked up the rights to the novel, with Hayes writing and Kitty Kaletsky overseeing the film adaption.
Hayes began hosting Prime Video Club alongside Munya Chawawa for Amazon Prime Video in April 2020, a series discussing various series and films on the platform.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 627 reviews
Want to read
October 17, 2024one of those books i feel like i'll either love or hate.
only one way to find out!
only one way to find out!
January 1, 2024
I am...destroyed.
After devouring & loving Hazel Hayes' last novel Out Of Love , I could easily say Better By Far would be one of my most anticipated reads of 2024.
In this novel, me meet Kate fresh off her breakup from Finn. Since they have 3 months left to their lease they decide to continue living in the house together but not together- every week they switch off who stays at the house. This, living with the ghost of ur ex, is a special kind of torture. The grief Kate is living in has dredged up grief of the past & Kate is left grappling with more than just letting go of Finn. It's learning to let go of her former self & the life she thought she'd lead. It's allowing herself to let go of the past & all that's been haunting her until now. Accepting the self she no longer is without yet knowing who she will be.
Hayes' writing is rich & contemplative, introspective & in constant search of... something. I'm not quite sure of what exactly. There's no light here, you're swimming in a hopeless sea, bobbing in dark waters through the entire novel. The reader is planted right in the heart of Kate's pain & never really gets any reprieve. The novel presents itself as a story about a breakup but that's not really what this is. The breakup is just a mask, a fresh wave of grief that uncovers a deeper imbedded, longer standing grief, the loss of her mother. It's about allowing yourself the vulnerability to peel back the layers of ur pain in order to come to terms with the demons of your past.
There are a few secondary characters, including Kate's ex-boyfriend Finn but they all fade to grey in the background. We don't really get enough detail about any of them to hold onto. The real secondary character is Grief itself, or maybe Grief is actually the main character and Kate it's second in command. I wish I could say the reader was lead through a process of healing, something linear, something progressive but I don't feel the reader was given that satisfaction. And so I'm left right where I began, only with a heaviness I didn't anticipate, a bleak feeling of despair, a raw hopelessness and an inherent sadness that's going to take me a minute to shake.
After devouring & loving Hazel Hayes' last novel Out Of Love , I could easily say Better By Far would be one of my most anticipated reads of 2024.
In this novel, me meet Kate fresh off her breakup from Finn. Since they have 3 months left to their lease they decide to continue living in the house together but not together- every week they switch off who stays at the house. This, living with the ghost of ur ex, is a special kind of torture. The grief Kate is living in has dredged up grief of the past & Kate is left grappling with more than just letting go of Finn. It's learning to let go of her former self & the life she thought she'd lead. It's allowing herself to let go of the past & all that's been haunting her until now. Accepting the self she no longer is without yet knowing who she will be.
Hayes' writing is rich & contemplative, introspective & in constant search of... something. I'm not quite sure of what exactly. There's no light here, you're swimming in a hopeless sea, bobbing in dark waters through the entire novel. The reader is planted right in the heart of Kate's pain & never really gets any reprieve. The novel presents itself as a story about a breakup but that's not really what this is. The breakup is just a mask, a fresh wave of grief that uncovers a deeper imbedded, longer standing grief, the loss of her mother. It's about allowing yourself the vulnerability to peel back the layers of ur pain in order to come to terms with the demons of your past.
There are a few secondary characters, including Kate's ex-boyfriend Finn but they all fade to grey in the background. We don't really get enough detail about any of them to hold onto. The real secondary character is Grief itself, or maybe Grief is actually the main character and Kate it's second in command. I wish I could say the reader was lead through a process of healing, something linear, something progressive but I don't feel the reader was given that satisfaction. And so I'm left right where I began, only with a heaviness I didn't anticipate, a bleak feeling of despair, a raw hopelessness and an inherent sadness that's going to take me a minute to shake.
