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No Regrets
What would happen if you spent a year accepting every invitation that came your way? Rick is about to find out...
He’s had a bad year. Sarah, his wife of nearly twenty five years, has walked out on him to move in with Colin. Perhaps they simply grew apart, perhaps the magic was no longer there, or perhaps, as his friend Jerry suggests, Rick has become boring. This nagging thought, together with too much beer on New Year’s Eve and shock at the sudden death of his college friend Alex, leads Rick to a New Year’s resolution...
To make the most of the time he has left, and show himself and his old friend Jerry that he is not boring, he will undertake a peculiar for a whole year he will accept every invitation that comes his way. Any invitation. No excuses. No regrets.
He’s had a bad year. Sarah, his wife of nearly twenty five years, has walked out on him to move in with Colin. Perhaps they simply grew apart, perhaps the magic was no longer there, or perhaps, as his friend Jerry suggests, Rick has become boring. This nagging thought, together with too much beer on New Year’s Eve and shock at the sudden death of his college friend Alex, leads Rick to a New Year’s resolution...
To make the most of the time he has left, and show himself and his old friend Jerry that he is not boring, he will undertake a peculiar for a whole year he will accept every invitation that comes his way. Any invitation. No excuses. No regrets.
- GenresFiction
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 19, 2013
6 people are currently reading
652 people want to read
About the author
Bernard O'Keeffe
7 books211 followersI read English at Balliol College, Oxford, and started out in advertising. It wasn’t for me, and I soon escaped to train as a teacher.
While teaching, I began writing—producing a couple of novels that quite rightly never saw daylight. I reviewed books for Literary Review and The Oxford Times and, as one of the editors of The English Review, wrote articles on authors ranging from Donna Tartt and Roddy Doyle to Jane Austen and Shakespeare.
My first published book was No Regrets, a comic novel described by John Carey as ‘tremendously good’. This was followed by a Young Adult novel, 10 Things To Do Before You Leave School.
I turned to crime writing when I stopped teaching. The Final Round, the first DI Garibaldi novel, came out in 2021, and the series has grown from there.
If I had to describe the books, I’d call them cosy procedurals—books with dark elements but not hard-boiled, gritty or violent.
As The Times put it:
“Bernard O’Keeffe’s series is as genteel as the suburb (SW13) in which it is set. Swearing, graphic sex and gore are, for once, off the menu. The gentle humour, oodles of clues and happyish ending create perfect comfort reading.”
Like DI Garibaldi, I live in Barnes. When I’m not writing, I’m usually reading, listening to music, playing Elizabethan Bowls, or watching football—or at least the version of it that QPR play.
I have few claims to fame, but I count giving Clare Balding interview practice, nearly being recruited as a spy, playing football with Nick Hornby, and supplying a spectacularly stupid answer on a TV quiz show as some of my more notable achievements.
While teaching, I began writing—producing a couple of novels that quite rightly never saw daylight. I reviewed books for Literary Review and The Oxford Times and, as one of the editors of The English Review, wrote articles on authors ranging from Donna Tartt and Roddy Doyle to Jane Austen and Shakespeare.
My first published book was No Regrets, a comic novel described by John Carey as ‘tremendously good’. This was followed by a Young Adult novel, 10 Things To Do Before You Leave School.
I turned to crime writing when I stopped teaching. The Final Round, the first DI Garibaldi novel, came out in 2021, and the series has grown from there.
If I had to describe the books, I’d call them cosy procedurals—books with dark elements but not hard-boiled, gritty or violent.
As The Times put it:
“Bernard O’Keeffe’s series is as genteel as the suburb (SW13) in which it is set. Swearing, graphic sex and gore are, for once, off the menu. The gentle humour, oodles of clues and happyish ending create perfect comfort reading.”
Like DI Garibaldi, I live in Barnes. When I’m not writing, I’m usually reading, listening to music, playing Elizabethan Bowls, or watching football—or at least the version of it that QPR play.
