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Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed
Ten years ago, C.J. Neubauer fled his family, trading coasts to provide himself three time zones of buffer space. Random email and social media posts yield all the contact he needs. Until a late-night phone call from his wistful father. Unaccustomed to hearing his dad say "I love you," C.J. freezes, vowing instead to reciprocate the next time they speak. But when the phone wakes him the following morning, it's his older brother informing him their father has committed suicide.
Sporting a nagging conscience and a chip on his shoulder, C.J. books a flight home on his girlfriend's credit card. All he wants is to bury his father and try to make sense of what led him to take his own life. All he has to go on is a note that reads, "Sorry I wasn't what you needed." Was it intended for C.J. and his siblings? The mother who walked out on them twenty-five years ago? Or someone else altogether?
Alternately heartfelt and laugh-out-loud funny, Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed explores the familial bonds that obligate us for life--and beyond.
Sporting a nagging conscience and a chip on his shoulder, C.J. books a flight home on his girlfriend's credit card. All he wants is to bury his father and try to make sense of what led him to take his own life. All he has to go on is a note that reads, "Sorry I wasn't what you needed." Was it intended for C.J. and his siblings? The mother who walked out on them twenty-five years ago? Or someone else altogether?
Alternately heartfelt and laugh-out-loud funny, Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed explores the familial bonds that obligate us for life--and beyond.
- GenresFictionContemporary
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2015
107 people are currently reading
246 people want to read
About the author
James Bailey
9 books36 followersHow much do you want to know? Here’s the About the Author that ran in my first novel, The Greatest Show on Dirt:
That doesn’t really tell the whole story, though, does it? If you took the trouble to come to this page, maybe you want to know more. (Maybe you don’t, in which case, feel free to keep on moving.) Here goes …
I grew up in Seattle, spent nearly 10 years in North Carolina, and have lived in Rochester, N.Y., since 2001. Graduated from North Carolina State University in 1993. While in school I worked for the Bulls for three years and started at Baseball America as an intern. That blossomed into a full-time position when I graduated, and I worked for BA for six years total in two separate stints (three if you count the summer I spent filing photos and cutting clippings out of newspapers, back before the age of the internet).
In between BA tours of duty, I returned to Seattle for three years, where I temped (full-time for 2 1/2 years solid) at Microsoft and coached 13-year-olds in Little League for three seasons. Our second team finished second in the state, one win away from winning the tournament and qualifying for regionals in Montana. It was during these years that I began to write fiction, pumping out the first draft of a truly horrible novel, which I am embarrassed to read now.
I began working on The Greatest Show on Dirt in 2006. It morphed quite a bit through several major revisions since then, finally setting in its current state four years later. (My son was born in 2009, which did interrupt progress for a bit.)
My second novel, Nine Bucks a Pound, was released in February 2014. This is also a baseball novel, about an overlooked minor leaguer who breaks through after succumbing to the lure of steroids and must later deal with the consequences when his secret is exposed.
I released my third novel, Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed, in May 2015. It has nothing whatsoever to do with baseball.
James Bailey worked for the Durham Bulls for three seasons, from 1990-92. He later spent six years covering minor league baseball for Baseball America magazine. He reviews books for Baseball America, and is an annual contributor to Lindy’s Fantasy Baseball magazine. He lives in Rochester, N.Y., with his wife Jill and son Grant.
That doesn’t really tell the whole story, though, does it? If you took the trouble to come to this page, maybe you want to know more. (Maybe you don’t, in which case, feel free to keep on moving.) Here goes …
I grew up in Seattle, spent nearly 10 years in North Carolina, and have lived in Rochester, N.Y., since 2001. Graduated from North Carolina State University in 1993. While in school I worked for the Bulls for three years and started at Baseball America as an intern. That blossomed into a full-time position when I graduated, and I worked for BA for six years total in two separate stints (three if you count the summer I spent filing photos and cutting clippings out of newspapers, back before the age of the internet).
In between BA tours of duty, I returned to Seattle for three years, where I temped (full-time for 2 1/2 years solid) at Microsoft and coached 13-year-olds in Little League for three seasons. Our second team finished second in the state, one win away from winning the tournament and qualifying for regionals in Montana. It was during these years that I began to write fiction, pumping out the first draft of a truly horrible novel, which I am embarrassed to read now.
I began working on The Greatest Show on Dirt in 2006. It morphed quite a bit through several major revisions since then, finally setting in its current state four years later. (My son was born in 2009, which did interrupt progress for a bit.)
My second novel, Nine Bucks a Pound, was released in February 2014. This is also a baseball novel, about an overlooked minor leaguer who breaks through after succumbing to the lure of steroids and must later deal with the consequences when his secret is exposed.
I released my third novel, Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed, in May 2015. It has nothing whatsoever to do with baseball.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 15, 2015
C.J. Neubauer gets a call from his dad. He doesn't think much about it except for the surprise that his dad has called him, CJ doesn't keep up with the family. He couldn't wait to put miles between him and the rest of the clan as soon as he possibly could.
So the next day when he gets a call that his dad has committed suicide he drags himself home to attend the funeral.
Returning home to the mother that left him when he was eight years old and her husband Keith (an asshole).
To my right, my mother pounds ice wine like lemonade. Every time I glance at her she's either picking up her glass or setting it back down, her eyes growing glassier by the sip, the alcohol's effect amplified by the cocktail of prescription meds that enable her to tolerate Keith. And the rest of us.
His sister Audra who now is that perfect suburbia mom despite that fact that most of her marriage was based on a lie.
Midway through her junior year in college, after a late-night run to the pharmacy in search of a home testing kit, Audra reclaimed her virginity. She even showed me the "Worth the Wait" card she kept in her purse.
His brother Keith, who sells insurance and has picked himself up a fiancé half his age.
Kerry had an affair with his Spanish teacher just to keep his grades high enough to stay eligible for football, then got kicked off the team anyway for failing a drug test. It's a miracle he ever passed one.
So this dysfunctional family comes together to try and bury the guy that most of them ignored. They go about fighting and rediscovering each other and learning some about their lonely father.
They are pretty messed up. But most families are.
My life isn't a reality show. It's not Passive Aggressive House. We're not whoring out our lives for eyeballs and marketshare.
I received this book from Netgalley.
So the next day when he gets a call that his dad has committed suicide he drags himself home to attend the funeral.
Returning home to the mother that left him when he was eight years old and her husband Keith (an asshole).
To my right, my mother pounds ice wine like lemonade. Every time I glance at her she's either picking up her glass or setting it back down, her eyes growing glassier by the sip, the alcohol's effect amplified by the cocktail of prescription meds that enable her to tolerate Keith. And the rest of us.
His sister Audra who now is that perfect suburbia mom despite that fact that most of her marriage was based on a lie.
Midway through her junior year in college, after a late-night run to the pharmacy in search of a home testing kit, Audra reclaimed her virginity. She even showed me the "Worth the Wait" card she kept in her purse.
His brother Keith, who sells insurance and has picked himself up a fiancé half his age.
Kerry had an affair with his Spanish teacher just to keep his grades high enough to stay eligible for football, then got kicked off the team anyway for failing a drug test. It's a miracle he ever passed one.
So this dysfunctional family comes together to try and bury the guy that most of them ignored. They go about fighting and rediscovering each other and learning some about their lonely father.
They are pretty messed up. But most families are.
My life isn't a reality show. It's not Passive Aggressive House. We're not whoring out our lives for eyeballs and marketshare.
I received this book from Netgalley.
June 22, 2015
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
Raise your hand if you’re the kind of weirdo who thinks a book about a man who has to return to his hometown because his father just committed suicide is the perfect selection for Father’s Day reading material?
Nah, keep it up ‘cause I’M that kind of weirdo too!
Full disclosure time. I requested Sorry I Wasn’t What You Needed for one reason and one reason alone . . .
Yep. It sounded like a knock-off version of This Is Where I Leave You and since Tropper hasn’t offered me up any of his tasty little creations in quite some time I am willing to accept all substitutions. And this one wasn’t bad at all . . . it was just different. Which it should be, right? I mean, if it was a carbon copy of Tropper’s style I’d probably be bitching a huge fit. This was a solid 4 Star read for me. Obviously the downward spiral to misery is my recent cup of tea . . .
and James Bailey is definitely an author who can turn a phrase . . .
“I fan the opening with my hand to encourage the death-infused particles to disperse into the surrounding air. Many of them cling still to the faux sheepskin covers like dew, infiltrating my pants and sweatshirt almost immediately upon contact as I sink into the bucket seat.”
I also liked the fact that there was some ambiguity remaining at the end of the novel. I mean, really, on what planet does a death by suicide ever provide the survivors with the answers they need?
My only real complaints about this story were the characters. In This Is Where I Leave You (as in all of Tropper’s books), we are presented a loveable loser who you just can’t help but root for. In Sorry we don’t get this . . .
Instead we get this . . .
and while there was plenty of this . . .
there wasn’t quite enough of this to balance it out . . .
Still – an excellent read that I would recommend.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
Raise your hand if you’re the kind of weirdo who thinks a book about a man who has to return to his hometown because his father just committed suicide is the perfect selection for Father’s Day reading material?
Nah, keep it up ‘cause I’M that kind of weirdo too!
Full disclosure time. I requested Sorry I Wasn’t What You Needed for one reason and one reason alone . . .
Yep. It sounded like a knock-off version of This Is Where I Leave You and since Tropper hasn’t offered me up any of his tasty little creations in quite some time I am willing to accept all substitutions. And this one wasn’t bad at all . . . it was just different. Which it should be, right? I mean, if it was a carbon copy of Tropper’s style I’d probably be bitching a huge fit. This was a solid 4 Star read for me. Obviously the downward spiral to misery is my recent cup of tea . . .
and James Bailey is definitely an author who can turn a phrase . . .
“I fan the opening with my hand to encourage the death-infused particles to disperse into the surrounding air. Many of them cling still to the faux sheepskin covers like dew, infiltrating my pants and sweatshirt almost immediately upon contact as I sink into the bucket seat.”
I also liked the fact that there was some ambiguity remaining at the end of the novel. I mean, really, on what planet does a death by suicide ever provide the survivors with the answers they need?
My only real complaints about this story were the characters. In This Is Where I Leave You (as in all of Tropper’s books), we are presented a loveable loser who you just can’t help but root for. In Sorry we don’t get this . . .
Instead we get this . . .
and while there was plenty of this . . .
there wasn’t quite enough of this to balance it out . . .
Still – an excellent read that I would recommend.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, NetGalley!
August 14, 2015
Misery loves company and there is no better company in this context than dysfunctional families.
The Bible describes the very first family as dysfunctional. Shakespeare made some serious Elizabethan coin revealing to the commoners just how jacked up the nobility could be. Leo Tolstoy famously said in Anna Karenina, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Why do we love to watch a fight or an argument? In a Jerry Springer sensibility, do we want to see that other people are more messed up than we are? Or do we relate to the combatants, finding in their domestic abuse an outlet for our pent up grudges, hurt feelings and animosities?
Author James Bailey has served up a Dr. Phil three-part mini-series.
This is not the sitcom-trying-to-be-cute-but-not-too-edgy-for-the-sponsors dysfunction, nor the Woody Allen kookily sophisticated rhetorical problem. What Bailey describes is real world ugly, somewhere between Jonathan Franzen and Tracey Letts; someone will likely get hurt.
Three siblings come together for their father’s funeral and there is enough repressed angst to fuel an Eminem concert. Bailey describes drama aplenty in this deliciously unattractive modern tragi-comedy. Hand it to the author to push the limit sufficiently to make for an entertaining book without becoming oppressive. Indeed, Bailey’s narrative is peppered with dark humor and personality; this is a page-turner with several guilty laugh out louds.
The greatest strength, hands down though, is his spot on characterization. We know these people, we work with them, live across the street from them – and see them in the mirror. Protagonist CJ is drawn with a florid swath of low self-esteem, mercurial moral doubt and long buried rage – and the portrait is as realistic as a Rockwell print. Finally, more Franzen than Letts, these portraits are well rounded and, each in their own way, likeable and approachable.
Well done, Mr. Bailey, a very good read.
The Bible describes the very first family as dysfunctional. Shakespeare made some serious Elizabethan coin revealing to the commoners just how jacked up the nobility could be. Leo Tolstoy famously said in Anna Karenina, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
Why do we love to watch a fight or an argument? In a Jerry Springer sensibility, do we want to see that other people are more messed up than we are? Or do we relate to the combatants, finding in their domestic abuse an outlet for our pent up grudges, hurt feelings and animosities?
Author James Bailey has served up a Dr. Phil three-part mini-series.
This is not the sitcom-trying-to-be-cute-but-not-too-edgy-for-the-sponsors dysfunction, nor the Woody Allen kookily sophisticated rhetorical problem. What Bailey describes is real world ugly, somewhere between Jonathan Franzen and Tracey Letts; someone will likely get hurt.
Three siblings come together for their father’s funeral and there is enough repressed angst to fuel an Eminem concert. Bailey describes drama aplenty in this deliciously unattractive modern tragi-comedy. Hand it to the author to push the limit sufficiently to make for an entertaining book without becoming oppressive. Indeed, Bailey’s narrative is peppered with dark humor and personality; this is a page-turner with several guilty laugh out louds.
The greatest strength, hands down though, is his spot on characterization. We know these people, we work with them, live across the street from them – and see them in the mirror. Protagonist CJ is drawn with a florid swath of low self-esteem, mercurial moral doubt and long buried rage – and the portrait is as realistic as a Rockwell print. Finally, more Franzen than Letts, these portraits are well rounded and, each in their own way, likeable and approachable.
Well done, Mr. Bailey, a very good read.
June 6, 2015
Full disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author in exchange for an unbiased review.
"I'm thirty-two and I'm barely responsible for myself. I spend all my disposable income on cigarettes and beer."
C.J. Neubauer isn't exactly living the dream. A writer who can't seem to get his big break, he works in a coffee shop while mostly living off his sort-of girlfriend, with whom he has a relationship which is more antagonistic than anything else. After college, he fled across the country to get away from his family, and apart from sporadic visits home (which never quite seem to go very well), he rarely speaks to his parents or his siblings.
Needless to say, it's a little surprising when late one night C.J. gets a call from his father, who seems more interested in his life than he has been recently. Even more surprisingly, his father ends the call by saying, "I love you," and it so catches C.J. off guard that he figures he'll reciprocate when he's home for his older brother's wedding in a few months. But the next morning, C.J. finds out that his father committed suicide, leaving a note that read, "Sorry I wasn't what you needed," although no one is quite sure to whom the note was directed.
So C.J. heads home sooner than he expected, and he isn't home long before nearly everyone is ready to kill him, and the old resentments and wounds quickly surface. As he and his siblings try to figure out what might have prompted their father to take his own life, they each fall into familiar behavioral patterns. But having been out of the familial loop, C.J. is surprised to see how much his mother's drinking has increased, and how troubled her relationship has become with her second husband.
"He wasn't the kind of man you appreciate when you have the chance," C.J.'s mother said of his father. And C.J. realizes that there was far more to his father than he realized: he touched more lives, felt more deeply, and cared more about his children than C.J. knew. As he tries to figure out what to do with his life, he can't decide whether going home to his combative relationship is more palatable than staying near his family.
While comparisons to Jonathan Tropper's This Is Where I Leave You are inevitable, Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed is a different book and it deserves to stand on its own. While James Bailey certainly treads into Tropper-esque territory, there is more poignancy than humor in this book (although the characters do have some zany shenanigans), and this is a family with more than its share of flaws and issues. The characters aren't necessarily likable but you can see how many of them wound up the way they are, and C.J. is so messed up I kept forgetting he was only 32.
I always love books about family dynamics if for no other reason than they help me keep the craziness of my own family in perspective. But while Bailey's book might not break any new ground, Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed is a well-told, compelling look at the way family ties can sometimes pull and sometimes comfort.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
"I'm thirty-two and I'm barely responsible for myself. I spend all my disposable income on cigarettes and beer."
C.J. Neubauer isn't exactly living the dream. A writer who can't seem to get his big break, he works in a coffee shop while mostly living off his sort-of girlfriend, with whom he has a relationship which is more antagonistic than anything else. After college, he fled across the country to get away from his family, and apart from sporadic visits home (which never quite seem to go very well), he rarely speaks to his parents or his siblings.
Needless to say, it's a little surprising when late one night C.J. gets a call from his father, who seems more interested in his life than he has been recently. Even more surprisingly, his father ends the call by saying, "I love you," and it so catches C.J. off guard that he figures he'll reciprocate when he's home for his older brother's wedding in a few months. But the next morning, C.J. finds out that his father committed suicide, leaving a note that read, "Sorry I wasn't what you needed," although no one is quite sure to whom the note was directed.
So C.J. heads home sooner than he expected, and he isn't home long before nearly everyone is ready to kill him, and the old resentments and wounds quickly surface. As he and his siblings try to figure out what might have prompted their father to take his own life, they each fall into familiar behavioral patterns. But having been out of the familial loop, C.J. is surprised to see how much his mother's drinking has increased, and how troubled her relationship has become with her second husband.
"He wasn't the kind of man you appreciate when you have the chance," C.J.'s mother said of his father. And C.J. realizes that there was far more to his father than he realized: he touched more lives, felt more deeply, and cared more about his children than C.J. knew. As he tries to figure out what to do with his life, he can't decide whether going home to his combative relationship is more palatable than staying near his family.
While comparisons to Jonathan Tropper's This Is Where I Leave You are inevitable, Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed is a different book and it deserves to stand on its own. While James Bailey certainly treads into Tropper-esque territory, there is more poignancy than humor in this book (although the characters do have some zany shenanigans), and this is a family with more than its share of flaws and issues. The characters aren't necessarily likable but you can see how many of them wound up the way they are, and C.J. is so messed up I kept forgetting he was only 32.
I always love books about family dynamics if for no other reason than they help me keep the craziness of my own family in perspective. But while Bailey's book might not break any new ground, Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed is a well-told, compelling look at the way family ties can sometimes pull and sometimes comfort.
See all of my reviews at http://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blo....
June 26, 2015
Having read James Bailey's two previous books with baseball themes I was very interested to see how his first book on a non-baseball topic would read. To use a baseball phrase, Mr. Bailey knocked it out of the park.
Having learned of his father's death by an apparent suicide, C.J. flies into Washington state from Baltimore where he has lived with his girlfriend Mindy for four years. He hasn't seen anyone from his family for a long time, including his mother who left when C.J. was nine. This trip is going to bring back memories for C.J., some good, mostly bad, but all are going to help him realize just what family can mean.
This story will grab the reader's attention early and won't let go. It takes many twists that are not expected and is not a typical tale of a dysfunctional family as it brings out all emotions. An entertaining and well-written story.
I wish to thank Mr. Bailey for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
Having learned of his father's death by an apparent suicide, C.J. flies into Washington state from Baltimore where he has lived with his girlfriend Mindy for four years. He hasn't seen anyone from his family for a long time, including his mother who left when C.J. was nine. This trip is going to bring back memories for C.J., some good, mostly bad, but all are going to help him realize just what family can mean.
This story will grab the reader's attention early and won't let go. It takes many twists that are not expected and is not a typical tale of a dysfunctional family as it brings out all emotions. An entertaining and well-written story.
I wish to thank Mr. Bailey for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
June 19, 2015
This was a wonderful read and perfect for anyone who grew up in America with any amount of siblings, dysfunction, or normal human experience. Sure, the Neubauer family had more than it's fair share of dysfunction, maybe even more than your family. Yet there is something about them that is pure and lovable, while at the same time being tainted and easy to hate.
C.J., the main character and youngest of the family, is the perfect example of someone you find yourself rooting for in spite of him. His decision making is altogether questionable while also justifiable in most cases. You aren't surprised at the things he finds himself into, and you don't feel sorry for him, but you really want him to turn it around.
The Neubauers will remind you of the Smiths, the Johnsons, and any other American family. They will be the extremes of that family. They will be the things you are glad your family did not become. You will be appalled by them, and you will love them. A must read.
C.J., the main character and youngest of the family, is the perfect example of someone you find yourself rooting for in spite of him. His decision making is altogether questionable while also justifiable in most cases. You aren't surprised at the things he finds himself into, and you don't feel sorry for him, but you really want him to turn it around.
The Neubauers will remind you of the Smiths, the Johnsons, and any other American family. They will be the extremes of that family. They will be the things you are glad your family did not become. You will be appalled by them, and you will love them. A must read.
Read
May 16, 2015Yes, I have read this. About a dozen times now. I've read it, revised it, copy-edited it, proofread it, and proofread it again. Now it's your turn.
If you've read my first two (thank you!), this is a bit of a departure in that there's no baseball involved. Well, there is a scene where C.J., the protagonist, is at a bar with a couple of friends and the Mariners game is on. But he doesn't follow the team, and hasn't cared about the sport since his Little League days. He's got a bit too much else to worry about these days, like his extremely dysfunctional family, and why his dad killed himself, and what he could or should have done to prevent that, if anything.
Give it a look. You can sample the first chapter or so out on Amazon. If you like what you see, I hope you'll continue on. Thanks!
If you've read my first two (thank you!), this is a bit of a departure in that there's no baseball involved. Well, there is a scene where C.J., the protagonist, is at a bar with a couple of friends and the Mariners game is on. But he doesn't follow the team, and hasn't cared about the sport since his Little League days. He's got a bit too much else to worry about these days, like his extremely dysfunctional family, and why his dad killed himself, and what he could or should have done to prevent that, if anything.
Give it a look. You can sample the first chapter or so out on Amazon. If you like what you see, I hope you'll continue on. Thanks!
Did Not Finish
September 6, 2015*I received a copy of this novel through Netgalley.*
DNF 14%
I hate not finishing books I have for review, but after putting this one down almost two months ago I haven't been able to force myself to pick it back up. I'm not going to give it a star rating for a couple of reasons. First, at this point I don't remember enough about what I read to adequately judge that portion. Second, I don't really feel that I read enough to give an accurate opinion. Maybe at a different time I would have liked it more.
I guess it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought that CJ was going to be exploring his failed relationship with his deceased father and maybe trying to figure out what happened between him and his family. And maybe he did, but I couldn't connect with him or any of the other characters and that just kind of soured the whole thing for me.
DNF 14%
I hate not finishing books I have for review, but after putting this one down almost two months ago I haven't been able to force myself to pick it back up. I'm not going to give it a star rating for a couple of reasons. First, at this point I don't remember enough about what I read to adequately judge that portion. Second, I don't really feel that I read enough to give an accurate opinion. Maybe at a different time I would have liked it more.
I guess it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought that CJ was going to be exploring his failed relationship with his deceased father and maybe trying to figure out what happened between him and his family. And maybe he did, but I couldn't connect with him or any of the other characters and that just kind of soured the whole thing for me.
June 10, 2015
Mr. Bailey's third novel is another solid read. I consumed this in a few short reading spurts (artificially terminated by life) and enjoyed it thoroughly. I think, as with any book you enjoy, you arrive at the end a little too soon and with a few open questions. As with Bailey's first two books the writing is good, there a few "great" lines, the characters are believable, relatable and real and there is a nice dose of humor thrown in
June 14, 2015
full disclosure. ..received a few copy from the author in return for my review. I honestly loved it. The story was good, well written and kept my interest on every page. The characters had me hooked right away. I have plenty of experience with dysfunctional family and this one was sad, and funny at the same time. I can't think of anything I didn't like
December 17, 2019
I can sum this book up in a single sentence: Total loser goes home to mega dysfunctional family and possibly becomes a little less of a total loser. And that's it. That's the whole book. But seriously, this book is a depressing slog. Perhaps I don't understand it, but I am definitely not a fan.
August 23, 2020
Dismayed
James Bailey is a good writer, especially of dialogue and dry humor. However, I found these characters to be terribly self-absorbed, and the redemption at the end was not enough to offset their appalling behavior. I was particularly disturbed at the minimal amount of anguish that the main character experienced when he was made aware that he had committed date rape.
James Bailey is a good writer, especially of dialogue and dry humor. However, I found these characters to be terribly self-absorbed, and the redemption at the end was not enough to offset their appalling behavior. I was particularly disturbed at the minimal amount of anguish that the main character experienced when he was made aware that he had committed date rape.
March 31, 2018
Even though dysfunctional families are pretty much "the norm", this level was a bit of a surprise to me ...maybe I just found it hard to relate to their reasons for being so messed up...but the book is well written and I read it to the very end .
May 19, 2019
Good Read
My life is a busy one but I read this in a weekend. Once you get started it’s hard to put down. Your really rooting for CJ to pull it together and get things in line for his life. Loved it!!!
My life is a busy one but I read this in a weekend. Once you get started it’s hard to put down. Your really rooting for CJ to pull it together and get things in line for his life. Loved it!!!
June 13, 2018
Awesome book!
Grabbed me right from the start. It went very fast. Couldn't put it down. Worth my time . Heart felt storyline.
Grabbed me right from the start. It went very fast. Couldn't put it down. Worth my time . Heart felt storyline.
April 8, 2019
a little gem.. very easy to read... great characters..
June 14, 2022
Very visually descriptive. Great book about going to home to make peace with your past.
September 1, 2022
Weak. Turns out, this was self-published. Makes complete sense.
November 21, 2022
talk about a nail biter
Great book
It’s the title that caught my attention. Thanks for sharing the survivors have their own issues
Great insight
Great book
It’s the title that caught my attention. Thanks for sharing the survivors have their own issues
Great insight
July 23, 2019
I wanted to slap the brother and sister in this book, but like any family to came together.
August 14, 2015
Family drama and melodrama tend to be some of my favorite types of film and literature. I’ve never actually took the time to consider why. Well, in truth, I have considered why – I simply never tried to look more closely.
Now that I am looking more closely, I think it’s possibly because of my own mixed up, messed up family. In these portraits of dysfunctional family ties, I find my contemporaries. I look at these characters as being people of my own ilk.
Less kindly, I am also drawn to these portraits because it makes my own family tend to look better in contrast. I can say “We’re screwed up, but not that screwed up.” I suppose it helps me feel better about myself.
The synopsis of James Bailey’s “Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed” seemed that it would be just up my alley. A runaway protagonists, parental suicide and a past parental abandonment? Sign me up! I didn’t hesitate in requesting this from NetGalley and downloaded it eagerly.
So, of course, I’m saddened to realize that I don’t actually care for “Sorry I Wasn’t What You Needed.”
I can understand why some readers would enjoy this – I do! For me, it just didn’t do anything for me and I can think of many other books of the same sort that, I find, do the subject matter more justice and with more panache.
I found Bailey’s novel to feel…juvenile. It’s strange to say, but the novel didn’t feel as mature as I had hoped it would. The language of the “Sorry I Wasn’t What You Needed” didn’t feel lyrical or melodic. I felt like the writing was that of a YA novel – as if I were reading a YA novel about a 30 something year old, which is not what I want from my literary fiction.
Additionally, I found that as I was reading, I found everyone and their reactions to be silly and immature. As such, I simply could not bring myself to care about, sympathize with or feel anything for any of the characters beyond a mild contempt.
I found that I quite liked the events of the novel and the pace, but that the writing and characterization just wasn’t up to works I’ve read before in this wheelhouse. As such, it’s not a novel I’d recommend, when I find that there are others that tread the same road but do it in a more nuanced, lyrical way.
* I received a copy of this via NetGalley for an honest review.
Now that I am looking more closely, I think it’s possibly because of my own mixed up, messed up family. In these portraits of dysfunctional family ties, I find my contemporaries. I look at these characters as being people of my own ilk.
Less kindly, I am also drawn to these portraits because it makes my own family tend to look better in contrast. I can say “We’re screwed up, but not that screwed up.” I suppose it helps me feel better about myself.
The synopsis of James Bailey’s “Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed” seemed that it would be just up my alley. A runaway protagonists, parental suicide and a past parental abandonment? Sign me up! I didn’t hesitate in requesting this from NetGalley and downloaded it eagerly.
So, of course, I’m saddened to realize that I don’t actually care for “Sorry I Wasn’t What You Needed.”
I can understand why some readers would enjoy this – I do! For me, it just didn’t do anything for me and I can think of many other books of the same sort that, I find, do the subject matter more justice and with more panache.
I found Bailey’s novel to feel…juvenile. It’s strange to say, but the novel didn’t feel as mature as I had hoped it would. The language of the “Sorry I Wasn’t What You Needed” didn’t feel lyrical or melodic. I felt like the writing was that of a YA novel – as if I were reading a YA novel about a 30 something year old, which is not what I want from my literary fiction.
Additionally, I found that as I was reading, I found everyone and their reactions to be silly and immature. As such, I simply could not bring myself to care about, sympathize with or feel anything for any of the characters beyond a mild contempt.
I found that I quite liked the events of the novel and the pace, but that the writing and characterization just wasn’t up to works I’ve read before in this wheelhouse. As such, it’s not a novel I’d recommend, when I find that there are others that tread the same road but do it in a more nuanced, lyrical way.
* I received a copy of this via NetGalley for an honest review.
July 13, 2015
Original review at www.125pages.com
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4 Stars
C.J. traded Seattle for Baltimore ten years ago to provide the most distance possible from his family. With a stalled writing career and a girlfriend who tolerates him on a good day, C.J. is drifting through life. When his father calls after a year of silence C.J. is taken aback. The phone call from his brother the next day is even more unexpected. Their father has committed suicide. Traveling home may not be what C.J. wanted, but it might be just what he needs.
The first chapter of Sorry I Wasn’t What You Needed almost turned me off of the book. The main character, C.J., just seemed very unlikeable. But I am very glad I continued on. The pace of the book picks up after C.J. returns to the Seattle area and the addition of characters, other than his girlfriend and neighbor, flesh out who C.J. is. The familial ties are painted with a very fine brush and really enhance the story. The further into the book, the better the story gets. About three quarters in the story morphs and instead of focusing on a petulant C.J. it wraps around the whole Neubauer family and that is what makes this book great. The suicide that brings everyone together is a study in how suicide may be a way out for one person but a daily struggle for the people left behind. I have gotten sick of books with an adult male protagonist where they remain kicking and screaming in teenage angst and entitlement. This was a nice change where the boy-man actually grew and expanded, and it made for a powerful and moving ending that was not wrapped in a neat bow but left room for further growth.
*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4 Stars
C.J. traded Seattle for Baltimore ten years ago to provide the most distance possible from his family. With a stalled writing career and a girlfriend who tolerates him on a good day, C.J. is drifting through life. When his father calls after a year of silence C.J. is taken aback. The phone call from his brother the next day is even more unexpected. Their father has committed suicide. Traveling home may not be what C.J. wanted, but it might be just what he needs.
The first chapter of Sorry I Wasn’t What You Needed almost turned me off of the book. The main character, C.J., just seemed very unlikeable. But I am very glad I continued on. The pace of the book picks up after C.J. returns to the Seattle area and the addition of characters, other than his girlfriend and neighbor, flesh out who C.J. is. The familial ties are painted with a very fine brush and really enhance the story. The further into the book, the better the story gets. About three quarters in the story morphs and instead of focusing on a petulant C.J. it wraps around the whole Neubauer family and that is what makes this book great. The suicide that brings everyone together is a study in how suicide may be a way out for one person but a daily struggle for the people left behind. I have gotten sick of books with an adult male protagonist where they remain kicking and screaming in teenage angst and entitlement. This was a nice change where the boy-man actually grew and expanded, and it made for a powerful and moving ending that was not wrapped in a neat bow but left room for further growth.
July 30, 2015
*2.5 Stars*
When I asked for the ARC I had kind of an image in my head how this book is going to be. The blurb sounded good - including some touching elements intertwined in the story of a family whose life changed because of the suicide of the father.
This is the story you got. Including the description of how the different characters cope together with the situation. This is something which can be the good basis for a good book. And it actually also is the case with this book. But I think the writing style made it difficult to connect with the story line.
Especially at the beginning it was difficult to get into the story. Not because the characters aren't enough developed. More because it was in my opinion too much monologue. Actions which could freshen everything up. In the middle it got better.
I rated this book with 3 Stars which is not bad at all. I just think that this book could have touched me even more if the writing style would help the reader to build up a connection in combination with more action.
Or perhaps it just wasn't the right book I "needed" right now which is why I couldn't connect with the story.....
There are some really good passages in the book which really got me -some more of them and this book would have been even better(which is only my opinion).
Published on: http://jeri-ryan.wix.com/jerisbookatt...
When I asked for the ARC I had kind of an image in my head how this book is going to be. The blurb sounded good - including some touching elements intertwined in the story of a family whose life changed because of the suicide of the father.
This is the story you got. Including the description of how the different characters cope together with the situation. This is something which can be the good basis for a good book. And it actually also is the case with this book. But I think the writing style made it difficult to connect with the story line.
Especially at the beginning it was difficult to get into the story. Not because the characters aren't enough developed. More because it was in my opinion too much monologue. Actions which could freshen everything up. In the middle it got better.
I rated this book with 3 Stars which is not bad at all. I just think that this book could have touched me even more if the writing style would help the reader to build up a connection in combination with more action.
Or perhaps it just wasn't the right book I "needed" right now which is why I couldn't connect with the story.....
There are some really good passages in the book which really got me -some more of them and this book would have been even better(which is only my opinion).
Published on: http://jeri-ryan.wix.com/jerisbookatt...
July 18, 2015
Sorry I Wasn't What You Needed is a poignant story about growing up, coming home, and the true meaning of family.
In the beginning, I didn't think I would care much for this book. It seemed like one of the über postmodern, existential stories common to contemporary literature and I feared it wouldn't have good resolution.
Luckily, I was wrong. C.J., the protagonist, is completely unlikeable in the beginning, an unambitious bum trapped in a horrible relationship he's too lazy to end. His cynicism is maddening and he doesn't seem to care about anyone or anything but himself. But as the story progresses and he becomes reacquainted with his friends and family back home, C.J. realizes how selfish and one-sided his memories are. At story's end, he's transformed into someone I'm proud of, someone I would like to be friends with. I think he has a bright future ahead of him.
The only reasons I give this book four stars rather than five: there were points when the story dragged, and others where there was entirely too much profanity. I'm not really offended by language, but when every other sentence contains an F bomb, it's a little much.
I would definitely recommend for mature audiences.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley on exchange for an honest review.
In the beginning, I didn't think I would care much for this book. It seemed like one of the über postmodern, existential stories common to contemporary literature and I feared it wouldn't have good resolution.
Luckily, I was wrong. C.J., the protagonist, is completely unlikeable in the beginning, an unambitious bum trapped in a horrible relationship he's too lazy to end. His cynicism is maddening and he doesn't seem to care about anyone or anything but himself. But as the story progresses and he becomes reacquainted with his friends and family back home, C.J. realizes how selfish and one-sided his memories are. At story's end, he's transformed into someone I'm proud of, someone I would like to be friends with. I think he has a bright future ahead of him.
The only reasons I give this book four stars rather than five: there were points when the story dragged, and others where there was entirely too much profanity. I'm not really offended by language, but when every other sentence contains an F bomb, it's a little much.
I would definitely recommend for mature audiences.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley on exchange for an honest review.
September 21, 2015
*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in return for an honest review*
In the Netherlands a commercial for alcohol is obliged to be followed by the message alcohol will ruin everything you've ever loved. I guess that message should be told to the people in this book. I am not sure if there is one page where no one has been drinking (well okay there are a few but the feeling you know). I was really amazed at the amount of drunk drivers in this book. Though I do know there are enough of those in the world it has been a long time since I read a story not making much of a fuss about it.
I am not sure what to think of C.J. He obviously has not decided on who he is at age 32 and feels lost and disconnected. Being around his family obviously does more to him than he likes to admit. In a way I felt sorry for him hoping he would be able to find himself somewhere on the other side it felt like one big pity party on his address.
The rest of the family for sure were interesting additions to the story. The alpha male step father. The over sensitive sister. The popular big brother with his pretty young girl.
In the Netherlands a commercial for alcohol is obliged to be followed by the message alcohol will ruin everything you've ever loved. I guess that message should be told to the people in this book. I am not sure if there is one page where no one has been drinking (well okay there are a few but the feeling you know). I was really amazed at the amount of drunk drivers in this book. Though I do know there are enough of those in the world it has been a long time since I read a story not making much of a fuss about it.
I am not sure what to think of C.J. He obviously has not decided on who he is at age 32 and feels lost and disconnected. Being around his family obviously does more to him than he likes to admit. In a way I felt sorry for him hoping he would be able to find himself somewhere on the other side it felt like one big pity party on his address.
The rest of the family for sure were interesting additions to the story. The alpha male step father. The over sensitive sister. The popular big brother with his pretty young girl.
October 13, 2015
SORRY, I WASN'T WHAT YOU NEEDED: an interesting read. All the angst of dysfunctional families with a twist here and there kept me turning the pages. These are people who keep truth from each other and in many ways from themselves. No one is where they'd hoped to be in life. I got a little tired of how much beer they drank and how often were drunk. It's open ended so you can put the pieces together in a healthier way if you choose.
May 20, 2016
This started off really well, lots of drama and things that seemed open to exploration. The last third of the book felt like unexplained and unfinished, lazy writing. So much left undeveloped and unexplored.
I'm sad that I finished it. Was really enjoying it until the last few chapters (that didn't end up going anywhere).
I'm sad that I finished it. Was really enjoying it until the last few chapters (that didn't end up going anywhere).
January 5, 2016
I started out really disliking the main character, but as the book went on he grew up. The ending was not what I expected, but was right...and left me with much to think about.
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