July 7, 2024
A very real look at what it is like going through a break up
The book opens with Kate and Finn, a couple whose been together for years going through an intense fight. This is nothing new, they’ve been fighting a lot for the last few years but Finn finally said the words that pushed them over the edge, “I do not like you any more!”. With those words before them, they must now decide how to move forward. The decision is they will break up, no contact… ish, and they will share the house they have a lease on for the next 12 weeks. Kate gets the house one week and Finn the next and they alternate until the lease ends. This plan makes sense… that is until Kate comes back every Sunday and is reminded that her life is not where she thought it would be and the person she thought she would spend the rest of forever may not be the one.
What an amazing read! I absolutely loved this book and I think it hits differently because the main character is in her thirties and I feel like we don’t read a lot of break up stories with people in their thirties. A lot of what Kate goes through is real, she’s got her friends who tells her Finn is not good for her, she may know this but starting over is hard.
There are so many amazing parts of this book but what I love most is how Kate really goes through the motions. If you’ve been through a break up or if you are going through one, I highly recommend this read.
The book opens with Kate and Finn, a couple whose been together for years going through an intense fight. This is nothing new, they’ve been fighting a lot for the last few years but Finn finally said the words that pushed them over the edge, “I do not like you any more!”. With those words before them, they must now decide how to move forward. The decision is they will break up, no contact… ish, and they will share the house they have a lease on for the next 12 weeks. Kate gets the house one week and Finn the next and they alternate until the lease ends. This plan makes sense… that is until Kate comes back every Sunday and is reminded that her life is not where she thought it would be and the person she thought she would spend the rest of forever may not be the one.
What an amazing read! I absolutely loved this book and I think it hits differently because the main character is in her thirties and I feel like we don’t read a lot of break up stories with people in their thirties. A lot of what Kate goes through is real, she’s got her friends who tells her Finn is not good for her, she may know this but starting over is hard.
There are so many amazing parts of this book but what I love most is how Kate really goes through the motions. If you’ve been through a break up or if you are going through one, I highly recommend this read.
September 11, 2024
This book ripped my heart in two, in the best possible way.
May 7, 2024
feeling really disappointed by this one because i love hazel but! a lot of things were missing for me here. i hated all the dream sequences; i understand their purpose for the main character's development and backstory, but i just hated reading them almost every single chapter.
i also think i would have enjoyed this more as a short story??? i understand the parallels that were being made between kate losing her relationship and also her grief about her mother, but it just made the book feel like two separate novels for me.
i also struggled to feel connected to any of the characters, but i was really wanting to know more about kate's dad as character!
i also think i would have enjoyed this more as a short story??? i understand the parallels that were being made between kate losing her relationship and also her grief about her mother, but it just made the book feel like two separate novels for me.
i also struggled to feel connected to any of the characters, but i was really wanting to know more about kate's dad as character!
May 31, 2024
Hazel Hayes just gets me.
this is one of those books that will have you feel a whole range of feelings & will make you so proud of the main character by the end because of her growth & how easy it is to get invested in Hazel Hayes's characters.
there are so many quotable quotes; I've highlighted nearly entire pages several times throughout the book.
Her debut, Out of Love, was also one of my favorites of all time and one of my favorite books of the year I read that one, and I'm convinced this one will end up on my top 10 of 2024 as well.
this is one of those books that will have you feel a whole range of feelings & will make you so proud of the main character by the end because of her growth & how easy it is to get invested in Hazel Hayes's characters.
there are so many quotable quotes; I've highlighted nearly entire pages several times throughout the book.
Her debut, Out of Love, was also one of my favorites of all time and one of my favorite books of the year I read that one, and I'm convinced this one will end up on my top 10 of 2024 as well.
April 23, 2024
Deeply introspective, written like an ongoing letter to the protagonists ex in the midst of their final breakup, this novel cuts a little too close to the quick in an equally harsh and tender way. I was always thoroughly engrossed in the story, picking out one too many relatable thoughts and emotions in which HH somehow manages to articulate in a frank yet poetic manner.
With a variety of themes covered—heartbreak, grief, loss, healing, femininity, family—and being so divinely character driven, ‘Better by Far’ has everything I’m looking for in a litfic.
So much of this book felt like someone (a very talented author) was ghostwriting all the experiences of my past self. Needless to say, I hung on every word.
With a variety of themes covered—heartbreak, grief, loss, healing, femininity, family—and being so divinely character driven, ‘Better by Far’ has everything I’m looking for in a litfic.
So much of this book felt like someone (a very talented author) was ghostwriting all the experiences of my past self. Needless to say, I hung on every word.
August 19, 2024
This is my first book by the author and I definitely plan to read OUT OF LOVE because I’m really intrigued by the mix of genres in here and the really captivating way this was told. I was expecting a romance and I will make it known right up front that it is NOT a romance. This is a book about grief. Specifically, family and romantic relationships. I think because I was under the wrong impression, it took a bit to readjust. I eventually did, but I wouldn’t have picked up the book now if I had known it was going to be much heavier than anticipated. It just wasn’t the right time for me. Did I appreciate what the author was writing. Absolutely. Do I think it’s worth a read? Absolutely. You just have to know you’re in the right headspace.
As far as formatting goes, I really enjoyed the audiobook. The author narrated it, which is almost always a plus and she did a phenomenal job. If you choose to read the print book, you will find this format is also great. I think it might help a smidge to have the book because there aren’t a lot of chapter breaks, so until you’re more familiar with the narration, you might miss a transition in time because you can’t see the break on the page. So it was definitely helpful to have the text, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t.
From a lot of reviews I’ve read of BBF, OUT OF LOVE seems to be the favorite of the two so I definitely look forward to reading that so I can compare. I enjoy reading Irish authors and she is definitely very talented.
Many thanks to Dutton Books for a gifted copy of the book and PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date: 04/23/2024
Review Date: 08/19/2024
As far as formatting goes, I really enjoyed the audiobook. The author narrated it, which is almost always a plus and she did a phenomenal job. If you choose to read the print book, you will find this format is also great. I think it might help a smidge to have the book because there aren’t a lot of chapter breaks, so until you’re more familiar with the narration, you might miss a transition in time because you can’t see the break on the page. So it was definitely helpful to have the text, but it’s not the end of the world if you don’t.
From a lot of reviews I’ve read of BBF, OUT OF LOVE seems to be the favorite of the two so I definitely look forward to reading that so I can compare. I enjoy reading Irish authors and she is definitely very talented.
Many thanks to Dutton Books for a gifted copy of the book and PRH Audio for the gifted audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date: 04/23/2024
Review Date: 08/19/2024
April 26, 2024
3.25
I wasn’t really sure how to rate this one and I’m still a little torn on where I landed but ultimately I think it was a me thing and how much I struggled to jive with this one.
I thought it started off strong with a great author’s note and I liked the opening with how it begins with the main character, Kate, deciding to break things off with her emotionally abusive boyfriend after they moved into a new place and started to build a life together.
However, with that said, I ended up finding the book more literary/philosophical than I was expecting and I wasn’t a huge fan of how heavy it ended up being. I also found the story kind of went all over the place which made it difficult to follow.
The parts I did enjoy a lot were the complicated feelings she has with her mother and her early death and the focus on grief, loss and early onset Alzheimer’s.
I also really liked her trans friend and the Ireland setting as well as how determined the author was to keep the book authentically Irish down to the word choices and the narrator.
All in all, a bit of a mixed bag for me. This was definitely more women’s fiction than romance with a strong cast of female characters and great female friendship with a unique story premise that doesn’t go where you are expecting or possibly hoping.
I wasn’t really sure how to rate this one and I’m still a little torn on where I landed but ultimately I think it was a me thing and how much I struggled to jive with this one.
I thought it started off strong with a great author’s note and I liked the opening with how it begins with the main character, Kate, deciding to break things off with her emotionally abusive boyfriend after they moved into a new place and started to build a life together.
However, with that said, I ended up finding the book more literary/philosophical than I was expecting and I wasn’t a huge fan of how heavy it ended up being. I also found the story kind of went all over the place which made it difficult to follow.
The parts I did enjoy a lot were the complicated feelings she has with her mother and her early death and the focus on grief, loss and early onset Alzheimer’s.
I also really liked her trans friend and the Ireland setting as well as how determined the author was to keep the book authentically Irish down to the word choices and the narrator.
All in all, a bit of a mixed bag for me. This was definitely more women’s fiction than romance with a strong cast of female characters and great female friendship with a unique story premise that doesn’t go where you are expecting or possibly hoping.
May 4, 2024
desperately trying to claw my way out of my reading slump by immersing myself in lit fic
July 7, 2024
Sweet sweet Hazel, you crack yourself open & lay out your hurts for all to read while casting it all in a lens of love & healing.❤️🩹 bravo.
Read
May 24, 2024hmmm i need to think about it. i did read it in one evening but i loved out of love so much that this one had very high expectations.
May 14, 2024
4.5 ⭐️!!! i will truly read any and everything hazel hayes ever writes!
June 28, 2024
This is like the author’s therapy session, dealing with loss. I loved the Irish accent and it was beautiful, but is far too long. Just more and more and more and more of the same.
April 27, 2024
(4.5 rounded to 5)
Wow. I am once again blown away by Hazel Hayes writing. It is so rich and poetic and easy to get swept up in. Truly a beautiful writing voice and a beautiful story. As always, I went into this book blind and was pleasantly surprised by it. I mean, I knew I would enjoy it after absolutely adoring Out of Love for the last two years. A wonderfully raw story of grief, in more than one facet of life, this book took me through so many emotions. I could have really used this book a few years ago when I went through my first real heavy dose of grief and got lost in it. But reading it now has healed a piece of me and allowed for me to really think about the loss in a different way. Reading this also made me feel seen in some of the emotions and reactions I have felt in my own journey of walking through grief. There is so much to this story and I really enjoyed it all from the relationship to the friendship to the personal writing journey but especially the growth between Kate and her father. I don’t know how personal this story is to Hazel, but it sure reads like it’s an actual story of someone’s life. At times I forgot it was a work of fiction, that’s how real it feels. Not to sound like a broken record, but the writing in this is just truly amazing.
Anyways, I’ll shush now but thank you so much Dutton for the early access and the finished copy and thank you Hazel for sharing this beautiful book with the world and for healing a part of my soul.
*just a note but man the nightmares took me by surprise. That may have been the most surprising element to this and holy smokes did they freak me out at times.
Wow. I am once again blown away by Hazel Hayes writing. It is so rich and poetic and easy to get swept up in. Truly a beautiful writing voice and a beautiful story. As always, I went into this book blind and was pleasantly surprised by it. I mean, I knew I would enjoy it after absolutely adoring Out of Love for the last two years. A wonderfully raw story of grief, in more than one facet of life, this book took me through so many emotions. I could have really used this book a few years ago when I went through my first real heavy dose of grief and got lost in it. But reading it now has healed a piece of me and allowed for me to really think about the loss in a different way. Reading this also made me feel seen in some of the emotions and reactions I have felt in my own journey of walking through grief. There is so much to this story and I really enjoyed it all from the relationship to the friendship to the personal writing journey but especially the growth between Kate and her father. I don’t know how personal this story is to Hazel, but it sure reads like it’s an actual story of someone’s life. At times I forgot it was a work of fiction, that’s how real it feels. Not to sound like a broken record, but the writing in this is just truly amazing.
Anyways, I’ll shush now but thank you so much Dutton for the early access and the finished copy and thank you Hazel for sharing this beautiful book with the world and for healing a part of my soul.
*just a note but man the nightmares took me by surprise. That may have been the most surprising element to this and holy smokes did they freak me out at times.
June 10, 2025
This was the first book I picked up after ending a long term relationship and it took me 6 months to finish. That’s all.
“There are still moments when I find myself floored by the ache in my chest, the longing there for you despite it all.”
“There are still moments when I find myself floored by the ache in my chest, the longing there for you despite it all.”
May 23, 2024
The idea of this book (recent breakup, taking turns in their shared apartment) is so good. The execution is horrible. So much added nonsense in the story that is completely irrelevant and not enough content that is relevant. The author discusses several themes, grief, heartbreak, and poorly attempts to tie these together but adds in other themes to the story such as politics that are irrelevant and don’t add to the storyline. The plot gets confused with other characters who we barely know and its not clear what the authors trying to do with these side characters. I feel like I didn’t know any of these characters and they didn’t feel accurate to me. I was bored reading descriptions of things that weren’t important and yearned for more of the “actual” story. Overall, I wish I skipped out on this one
February 22, 2024
I loved Out of Love by this author, so I was very eager to get my hands on her new release.
This book is about a breakup and how the main character is struggling to cope with it. She is also still trying to come to terms with her mother's death that happened over 20 years prior.
The first quarter of the book was a 4 or 5 stars for me. However, after that, it felt like too much was going on with the supporting characters, none of which I felt super attached to. I did really enjoy what happened in the end and the conclusion she drew from their time apart.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book ahead of its release!
This book is about a breakup and how the main character is struggling to cope with it. She is also still trying to come to terms with her mother's death that happened over 20 years prior.
The first quarter of the book was a 4 or 5 stars for me. However, after that, it felt like too much was going on with the supporting characters, none of which I felt super attached to. I did really enjoy what happened in the end and the conclusion she drew from their time apart.
Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book ahead of its release!
April 29, 2025
Whew this was unexpectedly deep! Hazel Hayes' signature lyrical prose shines in a layered story that is about so much more than a breakup. I loved her reflections on grief, writing, art and Irish culture and beliefs. I am officially a Hazel stan!
August 12, 2024
Hazel Hayes captures the most raw and real feelings we have in life and somehow gets it on paper, it’s truly incredible
October 5, 2024
Sobbed for the last hour and a half of the audiobook. This book was what I needed when I found it 💕
November 24, 2024
Zawiodłam się. Miałam wysokie oczekiwania, hmm, może nawet nie oczekiwania, a pewność, że będzie to książka, która wywoła we mnie emocje. Może nie zdoła przebić wrażeniami "Out of Love", może nawet poruszy ten sam temat co owy debiut, ale przynajmniej dostarczy mi silnych przeżyć, które lubię w literaturze. No i klapa. Bardzo się na "Better by Far'" zawiodłam, bo jest to w mojej ocenie książka nieprzemyślana, niedopracowana, nieokreślona. Gubi się główny temat (czy to rozstanie? czy żałoba po stracie matki lata temu? czy to pisanie?), motywy są źle zbalansowane, poboczne wątki są mało interesujące.
Główna bohaterka rozstaje się ze swoim partnerem po kilku latach związku i po kilku miesiącach wspólnego wynajmowania mieszkania. Niestety nadal mają kilka miesięcy najmu przed sobą, więc decydują się na zajmowanie mieszkania naprzemiennie. Tydzień ona, tydzień on. Starają się do siebie nie pisać, nie wpadać na siebie podczas cotygodniowej wymiany w mieszkaniu. Wytrwać w decyzji o zakończeniu związku.
Rozstania są trudne, wiemy. To jest ogrom emocji, pokus, wewnętrznych walk, łez, małych kroczków. To też świetny temat na książkę, też wiemy. Bohaterka w trakcie dochodzenia do siebie po rozstaniu zaczyna procesować swoją żałobę po stracie matki lata wcześniej. Ta utrata partnera uruchamia emocje związane ze stratą matki. Emocje ze sobą rezonują, trudy rozstania rozdrapują niezagojone rany po śmierci matki. Rozstanie uwydatnia nieprzepracowaną żałobę.
I te dwie straty stanowią - jak sądzę - punkt ciężkości drugiej książki Hazel Hayes. Tylko to jakoś nie gra, nie balansuje się. Jest bardzo powtarzalnie (również w odniesieniu do wcześniejszej powieści Hayes, bo główna bohaterka jest pisarką, a jej poprzednia powieść traktowała o jej faktycznym rozstaniu i odniosła sukces - hmm? czy tu mamy jakieś przeniesienie?). Brakuje świeżości, brakuje konceptu, brakuje dynamiki. Zamiast pelnej i satysfakcjonującej powieści dostałam zbiór pomysłów, chaotyczny i niestety wtórny. Ja nie polecam.
Główna bohaterka rozstaje się ze swoim partnerem po kilku latach związku i po kilku miesiącach wspólnego wynajmowania mieszkania. Niestety nadal mają kilka miesięcy najmu przed sobą, więc decydują się na zajmowanie mieszkania naprzemiennie. Tydzień ona, tydzień on. Starają się do siebie nie pisać, nie wpadać na siebie podczas cotygodniowej wymiany w mieszkaniu. Wytrwać w decyzji o zakończeniu związku.
Rozstania są trudne, wiemy. To jest ogrom emocji, pokus, wewnętrznych walk, łez, małych kroczków. To też świetny temat na książkę, też wiemy. Bohaterka w trakcie dochodzenia do siebie po rozstaniu zaczyna procesować swoją żałobę po stracie matki lata wcześniej. Ta utrata partnera uruchamia emocje związane ze stratą matki. Emocje ze sobą rezonują, trudy rozstania rozdrapują niezagojone rany po śmierci matki. Rozstanie uwydatnia nieprzepracowaną żałobę.
I te dwie straty stanowią - jak sądzę - punkt ciężkości drugiej książki Hazel Hayes. Tylko to jakoś nie gra, nie balansuje się. Jest bardzo powtarzalnie (również w odniesieniu do wcześniejszej powieści Hayes, bo główna bohaterka jest pisarką, a jej poprzednia powieść traktowała o jej faktycznym rozstaniu i odniosła sukces - hmm? czy tu mamy jakieś przeniesienie?). Brakuje świeżości, brakuje konceptu, brakuje dynamiki. Zamiast pelnej i satysfakcjonującej powieści dostałam zbiór pomysłów, chaotyczny i niestety wtórny. Ja nie polecam.
May 1, 2024
This book literally broke me and I didn’t even see it coming.
February 7, 2025
“And on days when I can hardly move under the weight of it, I remind myself that grief and love are intricately woven together, and healing isn’t about shedding one or the other, it’s about becoming strong enough to bear them both.”
This book was one that I WANTED to absolutely love, and there were parts that I definitely did, but as a whole, I couldn’t fully get into it. We start with our protagonist, Kate, who is going through a breakup with her partner of 6 years. While this book initially seems like a story about heartache from a relationship, it goes wayyyy beyond that. Kate lost her mother as a child, and her mothers death is a huge topic throughout the novel. The story really becomes one of death in general. Lots of death. But with that, rebirth, too. There are very beautiful parts, heartbreaking parts, and it truly is written in a very deep and intelligent way.
Where I got lost was just the length and redundancy of some of it. I loved the first half of the book, and the very end, but the middle ground up until the very end honestly kind of bored me. I understood that there was a lot of depth within those pages; there was a lot of metaphorical context as well as just deeper dives into Kate’s grief. However, I found myself getting a little bored with it and I felt like we got the picture, we really didn’t need to keep going. There started to be a point where I just desperately wanted to get the book over with. I do think the end recovered things nicely, I just wish we could’ve gotten there faster. This book, in my opinion, would’ve been perfect as a short novel with 150-200 pages. I think a lot of the middle part just felt like extra fluff to get to a higher page count (though I’m accepting that this may be an unpopular opinion lol).
This book was one that I WANTED to absolutely love, and there were parts that I definitely did, but as a whole, I couldn’t fully get into it. We start with our protagonist, Kate, who is going through a breakup with her partner of 6 years. While this book initially seems like a story about heartache from a relationship, it goes wayyyy beyond that. Kate lost her mother as a child, and her mothers death is a huge topic throughout the novel. The story really becomes one of death in general. Lots of death. But with that, rebirth, too. There are very beautiful parts, heartbreaking parts, and it truly is written in a very deep and intelligent way.
Where I got lost was just the length and redundancy of some of it. I loved the first half of the book, and the very end, but the middle ground up until the very end honestly kind of bored me. I understood that there was a lot of depth within those pages; there was a lot of metaphorical context as well as just deeper dives into Kate’s grief. However, I found myself getting a little bored with it and I felt like we got the picture, we really didn’t need to keep going. There started to be a point where I just desperately wanted to get the book over with. I do think the end recovered things nicely, I just wish we could’ve gotten there faster. This book, in my opinion, would’ve been perfect as a short novel with 150-200 pages. I think a lot of the middle part just felt like extra fluff to get to a higher page count (though I’m accepting that this may be an unpopular opinion lol).
July 31, 2025
Almost DNF. Thankful to the last two chapters
April 25, 2024
4.5 ⭐️
Hazel Hayes is a genius!!! Loved loved loved everything about this book and how perfectly it ends.
“The stories we tell ourselves often cause us more pain than the truth ever could.”
“Life happens in the waiting. It takes place in the in-between. When you've let go of the last rung and before you've caught hold of the next. Life happens in the reach, the release, the free fall. While you sit, remembering then and imagining when, life unfurls, blooms, and withers without your even noticing.”
“People tell me we'll still be friends. That at least I still have you. But I don't. Not the way I used to have you. And you don't have me anymore either.”
Hazel Hayes is a genius!!! Loved loved loved everything about this book and how perfectly it ends.
“The stories we tell ourselves often cause us more pain than the truth ever could.”
“Life happens in the waiting. It takes place in the in-between. When you've let go of the last rung and before you've caught hold of the next. Life happens in the reach, the release, the free fall. While you sit, remembering then and imagining when, life unfurls, blooms, and withers without your even noticing.”
“People tell me we'll still be friends. That at least I still have you. But I don't. Not the way I used to have you. And you don't have me anymore either.”
August 10, 2024
Didn’t love this one like I thought I would. The writing felt all over the place which was intentional as it was written more like a journal entry or brainstorming. The main character is an author and grieving her relationship and losing her mother when she was a child and had nightmares almost every chapter which were hard to follow. Definitely depicts grief in a non linear way but was almost too deep or philosophical that it turned me off to what she was saying. I think the author intended to make it feel uncomfortable to portray her message so that’s probably why I didn’t love it
December 18, 2024
Ever read a book so good that you read the acknowledgements and authors note too? Yeah.
I have so many things to say but all I can say is that she(meaning Katie) needs therapy. Plus Hazel Hayes should really be a horror author because the way she writes Katie's nightmares, I thought it was going to convert the story into horror. I won't say anything else. Even though I want to list all the beautiful quotes, I can't. Because they were so many I've lost count.
I have so many things to say but all I can say is that she(meaning Katie) needs therapy. Plus Hazel Hayes should really be a horror author because the way she writes Katie's nightmares, I thought it was going to convert the story into horror. I won't say anything else. Even though I want to list all the beautiful quotes, I can't. Because they were so many I've lost count.
January 26, 2024
grief can be paralyzing, a set of shackles that keep you from experiencing life and stymies creation. i feel like my experience of the book was elevated by watching all of us strangers concurrently, which also dealt with the loss of a parent in the most achingly earnestly hopeful of ways.
April 26, 2024
Weltschmerz!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 627 reviews