I have few claims to fame, but I count giving Clare Balding interview practice, nearly being recruited as a spy, playing football with Nick Hornby, and supplying a spectacularly stupid answer on a TV quiz show as some of my more notable achievements.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 19, 2017
1.5 stars. The Plain White T's once sang: "Hate is a strong word but I really, really, really don't like you". I can only assume they were singing about this book, because that sums up my feelings perfectly.
Rick is a middle aged teacher who's wife has recently left him, and the main character of this novel. He is also one of the worst characters I have ever read about in my life.
I have read about about monsters, serial killers and psychopaths, and I prefer them infinitely to Rick. Because they know they aren't good people. Their authors know they aren't good people. But Rick clearly thinks he is a good person. Bernard O'Keeffe clearly thinks Rick is a sympathetic, likeable, relatable MC. But oh my god, he is just such an awful person!
He is the most selfish person ever. He literally thinks about no one but himself.
He constantly and consistently lies! Like, seriously, all the timeand usually for no reason.
He doesn't seem to care about anyone but himself. This includes his wife and kids. His clearly deeply trouble son tries to open up to him: he continues to think about himself and barely even listens to his kid.
When his wife of 24 years asks to come back, all he thinks about is whether he should go back to a familiar, boring routine or continue with his resolution. Not once does he consider whether he's actually in love with his wife of 24-freaking-years. I truly don't think he actually does love her. He doesn't even mention the L word until the very end of the book.
He is literally the worst friend ever. Jerry is obviously going through some serious shit at the moment and if Rick notices, he definitely doesn't care. Jerry is Ricks oldest friend. He, Rick and the recently deceased Alex have been friends since college and yet Rick seriously does not even seem to like Jerry. He describes him as 'boring' again and again. He does not like talking to him. He gets annoyed just listening to him. He DOESN'T actually listen to him- he continually tunes him out. He doesn't want to hear about his problems. He gets angry when Jerry starts doing the resolution that was HIS idea in the first place. He's honestly just a dick to him. And speaking of the very recently deceased Alex, Jerry uncovers that shit was going down in his life prior to his death and tries to find out more. Rick thinks Jerry is stupid for wanting to find out more, is blatantly uninterested when Jerry tries to talk about it and just generally does not care. It's not that he's too upset about the recent death of his old friend to talk about it (he doesn't seem upset at all actually)- he just seriously doesn't care.
He doesn't think about how his actions affect other people, or make them feel. He doesn't care about hurting others. As long as he's keeping his resolution, fuck everyone else.
He's stupid! He follows a freaking street dealer up a dark alley in a bad neighbourhood to try some 'skunk' because he was invited to, all the while thinking "he's probably going to stab me" but doing it anyway. He almost gets the shit beaten out of him because he accepted a guy's invite to go outside and fight. It was so obvious what was going on between Colin and Sarah but he's totally oblivious (probably because he never actually listens when people talk to him).
And he's so dramatic! "Oh this resolution, you don't get it, it's dangerous, blah blah blah". Settle the F down. If he actually used his common sense or self control once in a while, he'd be fine.
I also found him really creepy at parts, honestly.
Rick is a middle aged teacher who's wife has recently left him, and the main character of this novel. He is also one of the worst characters I have ever read about in my life.
I have read about about monsters, serial killers and psychopaths, and I prefer them infinitely to Rick. Because they know they aren't good people. Their authors know they aren't good people. But Rick clearly thinks he is a good person. Bernard O'Keeffe clearly thinks Rick is a sympathetic, likeable, relatable MC. But oh my god, he is just such an awful person!
He is the most selfish person ever. He literally thinks about no one but himself.
He constantly and consistently lies! Like, seriously, all the timeand usually for no reason.
He doesn't seem to care about anyone but himself. This includes his wife and kids. His clearly deeply trouble son tries to open up to him: he continues to think about himself and barely even listens to his kid.
When his wife of 24 years asks to come back, all he thinks about is whether he should go back to a familiar, boring routine or continue with his resolution. Not once does he consider whether he's actually in love with his wife of 24-freaking-years. I truly don't think he actually does love her. He doesn't even mention the L word until the very end of the book.
He is literally the worst friend ever. Jerry is obviously going through some serious shit at the moment and if Rick notices, he definitely doesn't care. Jerry is Ricks oldest friend. He, Rick and the recently deceased Alex have been friends since college and yet Rick seriously does not even seem to like Jerry. He describes him as 'boring' again and again. He does not like talking to him. He gets annoyed just listening to him. He DOESN'T actually listen to him- he continually tunes him out. He doesn't want to hear about his problems. He gets angry when Jerry starts doing the resolution that was HIS idea in the first place. He's honestly just a dick to him. And speaking of the very recently deceased Alex, Jerry uncovers that shit was going down in his life prior to his death and tries to find out more. Rick thinks Jerry is stupid for wanting to find out more, is blatantly uninterested when Jerry tries to talk about it and just generally does not care. It's not that he's too upset about the recent death of his old friend to talk about it (he doesn't seem upset at all actually)- he just seriously doesn't care.
He doesn't think about how his actions affect other people, or make them feel. He doesn't care about hurting others. As long as he's keeping his resolution, fuck everyone else.
He's stupid! He follows a freaking street dealer up a dark alley in a bad neighbourhood to try some 'skunk' because he was invited to, all the while thinking "he's probably going to stab me" but doing it anyway. He almost gets the shit beaten out of him because he accepted a guy's invite to go outside and fight. It was so obvious what was going on between Colin and Sarah but he's totally oblivious (probably because he never actually listens when people talk to him).
And he's so dramatic! "Oh this resolution, you don't get it, it's dangerous, blah blah blah". Settle the F down. If he actually used his common sense or self control once in a while, he'd be fine.
I also found him really creepy at parts, honestly.
June 24, 2013
From the first chapter I couldn't get the film 'Yes Man' out of my head, the premise is identical but whereas in the film I loved the ending, this I hated and throughout the book it niggled how his 'resolution' seemed to at the expense of others' feelings. Just not my cup of tea.
Want to read
June 4, 2013This sounds awesome!! I'm hanging out to read it! Cool concept
June 23, 2013
This is a gripping and wonderful book, I am so glad to have read it for free through good reads first reads. I would recommend highly to anyone who would love to be gripped with goodness
March 3, 2016
A light bit of fun .... an easy summer holiday read
December 8, 2017
it was ok, but within the first third of the book it became predictable, yyou knew what was gunna happen and how it wwas gunna happen
January 20, 2018
Great book
I got through to the second chapter and then couldn't put it down. Realised what was going to happen but still had to read it to confirm I was right. I recommend it!
I got through to the second chapter and then couldn't put it down. Realised what was going to happen but still had to read it to confirm I was right. I recommend it!
September 17, 2019
I was looking for something to read that was different to a murder/mystery so gave ‘No Regrets’ a go. I enjoyed this book, the idea behind it was different, even though the ending was predictable. Being antisocial and someone that would rather be at home or tucked up in bed reading my book the idea of saying yes to every invitation would be a bit scary. This made for an interesting, enjoyable, light-hearted fun read to escape my usual crime genre, just what I needed.
November 17, 2014
This book started off really strongly and I was intrigued. But it seemed to fizzle somewhere in the middle and the end felt really weak. There were a lot of problems that were brought in that didn't get dealt with and were just pushed aside at the end.
November 2, 2014
This is a book club choice.
April 6, 2016
Hmmm!
Excellent idea and basis for a humorous romp. Let down by it's twee ending. Amusing but could have been more.
Excellent idea and basis for a humorous romp. Let down by it's twee ending. Amusing but could have been more.
Read
January 28, 2018Excellent read, really enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews