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When the Curtain Falls
In 1952 two young lovers meet, in secret, at the beautiful Southern C ross theatre in the very heart of London's West End. Their relationship is made up of clandestine meetings and stolen moments because there is someone who will make them suffer if he discovers she is no longer 'his'. But life in the theatre doesn't always go according to plan and tragedy and heartache are waiting in the wings for all the players . . .
Almost seventy years later, a new production of When the Curtain Falls arrives at the theatre, bringing with it Oscar Bright and Olive Green and their budding romance. Very soon, though, strange things begin to happen and they learn about the ghost that's haunted the theatre since 1952, a ghost who can only be seen on one night of the year. Except the ghost is appearing more often and seems hell bent on sabotaging Oscar and Olive. The young couple realise they need to right that wrong from years gone by, but can they save themselves before history repeats itself and tragedy strikes once more?
Almost seventy years later, a new production of When the Curtain Falls arrives at the theatre, bringing with it Oscar Bright and Olive Green and their budding romance. Very soon, though, strange things begin to happen and they learn about the ghost that's haunted the theatre since 1952, a ghost who can only be seen on one night of the year. Except the ghost is appearing more often and seems hell bent on sabotaging Oscar and Olive. The young couple realise they need to right that wrong from years gone by, but can they save themselves before history repeats itself and tragedy strikes once more?
356 pages, Hardcover
First published July 12, 2018
123 people are currently reading
3214 people want to read
About the author
Carrie Hope Fletcher
19 books5,711 followersCarrie Hope Fletcher is an English actress, author and singer-songwriter.
She played Eponine in the West End production of Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre until February 13th 2016. She is the first actress to have played both young Eponine and older Eponine. In 2019, she returned to Les Miserables as Fantine.
Fletcher played Truly Scrumptious in the UK touring production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Wednesday Addams in the UK touring production of The Addams Family. She then starred as Veronica Sawyer in the UK production of Heathers: The Musical.
Her debut book, All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully was published in May 2015. Her first fiction novel, On the Other Side was published in July 2016.
Fletcher is well known for her YouTube channel where she shares videos about her life and her work as an actress and author.
She played Eponine in the West End production of Les Miserables at the Queen's Theatre until February 13th 2016. She is the first actress to have played both young Eponine and older Eponine. In 2019, she returned to Les Miserables as Fantine.
Fletcher played Truly Scrumptious in the UK touring production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Wednesday Addams in the UK touring production of The Addams Family. She then starred as Veronica Sawyer in the UK production of Heathers: The Musical.
Her debut book, All I Know Now: Wonderings and Reflections on Growing Up Gracefully was published in May 2015. Her first fiction novel, On the Other Side was published in July 2016.
Fletcher is well known for her YouTube channel where she shares videos about her life and her work as an actress and author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 454 reviews
July 19, 2018
I have read fanfics with more quality than this one, because as much as Carrie likes to deny it, this is a fanfic of her relationship with Oliver.
July 13, 2018
Mediocre. Instead of writing a book every year, carrie should dedicate some of her time on writing classes. Quality over quantity. Making money is lovely but producing good literature is better.
July 14, 2018
3.5/5
I do wish Carrie would stop basing her characters off of herself and her current boyfriends. Its hard to imagine them as different characters and not just Carrie and (boyfriend) in book form.
However i did like this book and her writing as gotten better. Its still not perfect as she writes these wherever she can, so you cant expect it to be super professionally written.
For a future book id like to see her focus on something else rather than romance. Perhaps a love between friends or family? That would be nice.
I do wish Carrie would stop basing her characters off of herself and her current boyfriends. Its hard to imagine them as different characters and not just Carrie and (boyfriend) in book form.
However i did like this book and her writing as gotten better. Its still not perfect as she writes these wherever she can, so you cant expect it to be super professionally written.
For a future book id like to see her focus on something else rather than romance. Perhaps a love between friends or family? That would be nice.
September 26, 2018
2.5 stars
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This is going to be an interesting one. Never in my life have I had such mixed feelings about anything. Half of the book was delightful, and the other half made me want to claw my eyes out. If I only had one word to describe it, it would be ‘frustrating’. Thankfully I have more words than that, so bear with me as I attempt to explain my extremely complicated emotions about this strangest of books.
I decided to read this book in the first place because I’ve been a fan of Carrie for years through her YouTube and acting careers but had never ventured into her writing before. When an opportunity arose through my job to get a free, pre-publication copy of When the Curtain Falls, I jumped at it. While I admire her for her other talents, I must admit that I was not expecting to be particularly impressed with her writing. I was intrigued by the premise and the prologue, however, and so I did my best to keep an open mind.
As it turned out, my suspicions about her lack of talent appeared to be confirmed. The writing style was simplistic, which at least lent a somewhat fairy-tale air to it, and clunky. Rather than let us discover things through the words or actions of the characters, she tended to state them outright in third person narration. Speaking of said third person narration, it would hop about confusingly between different characters’ perspectives, sometimes mid-paragraph. The timeline is also somewhat confusing with regards to how much time has passed at certain intervals. They suddenly seem to have been together for several weeks when we have only just read about their first kiss and been given no indication of time passing. This also means that we don’t get any insight into how they could be possibly be as in love with one another as the narration makes sure to tell us they are.
Then there are the characters, who are thoroughly unlikeable, at least in the way they’re presented to us. Olive does nothing but complain about the status of her relationship with Oscar, even before we really know anything about them. It’s mind-numbingly one-note: Olive: “I want us to be official” Oscar: “I’m not ready for that” reiterated ad infinitum through repetitive dialogue that goes on for far too long. Of course, neither of them ever actually sits down to talk about the things they’re really thinking. This has the effect of making Olive seem annoying, whiny and clingy and Oscar cold-hearted, emotionally closed-off and inconsiderate. This is essentially the entire plot regarding these characters until the very end of the book and yet we are forced to endure it as the main storyline. The phrase dull as dishwater swims temptingly to mind. While there was the odd moment of well-written prose, for the most part it was a chore to get through.
But then, a hundred and fifty pages in, we are introduced to Walter and Fawn.
One of the central conceits of the book is that we are told two love stories set sixty-six years apart. Why in the name of all things fictitious Carrie would decide to focus so much time and energy on Oscar and Olive when she could have been writing about Walter and Fawn is completely beyond me.
Suddenly there was an interesting backdrop of nineteen-fifties London, well-written characters who had believable back-stories, and a compelling plot! While there was still the occasional clunk, the writing itself also seemed to be much improved. Events had better build-up and characters had more believable motivations. Walter and Fawn’s love story had real chemistry and the obstacles they faced created actual tension. The villain was brilliantly written in a makes-your-skin-crawl, unfortunately incredibly realistic kind of way. It turns out Carrie can actually write!
The story flip-flops around between 1952 and 2018, updating us on plot developments in each, if I can even call it a plot for the latter. Each time 2018 came up I had to force myself to read on and each time it went back to 1952 I couldn’t stop. The climax of the 1952 storyline had me horrified, gripped and sobbing loudly and profusely in turn. The climax of the 2018 storyline felt like a strange extra to this, but at least something actually exciting finally happened in the modern day, and both Fawn and Walter got to play a part. The conclusion of Oscar and Olive’s story was somewhat cloying, but still tolerable. In contrast, the ending for Walter and Fawn in 2018 yet again had me sobbing because Carrie had made me love them.
If I were an editor, more specifically if I were Carrie’s editor, I would try and actually respect what she is capable of. I would tell her to make Walter and Fawn the main event and to relegate Oscar and Olive to a sub-plot. She could still have told the same story, but have it almost entirely set in 1952, with perhaps the odd chapter keeping us updated on 2018. She could have cut down massively on the amount of time spent on Oscar and Olive (especially those first hundred-and-fifty pages) and written more about Walter and Fawn, or just had a shorter book. The current structure is weighted far too heavily on the present, and I daresay many readers will give up before they even know there will be more than that, which is a shame.
As I said at the start of this review, the biggest thing I feel about this book is frustration. If I could add another, it would be confusion because I can’t settle on a distinct emotion. While I’ve given the book as a whole a rating of 2.5 stars, this is just because it’s a rough average of the two parts of it, and so I am also going to rate the two parts of the book separately.
Oscar and Olive: 1 star
Walter and Fawn: 3.5 stars
This book could have been so good. As evidenced in the sections about Walter and Fawn, Carrie can write well, so why does she spend over half the book not doing so? Since this was such a frustrating read, to the point where I’m seriously tempted to restructure and rewrite the whole thing myself, I don’t know if I could subject myself to reading another of her books. What if it’s like the Oscar and Olive parts? Even worse, what if it’s another like this one, playing with my emotions in this awful in-between state where it's both terrible and brilliant? I cannot recommend this book as a whole to anyone. However, I might seriously suggest reading only the 1952 storyline as if it’s a self-contained novella.
I wish Carrie well and will continue to follow her acting and YouTube careers, but I fear this will be the only time I delve into her writing. Ye be warned who wish to read this book, you do so at your own peril.
https://lanternsandhardbacks.wordpres...
This is going to be an interesting one. Never in my life have I had such mixed feelings about anything. Half of the book was delightful, and the other half made me want to claw my eyes out. If I only had one word to describe it, it would be ‘frustrating’. Thankfully I have more words than that, so bear with me as I attempt to explain my extremely complicated emotions about this strangest of books.
I decided to read this book in the first place because I’ve been a fan of Carrie for years through her YouTube and acting careers but had never ventured into her writing before. When an opportunity arose through my job to get a free, pre-publication copy of When the Curtain Falls, I jumped at it. While I admire her for her other talents, I must admit that I was not expecting to be particularly impressed with her writing. I was intrigued by the premise and the prologue, however, and so I did my best to keep an open mind.
As it turned out, my suspicions about her lack of talent appeared to be confirmed. The writing style was simplistic, which at least lent a somewhat fairy-tale air to it, and clunky. Rather than let us discover things through the words or actions of the characters, she tended to state them outright in third person narration. Speaking of said third person narration, it would hop about confusingly between different characters’ perspectives, sometimes mid-paragraph. The timeline is also somewhat confusing with regards to how much time has passed at certain intervals. They suddenly seem to have been together for several weeks when we have only just read about their first kiss and been given no indication of time passing. This also means that we don’t get any insight into how they could be possibly be as in love with one another as the narration makes sure to tell us they are.
Then there are the characters, who are thoroughly unlikeable, at least in the way they’re presented to us. Olive does nothing but complain about the status of her relationship with Oscar, even before we really know anything about them. It’s mind-numbingly one-note: Olive: “I want us to be official” Oscar: “I’m not ready for that” reiterated ad infinitum through repetitive dialogue that goes on for far too long. Of course, neither of them ever actually sits down to talk about the things they’re really thinking. This has the effect of making Olive seem annoying, whiny and clingy and Oscar cold-hearted, emotionally closed-off and inconsiderate. This is essentially the entire plot regarding these characters until the very end of the book and yet we are forced to endure it as the main storyline. The phrase dull as dishwater swims temptingly to mind. While there was the odd moment of well-written prose, for the most part it was a chore to get through.
But then, a hundred and fifty pages in, we are introduced to Walter and Fawn.
One of the central conceits of the book is that we are told two love stories set sixty-six years apart. Why in the name of all things fictitious Carrie would decide to focus so much time and energy on Oscar and Olive when she could have been writing about Walter and Fawn is completely beyond me.
Suddenly there was an interesting backdrop of nineteen-fifties London, well-written characters who had believable back-stories, and a compelling plot! While there was still the occasional clunk, the writing itself also seemed to be much improved. Events had better build-up and characters had more believable motivations. Walter and Fawn’s love story had real chemistry and the obstacles they faced created actual tension. The villain was brilliantly written in a makes-your-skin-crawl, unfortunately incredibly realistic kind of way. It turns out Carrie can actually write!
The story flip-flops around between 1952 and 2018, updating us on plot developments in each, if I can even call it a plot for the latter. Each time 2018 came up I had to force myself to read on and each time it went back to 1952 I couldn’t stop. The climax of the 1952 storyline had me horrified, gripped and sobbing loudly and profusely in turn. The climax of the 2018 storyline felt like a strange extra to this, but at least something actually exciting finally happened in the modern day, and both Fawn and Walter got to play a part. The conclusion of Oscar and Olive’s story was somewhat cloying, but still tolerable. In contrast, the ending for Walter and Fawn in 2018 yet again had me sobbing because Carrie had made me love them.
If I were an editor, more specifically if I were Carrie’s editor, I would try and actually respect what she is capable of. I would tell her to make Walter and Fawn the main event and to relegate Oscar and Olive to a sub-plot. She could still have told the same story, but have it almost entirely set in 1952, with perhaps the odd chapter keeping us updated on 2018. She could have cut down massively on the amount of time spent on Oscar and Olive (especially those first hundred-and-fifty pages) and written more about Walter and Fawn, or just had a shorter book. The current structure is weighted far too heavily on the present, and I daresay many readers will give up before they even know there will be more than that, which is a shame.
As I said at the start of this review, the biggest thing I feel about this book is frustration. If I could add another, it would be confusion because I can’t settle on a distinct emotion. While I’ve given the book as a whole a rating of 2.5 stars, this is just because it’s a rough average of the two parts of it, and so I am also going to rate the two parts of the book separately.
Oscar and Olive: 1 star
Walter and Fawn: 3.5 stars
This book could have been so good. As evidenced in the sections about Walter and Fawn, Carrie can write well, so why does she spend over half the book not doing so? Since this was such a frustrating read, to the point where I’m seriously tempted to restructure and rewrite the whole thing myself, I don’t know if I could subject myself to reading another of her books. What if it’s like the Oscar and Olive parts? Even worse, what if it’s another like this one, playing with my emotions in this awful in-between state where it's both terrible and brilliant? I cannot recommend this book as a whole to anyone. However, I might seriously suggest reading only the 1952 storyline as if it’s a self-contained novella.
I wish Carrie well and will continue to follow her acting and YouTube careers, but I fear this will be the only time I delve into her writing. Ye be warned who wish to read this book, you do so at your own peril.
August 22, 2019
I should start this off by saying that I'm a huge fan of Carrie's. I think she's an amazingly talented singer, actress and video-maker! I've seen her perform Heathers live and was AMAZED by her talent! Sadly, as I realized after about ten pages of this book, she does not have a talent for writing.
I'm gonna start off with the few smaller things that bothered me. They might seem petty, but after about 15 minutes of reading I was so thoroughly annoyed that I had to put the book down again. First off, why do both of the main characters' names start with an O? That is just confusing, not to mention the fact that her real life boyfriend is named Oliver, while the female main character is named Olive. I almost had to read every sentence twice and I accidentally kept calling Oscar 'Oliver' in my head. And second of all, the POV switches. I think this was a failed attempt at an all-knowing narrator, but it just read like a confusing switch of third person POV way more often than necessary in the middle of a scene. I never quite knew who was thinking or feeling what!
And then. The two main characters and their relationship /sighs for 2000 years/. Instead of seeing how they fall in love, we get thrown right in the middle of it. There is no time to root for them, we just know we /should/ because every other characters' sole purpose is either to remind us how GOOD they are together (something I have yet to see any actual evidence of) or to be "the bitch" who doesn't want them together. (More on that later...)
Conversations between Olive and Oscar are VERY exhausting to read, because 1. I can't for the life of me figure out why they even want to be together when all they do is fight in a weird back-and-forth every time they talk, 2. every time Oscar says something nice, Olive purposefully misunderstands him and bitches at him, 3. Oscar seems to be a bit of an idiot but we're told it's just because he's tragically scarred by fame... or something. Don't quite remember.
(I've read here in the reviews that this is fanfic of Carrie's relationship with Oliver, but as someone who watched a lot of her vlogs, I can attest to the fact that it tragically ISN'T, because that would've been much more enjoyable to read, I'm sure.)
As if the main characters' relationship in itself wasn't annoying enough already, we also have Tamara, who has no real personality despite wanting to sleep with Oscar, because she's such a fame-hungry bitch... So basically, the misogynistic cliché of everyone's dreams.
Which brings me to my other point: why are all the villains so very cartoon-ish and two-dimensional? I felt like I was in a bad Disney movie.
And yeah, the plot was okay, not very exciting, but the story in 1952 was at least easier to get through than Olive and Oscar's weird relationship drama, so that was a plus. Still not quite sure how "the power of Olive and Oscar's love" (true story) made the ghosts reappear but whatever.
I will continue to support Carrie in everything she does, just... don't make me read another book of hers, please.
I'm gonna start off with the few smaller things that bothered me. They might seem petty, but after about 15 minutes of reading I was so thoroughly annoyed that I had to put the book down again. First off, why do both of the main characters' names start with an O? That is just confusing, not to mention the fact that her real life boyfriend is named Oliver, while the female main character is named Olive. I almost had to read every sentence twice and I accidentally kept calling Oscar 'Oliver' in my head. And second of all, the POV switches. I think this was a failed attempt at an all-knowing narrator, but it just read like a confusing switch of third person POV way more often than necessary in the middle of a scene. I never quite knew who was thinking or feeling what!
And then. The two main characters and their relationship /sighs for 2000 years/. Instead of seeing how they fall in love, we get thrown right in the middle of it. There is no time to root for them, we just know we /should/ because every other characters' sole purpose is either to remind us how GOOD they are together (something I have yet to see any actual evidence of) or to be "the bitch" who doesn't want them together. (More on that later...)
Conversations between Olive and Oscar are VERY exhausting to read, because 1. I can't for the life of me figure out why they even want to be together when all they do is fight in a weird back-and-forth every time they talk, 2. every time Oscar says something nice, Olive purposefully misunderstands him and bitches at him, 3. Oscar seems to be a bit of an idiot but we're told it's just because he's tragically scarred by fame... or something. Don't quite remember.
(I've read here in the reviews that this is fanfic of Carrie's relationship with Oliver, but as someone who watched a lot of her vlogs, I can attest to the fact that it tragically ISN'T, because that would've been much more enjoyable to read, I'm sure.)
As if the main characters' relationship in itself wasn't annoying enough already, we also have Tamara, who has no real personality despite wanting to sleep with Oscar, because she's such a fame-hungry bitch... So basically, the misogynistic cliché of everyone's dreams.
Which brings me to my other point: why are all the villains so very cartoon-ish and two-dimensional? I felt like I was in a bad Disney movie.
And yeah, the plot was okay, not very exciting, but the story in 1952 was at least easier to get through than Olive and Oscar's weird relationship drama, so that was a plus. Still not quite sure how "the power of Olive and Oscar's love" (true story) made the ghosts reappear but whatever.
I will continue to support Carrie in everything she does, just... don't make me read another book of hers, please.
August 4, 2018
2.5 stars
There's a lot wrong with this book, but the thing that is the most wrong about this book is Carrie's opinions and experiences coming through. The main characters Olive and Oscar are clearly based on herself and her current boyfriend. She has chosen to give Olive almost the same appearance as herself and Oscar a lot the characteristics she has IRL. Her opinions about stage door, about how hard it is to be slightly famous, and being in the musical theatre world have all been discussed in previous videos of hers and here again she wants to make sure that the reader knows that she has got those opinions. It added nothing to the book and it made it a bit amateurist, because a lot of fiction writers usually stay away from putting their opinions in books very explicitly, and she did it on purpose because she was writing about a lot of her own life anyway.
This book is full of unnecessary relationship drama and lacks a lot of plot. There isn't much ghost story in here and you find out from the start that it's not gonna be a mysterious story at all because the ghost part is explained very quickly. The romance between Olive and Oscar consists 99% of them not communicating properly and it makes for a very annoying read. If you like insta-love, you'll really like this...
There's a lot more wrong with this book, but the last thing I want to cover is this, Carrie really needed to reach her word count so she put in a lot of descriptions of things no one is interested in. There is a whole part about Olive playing with her food at a restaurant and she describes getting coffee at the local Costa/Starbucks as if we as readers don't know what that's like. This luckily gets better towards the end of the book when the word count is almost getting reached, but especially in the first 100 pages, there's a lot of talk about nothing.
Fletcher said in one of her most recent videos that she thinks this is the best book she has written yet, well, congratulations on writing a 2.5 star book. I won't be reading any future books she writes and I'll certainly not read the ones that are already released. Stay with acting in the future, that's what you're really good at Carrie.
There's a lot wrong with this book, but the thing that is the most wrong about this book is Carrie's opinions and experiences coming through. The main characters Olive and Oscar are clearly based on herself and her current boyfriend. She has chosen to give Olive almost the same appearance as herself and Oscar a lot the characteristics she has IRL. Her opinions about stage door, about how hard it is to be slightly famous, and being in the musical theatre world have all been discussed in previous videos of hers and here again she wants to make sure that the reader knows that she has got those opinions. It added nothing to the book and it made it a bit amateurist, because a lot of fiction writers usually stay away from putting their opinions in books very explicitly, and she did it on purpose because she was writing about a lot of her own life anyway.
This book is full of unnecessary relationship drama and lacks a lot of plot. There isn't much ghost story in here and you find out from the start that it's not gonna be a mysterious story at all because the ghost part is explained very quickly. The romance between Olive and Oscar consists 99% of them not communicating properly and it makes for a very annoying read. If you like insta-love, you'll really like this...
There's a lot more wrong with this book, but the last thing I want to cover is this, Carrie really needed to reach her word count so she put in a lot of descriptions of things no one is interested in. There is a whole part about Olive playing with her food at a restaurant and she describes getting coffee at the local Costa/Starbucks as if we as readers don't know what that's like. This luckily gets better towards the end of the book when the word count is almost getting reached, but especially in the first 100 pages, there's a lot of talk about nothing.
Fletcher said in one of her most recent videos that she thinks this is the best book she has written yet, well, congratulations on writing a 2.5 star book. I won't be reading any future books she writes and I'll certainly not read the ones that are already released. Stay with acting in the future, that's what you're really good at Carrie.
January 13, 2020
The first time I came across this book was when I was in a bookstore (as always) and when I saw the description it said this book is a Moulin Rouge meets The Phantom of the Opera, me being a sucker for musicals and plays I knew I had to read this book.
This is my first book by this author, before this I never had heard of her before and I also just find out that she has a Youtube channel, which I guess makes the readers understand her choosing of stories more if they knew her from her channel.
Anyway, about the book": This was definitely and entertaining read, but it also includes triggering and sensitive subjects like; rape, suicide and etc. So, before you decide to read this be aware of the themes that are being dealt in the book.
I did like the time jumping that happened in the book, one was in the 50's and the other was present day. I liked the relationship between the 2 pairs that one happened in the past and the secons in recent years. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, sometimes it was repetitive.
But overall I liked it, it was fast paced, very entertaining and I just love everything that has to do with theatres.
This is my first book by this author, before this I never had heard of her before and I also just find out that she has a Youtube channel, which I guess makes the readers understand her choosing of stories more if they knew her from her channel.
Anyway, about the book": This was definitely and entertaining read, but it also includes triggering and sensitive subjects like; rape, suicide and etc. So, before you decide to read this be aware of the themes that are being dealt in the book.
I did like the time jumping that happened in the book, one was in the 50's and the other was present day. I liked the relationship between the 2 pairs that one happened in the past and the secons in recent years. I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style, sometimes it was repetitive.
But overall I liked it, it was fast paced, very entertaining and I just love everything that has to do with theatres.
August 8, 2019
This is the third Fiction book by Actress, Singer and Vlogger Carrie Hope Fletcher.
When the Curtain Fall, set in a theatre in both 1952 and Present Day.
This emotive book is a love story, not only for its characters, but also to the theater.
Carrie, having worked in theatres since she was young, knows her craft and surroundings.
This shows, in the description and love dedicated to the setting in its story.
Starting in Present Day, two actors, wonderfully named Olive Green and Oscar Bright. Navigate the theatre, a new revival play called ‘When the Curtain Falls’ and each other. They’re bond grows as they rehears the play, but very soon strange things begin to happen. The theater is full of history and its starts to spill out into they’re lives.
Meanwhile back in 1952, the wonderful Fawn Burrows, is about to make her debut appearance, in the first showing of ‘When The Curtain Falls’. She becomes friends with the charming young assistant Doorman, Walter Brown.
But all is not as it seems for Fawn. A dark shadow hangs over her performance and threatens everything she holds dear.
This book had me gripped within it’s first 50 pages. Fast moving and emotive, you get an instant bond and love for the Characters.
If there is one thing Fletcher is very good at, it’s setting up her characters. From how they dress, to their smiles. You can see them in your mind’s eye immediately. This makes you care for them from the get go.
The two time lines, run parallel to each other seamlessly and you get a sense of danger in each.
In the present day, the theme of Celebrity and Privacy is explored in an expert way.
Where as in 1952, a theme of independence and control emerges.
The villain of this piece, jumps out of the page and literally makes your skin crawl. You can feel the danger in him and the urgency of escape.
This is Carries third fiction book now, and you can see her writing improve with each one. This book has to be the triumph so far. It is witty and fast passed. With difficult subject matters covered, that are very relevant today with the ‘Me Too campain.
I couldn’t put it down, as a lover of theatre, I appreciated every little bit of behind the scenes.
An addictive and emotive read, described as a Ghost story, meets a love Story.
It will certainly give you the shivers….
When the Curtain Fall, set in a theatre in both 1952 and Present Day.
This emotive book is a love story, not only for its characters, but also to the theater.
Carrie, having worked in theatres since she was young, knows her craft and surroundings.
This shows, in the description and love dedicated to the setting in its story.
Starting in Present Day, two actors, wonderfully named Olive Green and Oscar Bright. Navigate the theatre, a new revival play called ‘When the Curtain Falls’ and each other. They’re bond grows as they rehears the play, but very soon strange things begin to happen. The theater is full of history and its starts to spill out into they’re lives.
Meanwhile back in 1952, the wonderful Fawn Burrows, is about to make her debut appearance, in the first showing of ‘When The Curtain Falls’. She becomes friends with the charming young assistant Doorman, Walter Brown.
But all is not as it seems for Fawn. A dark shadow hangs over her performance and threatens everything she holds dear.
This book had me gripped within it’s first 50 pages. Fast moving and emotive, you get an instant bond and love for the Characters.
If there is one thing Fletcher is very good at, it’s setting up her characters. From how they dress, to their smiles. You can see them in your mind’s eye immediately. This makes you care for them from the get go.
The two time lines, run parallel to each other seamlessly and you get a sense of danger in each.
In the present day, the theme of Celebrity and Privacy is explored in an expert way.
Where as in 1952, a theme of independence and control emerges.
The villain of this piece, jumps out of the page and literally makes your skin crawl. You can feel the danger in him and the urgency of escape.
This is Carries third fiction book now, and you can see her writing improve with each one. This book has to be the triumph so far. It is witty and fast passed. With difficult subject matters covered, that are very relevant today with the ‘Me Too campain.
I couldn’t put it down, as a lover of theatre, I appreciated every little bit of behind the scenes.
An addictive and emotive read, described as a Ghost story, meets a love Story.
It will certainly give you the shivers….
August 19, 2018
Things I liked
1. When the Curtain Falls shines when discussing the details of the theatre world, opening nights, rehearsals, the relationships between cast members, even the structure of the stage and the mundane everyday things like signing in and out and receiving post. I enjoyed all this, it felt very real and intimate as we got to see a side to the theatre that's rarely discussed.
2. Very readable and easy to pick up, I flew through it and found it quite entertaining
3. The drama revolving around Fawn Burrow's in the sections set in the 1950s were genuinely gripping (if a little melodramatic at times), I really felt how helpless her situation was, particularly in the hands of Hamish Boatwright who was quite despicable and made my skin crawl. I think the period setting worked well with this, as her story was very much framed in the context of how women were treated at the time.
4. I think Carrie clearly has some amazing friends around her, because she write's dialogue between friends very well, and captures that playful honest dynamic. It's a shame it was always in the context of Olive's relationship with Oscar!
Things I didn't like
1. Both of the romances were very rushed and lacking build up besides initial attraction and a few interactions. When reading romance I want my stomach to flip a bit more that it did! Rather than skipping over the fun will-they-won't-they stuff and straight into intense feelings and discussions about the future and their relationship status.
2. Not much of a plot with the modern stuff, besides Olive and Oscar having incredibly long conversations about if he's ready for a relationship, and how they love spending time with each other etc etc
3. More creepy paranormal activity was very needed to build the tension towards the ending, often I forgot this it was suppose to be a ghost story, so when ghostly things did happen they were very jarring.
4. The ghost imagery was so unusual I'm not sure what to think, it seemed almost like fantasy, with a lot of fire and crackling electricity, instead of the darkness and unsettling silence I would expect. Some parts involving the ghosts were in my opinion a little bit cheesy particularly right at the end. This is definitely a matter of taste and I admire Carrie for doing something different.
As for the writing I think it's what I would expect from chick lit (a label the author herself uses), simple, grounded in everyday speech, lots of internal monologues and switching povs. This is not literary fiction, don't expect lyrical prose or inventive experiments in form. it's just a sweet entertaining read, perfect to take on holiday.
I've noticed some quite harsh criticism and I feel sometimes it comes from people who this book is perhaps not aimed at, or even those who believe the author is undeserving of her success because she doesn't have an English degree and found a following initially on Youtube. This strikes me as unfair, and I would say to anyone, if the premise of this book intrigues you just give it a go and make your own mind up.
1. When the Curtain Falls shines when discussing the details of the theatre world, opening nights, rehearsals, the relationships between cast members, even the structure of the stage and the mundane everyday things like signing in and out and receiving post. I enjoyed all this, it felt very real and intimate as we got to see a side to the theatre that's rarely discussed.
2. Very readable and easy to pick up, I flew through it and found it quite entertaining
3. The drama revolving around Fawn Burrow's in the sections set in the 1950s were genuinely gripping (if a little melodramatic at times), I really felt how helpless her situation was, particularly in the hands of Hamish Boatwright who was quite despicable and made my skin crawl. I think the period setting worked well with this, as her story was very much framed in the context of how women were treated at the time.
4. I think Carrie clearly has some amazing friends around her, because she write's dialogue between friends very well, and captures that playful honest dynamic. It's a shame it was always in the context of Olive's relationship with Oscar!
Things I didn't like
1. Both of the romances were very rushed and lacking build up besides initial attraction and a few interactions. When reading romance I want my stomach to flip a bit more that it did! Rather than skipping over the fun will-they-won't-they stuff and straight into intense feelings and discussions about the future and their relationship status.
2. Not much of a plot with the modern stuff, besides Olive and Oscar having incredibly long conversations about if he's ready for a relationship, and how they love spending time with each other etc etc
3. More creepy paranormal activity was very needed to build the tension towards the ending, often I forgot this it was suppose to be a ghost story, so when ghostly things did happen they were very jarring.
4. The ghost imagery was so unusual I'm not sure what to think, it seemed almost like fantasy, with a lot of fire and crackling electricity, instead of the darkness and unsettling silence I would expect. Some parts involving the ghosts were in my opinion a little bit cheesy particularly right at the end. This is definitely a matter of taste and I admire Carrie for doing something different.
As for the writing I think it's what I would expect from chick lit (a label the author herself uses), simple, grounded in everyday speech, lots of internal monologues and switching povs. This is not literary fiction, don't expect lyrical prose or inventive experiments in form. it's just a sweet entertaining read, perfect to take on holiday.
I've noticed some quite harsh criticism and I feel sometimes it comes from people who this book is perhaps not aimed at, or even those who believe the author is undeserving of her success because she doesn't have an English degree and found a following initially on Youtube. This strikes me as unfair, and I would say to anyone, if the premise of this book intrigues you just give it a go and make your own mind up.
January 8, 2021
I could not ask for more in a book. Not just one love story but two with the many challenges of fame thrown in the mix. Two love affairs between theatre actors and crew members.
Two love stories of two very different years back in the fifites are Fawn and Walter. I hated Hamish so much. You felt you could be part of this story it was very well written for me. I loved how Fawn gets the applause she deserved.
Present day Oscar and Olive the two new stars of the production. They have more modern day problems but still equally I feel there love Oscar is lucky to have Olive.
I enjoyed Fawn and Walter's story a little more but liked the characters of Olvie and Oscar in their own right.
Easily five stars
Two love stories of two very different years back in the fifites are Fawn and Walter. I hated Hamish so much. You felt you could be part of this story it was very well written for me. I loved how Fawn gets the applause she deserved.
Present day Oscar and Olive the two new stars of the production. They have more modern day problems but still equally I feel there love Oscar is lucky to have Olive.
I enjoyed Fawn and Walter's story a little more but liked the characters of Olvie and Oscar in their own right.
Easily five stars
October 23, 2020
Con esto confirmo que los libros de Carrie no son para mí. El principal pilar es la (las) historia de amor, que es algo que a mí no suele engancharme a no ser que sea como complemento a otra trama. Y aquí, en efecto, hay otra trama, la que enlaza el pasado y el presente y la "maldición" del teatro y sus fantasmas, pero es esa la que funciona como muleta de la otra, y no al revés. Como digo, prefiero las historias en las que el equilibrio acción-romance va justo a la inversa...
January 19, 2019
Two stars is generous, but in line with the number of dimensions the characters in this book have. I’ve read fan fiction with more substance. And, to be honest, having followed Carrie’s YouTube/acting career for a while, I can’t help but feel that this book is a fanfic about her and her current boyfriend, just as the male love interest in her first novel seemed to be based on her boyfriend at the time.
Carrie is a lovely person, and I actually feel bad for not liking her books. But the truth is, I don’t.
Carrie is a lovely person, and I actually feel bad for not liking her books. But the truth is, I don’t.
July 22, 2018
This is the first book I've read by Carrie Hope Fletcher and I chose it solely due to the fabulous cover! I did generally enjoy the story. I liked the dual timeline plot and the theatre setting was interesting. I also thought the ghostly appearances were well done and in keeping with the plot and the ambience of the old theatre until the end, when I felt it needlessly became a bit silly!
3-4 stars
3-4 stars
July 12, 2018
Read this review on my blog here: https://rebeccafarren.com/review-when...
Thanks to Little Brown and NetGalley for the review copy.
This review, including the content warning directly below, contains significant spoilers as I feel the subject matter necessitates it.
CW: Rape, abuse, gun violence, suicide
I am a huge fan of Carrie’s work, so when her novels are due to come out I always eagerly count down the days to release. I was thrilled to get an early copy of When The Curtain Falls, but what I found was not what I expected.
It’s 1952 and the new play When The Curtain Falls comes to the Southern Cross Theatre, bringing with it rising star Fawn Burrows. Stage door assistant Walter is quickly besotted by Fawn and the feeling soon becomes mutual. They snatch every moment they can together but someone is determined to get in the way of their happiness. Before they can break free, they are struck by the worst possible tragedy. Fast forward to the present day and a new cast arrives at Southern Cross ready to revive When The Curtain Falls. There is an immediate spark between leads Oscar and Olive, but both have been burnt before and both are filled with uncertainty. Haunted by ghostly mischief and their own doubts, they wonder if all hope is lost. However, real danger lurks in the wings and they soon realise that much more than their relationship is at stake.
I want to split this review into the first 80% of the book and the last 20%. The first 80% of the book is a solid 8/10. Magic and fantasy play a huge role in Carrie’s two previous novels and although that works well for them, I loved the fact that the magic is much more in the background until the end here. It’s less complicated and it allows the reader to focus on the human relationships. With two characters as insecure as Olive and Oscar, some of their arguments are frustrating. However, mostly it is lovely to see them try and work everything out, dealing with fame and social media and managing relationships with other company members. Equally, watching Walter and Fawn navigate the obstacles to their love story is exciting. It’s not the media machine they have to deal with, but an abusive boss. This adds a darker edge which balances out the plot well until towards the end.
Every author puts a piece of themselves into each novel, and I always look forward to seeing which elements of Carrie and her non-fiction content make it into the book. However, this time I found it difficult to separate Olive from Carrie on occasion. I think because it is set in a theatre, I felt like I was actually watching one of Carrie’s vlogs rather than reading a new work of fiction at times, which took the shine off it slightly.
Carrie released an album of the same name as the book earlier in the year and so many of the songs fit in perfectly with the story. I found many of them in my head while reading, but ‘You Matter to Me’ is the overall soundtrack for me, adding a wonderful extra ounce of romance.
Now to move on to the last 20% of the book. I always forget how weird and dark Carrie’s novel endings are! It takes me completely by surprise each time and When The Curtain Falls takes it way too far for me. I think that too many rape scenes/ chapters in popular culture are completely unnecessary and this isn’t an exception. It is quite crudely described and it could have been written a lot more sensitively. It is in Chapter 19 for anyone who would prefer to skip it. It knocked me sideways and put me in a terrible mood for reading the last few chapters which feature gun violence and suicide. I was very uncomfortable with how it all plays out. The whole conclusion just didn’t work for me at all. I was so disappointed! Having said that, I think a lot of readers will disagree with me and will relish the drama, tension and fantasy of the closing scenes.
It’s such a shame that a story that was for the most part so enjoyable affected me so badly! I will always love and support Carrie and I will definitely still read her new releases, but I will be going in with my guard up and proceeding a lot more cautiously in the future. If what I’ve written doesn’t bother you then go ahead and enjoy, but if alarm bells are ringing then do tread carefully. Most of When the Curtain Falls is applause-worthy, but the ending just tips the scales too far.
6/10
Thanks to Little Brown and NetGalley for the review copy.
This review, including the content warning directly below, contains significant spoilers as I feel the subject matter necessitates it.
CW: Rape, abuse, gun violence, suicide
I am a huge fan of Carrie’s work, so when her novels are due to come out I always eagerly count down the days to release. I was thrilled to get an early copy of When The Curtain Falls, but what I found was not what I expected.
It’s 1952 and the new play When The Curtain Falls comes to the Southern Cross Theatre, bringing with it rising star Fawn Burrows. Stage door assistant Walter is quickly besotted by Fawn and the feeling soon becomes mutual. They snatch every moment they can together but someone is determined to get in the way of their happiness. Before they can break free, they are struck by the worst possible tragedy. Fast forward to the present day and a new cast arrives at Southern Cross ready to revive When The Curtain Falls. There is an immediate spark between leads Oscar and Olive, but both have been burnt before and both are filled with uncertainty. Haunted by ghostly mischief and their own doubts, they wonder if all hope is lost. However, real danger lurks in the wings and they soon realise that much more than their relationship is at stake.
I want to split this review into the first 80% of the book and the last 20%. The first 80% of the book is a solid 8/10. Magic and fantasy play a huge role in Carrie’s two previous novels and although that works well for them, I loved the fact that the magic is much more in the background until the end here. It’s less complicated and it allows the reader to focus on the human relationships. With two characters as insecure as Olive and Oscar, some of their arguments are frustrating. However, mostly it is lovely to see them try and work everything out, dealing with fame and social media and managing relationships with other company members. Equally, watching Walter and Fawn navigate the obstacles to their love story is exciting. It’s not the media machine they have to deal with, but an abusive boss. This adds a darker edge which balances out the plot well until towards the end.
Every author puts a piece of themselves into each novel, and I always look forward to seeing which elements of Carrie and her non-fiction content make it into the book. However, this time I found it difficult to separate Olive from Carrie on occasion. I think because it is set in a theatre, I felt like I was actually watching one of Carrie’s vlogs rather than reading a new work of fiction at times, which took the shine off it slightly.
Carrie released an album of the same name as the book earlier in the year and so many of the songs fit in perfectly with the story. I found many of them in my head while reading, but ‘You Matter to Me’ is the overall soundtrack for me, adding a wonderful extra ounce of romance.
Now to move on to the last 20% of the book. I always forget how weird and dark Carrie’s novel endings are! It takes me completely by surprise each time and When The Curtain Falls takes it way too far for me. I think that too many rape scenes/ chapters in popular culture are completely unnecessary and this isn’t an exception. It is quite crudely described and it could have been written a lot more sensitively. It is in Chapter 19 for anyone who would prefer to skip it. It knocked me sideways and put me in a terrible mood for reading the last few chapters which feature gun violence and suicide. I was very uncomfortable with how it all plays out. The whole conclusion just didn’t work for me at all. I was so disappointed! Having said that, I think a lot of readers will disagree with me and will relish the drama, tension and fantasy of the closing scenes.
It’s such a shame that a story that was for the most part so enjoyable affected me so badly! I will always love and support Carrie and I will definitely still read her new releases, but I will be going in with my guard up and proceeding a lot more cautiously in the future. If what I’ve written doesn’t bother you then go ahead and enjoy, but if alarm bells are ringing then do tread carefully. Most of When the Curtain Falls is applause-worthy, but the ending just tips the scales too far.
6/10
July 12, 2018
I really enjoyed the read and it had this author's usual fairytale like feeling most of the way through. You know going into Carrie's books that you need to suspend your disbelief going in, roll with the magic and just get swept up in the stories. This book has two different storylines, one form 2018 and one from 1952 with the earlier having an effect on the latter. I liked the shift in time and really felt captivated in the whole magic of the theatre in the 1952 events. I also learned a lot about what goes into a theatre production and what goes on backstage in a west end show.
We have two different sets of leading men and ladies. In 1952 we have Fawn and Walter and in 2018 we have Olive and Oscar. I did find the fact that Olive and Oscar have similar names a little confusing at times but I managed to kept them straight most of the time. I loved Fawn and thought she was a really strong characters. I really liked Walter in the beginning whereas I found Oscar a little hard to warm to so I was glad of the parallel storylines. Some of the supporting characters float in and out of both sections so they are sometimes tricky to keep track of, I would have liked to have heard a little more from some of them, especially in the present day parts, but I appreciated what they did add to the plot.
The setting for both parts of the novel is a West End theatre and we don't see very much outside of the theatre, but when we do its wonderful to have real places and landmarks I could recognise in London. I always appreciate when an author uses real places because it is much easier for me to situate the characters and events in my head. Obviously a theatre is a fabulous setting for this novel, it is magical and it lends itself well to the magical aspect of the storyline. We know there are of course ghosts featured in this novel and I found that they slotted right in because of the setting and because of the build up in the 1952 thread of the book. There are also some disturbing scenes whilst almost spill over into the thriller genre because of their violent and almost mystery-like nature. The penultimate chapter of the book gets exceedingly dark, think Romeo and Juliet, Phantom of the Opera-I loved this bit!
I loved the romance of this novel, it was definitely a page tuner and so therefore a quick read for me because I dedicated a whole day to reading it and let the suspense build. You definitely have to like a little bit of magic and some ghosts in your books in order to enjoy all of this but I definitely enjoyed it and it is my second favourite of Carrie's novels.
We have two different sets of leading men and ladies. In 1952 we have Fawn and Walter and in 2018 we have Olive and Oscar. I did find the fact that Olive and Oscar have similar names a little confusing at times but I managed to kept them straight most of the time. I loved Fawn and thought she was a really strong characters. I really liked Walter in the beginning whereas I found Oscar a little hard to warm to so I was glad of the parallel storylines. Some of the supporting characters float in and out of both sections so they are sometimes tricky to keep track of, I would have liked to have heard a little more from some of them, especially in the present day parts, but I appreciated what they did add to the plot.
The setting for both parts of the novel is a West End theatre and we don't see very much outside of the theatre, but when we do its wonderful to have real places and landmarks I could recognise in London. I always appreciate when an author uses real places because it is much easier for me to situate the characters and events in my head. Obviously a theatre is a fabulous setting for this novel, it is magical and it lends itself well to the magical aspect of the storyline. We know there are of course ghosts featured in this novel and I found that they slotted right in because of the setting and because of the build up in the 1952 thread of the book. There are also some disturbing scenes whilst almost spill over into the thriller genre because of their violent and almost mystery-like nature. The penultimate chapter of the book gets exceedingly dark, think Romeo and Juliet, Phantom of the Opera-I loved this bit!
I loved the romance of this novel, it was definitely a page tuner and so therefore a quick read for me because I dedicated a whole day to reading it and let the suspense build. You definitely have to like a little bit of magic and some ghosts in your books in order to enjoy all of this but I definitely enjoyed it and it is my second favourite of Carrie's novels.
November 15, 2020
EDIT: I initially gave this 2 stars due to finding it enjoyable-ish, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that the enjoyment I found was because of the idea of the plot and nothing else, which is not enough to give it as high a rating as 2 stars.
(TW: mentions of sexual assault and murder)
This book was so bad. The story is good, or at least had potential to be good, which is what made me find some enjoyment in reading it (hence the 2 stars), but that’s basically it.
The writing is so, so bad. Carrie switches PoV whenever she feels like it, confusing the reader. The motivations for each character are told almost instantly by the narrator, instead of having the reader find things out through dialogue as the characters get to know each other. The timeline is ... confusing? The first scene with Olive and Oscar doesn’t have a clear place in the timeline, and very very often I found myself thinking ”wait, isn’t it still the same day?” and then have to assume that it’s probably not.
The characters act extremely unnaturally, too. Their dialogues are filled with cool comebacks, perfect phrases, and politically correct statements that feel out of place. At more than one point in the book, extreme accidents occur (someone gets shot in the head, a lamp falls down on a cast member, or a character gets sexually assaulted and raped) and the characters deal with this in a super coherent way. They just seem intellectually on top of every situation and conversation at all times, even when someone’s brains are all over the floor.
The climax was so awkward I had trouble reading it.
The 1950s plotline was more interesting than the current-day one, but that was simply because it was a classic love story and not a 100+ pages long conversation between a girl who wants her relationship public and a boy who doesn’t. Olive and Oscar were both extremely annoying characters and their parts were so hard to get through.
Finally, one last thing: was Doug okay in the end? Did we find out? Did I miss it or was he just never mentioned again? Who knows.
(TW: mentions of sexual assault and murder)
This book was so bad. The story is good, or at least had potential to be good, which is what made me find some enjoyment in reading it (hence the 2 stars), but that’s basically it.
The writing is so, so bad. Carrie switches PoV whenever she feels like it, confusing the reader. The motivations for each character are told almost instantly by the narrator, instead of having the reader find things out through dialogue as the characters get to know each other. The timeline is ... confusing? The first scene with Olive and Oscar doesn’t have a clear place in the timeline, and very very often I found myself thinking ”wait, isn’t it still the same day?” and then have to assume that it’s probably not.
The characters act extremely unnaturally, too. Their dialogues are filled with cool comebacks, perfect phrases, and politically correct statements that feel out of place. At more than one point in the book, extreme accidents occur (someone gets shot in the head, a lamp falls down on a cast member, or a character gets sexually assaulted and raped) and the characters deal with this in a super coherent way. They just seem intellectually on top of every situation and conversation at all times, even when someone’s brains are all over the floor.
The climax was so awkward I had trouble reading it.
The 1950s plotline was more interesting than the current-day one, but that was simply because it was a classic love story and not a 100+ pages long conversation between a girl who wants her relationship public and a boy who doesn’t. Olive and Oscar were both extremely annoying characters and their parts were so hard to get through.
Finally, one last thing: was Doug okay in the end? Did we find out? Did I miss it or was he just never mentioned again? Who knows.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2018
This was just an enchanting, magical, romantic read all set within the gorgeous setting of a theatre.
Despite starting off quite slow, I ended up become hooked on When The Curtain Falls. I fell in love with the characters and I felt like I bonded with most of them almost instantly. Fawn and Walter and Olive and Oscar were all incredibly interesting and reading about their lives was just outstanding.
The time jump from 1950's to the present day was one of the things that kept me gripped. Having a jump in time within books almost always has me intrigued and this was no exception. As someone who has a great interest in the decade of 1950's I must admit I loved these chapters more.
Carrie's knowledge and experiences of working within a theatre definitely show through each page and you could tell how much passion was behind the writing. I feel that this is the book that she will be most passionate about. I also felt like the two female leads had a basis of Carrie behind them which is always good.
Overall, When The Curtain Falls was a spellbinding read that had me captivated. This is Carrie's third fiction novel and she just keeps getting better and better. I am excited to see what she writes next.
Despite starting off quite slow, I ended up become hooked on When The Curtain Falls. I fell in love with the characters and I felt like I bonded with most of them almost instantly. Fawn and Walter and Olive and Oscar were all incredibly interesting and reading about their lives was just outstanding.
The time jump from 1950's to the present day was one of the things that kept me gripped. Having a jump in time within books almost always has me intrigued and this was no exception. As someone who has a great interest in the decade of 1950's I must admit I loved these chapters more.
Carrie's knowledge and experiences of working within a theatre definitely show through each page and you could tell how much passion was behind the writing. I feel that this is the book that she will be most passionate about. I also felt like the two female leads had a basis of Carrie behind them which is always good.
Overall, When The Curtain Falls was a spellbinding read that had me captivated. This is Carrie's third fiction novel and she just keeps getting better and better. I am excited to see what she writes next.
August 8, 2018
I did finish it but not without skimming bits. It didn't really bode well when the second sentence had a typo but I pushed on. Maybe it just wasn't a book for me but I've read similar things that are actually really well written and enjoyed them. I think its possible that the author has good ideas but probably not enough time to flesh them out properly while also preforming in 8 shows a week as well as any other concerts and rehearsals. I wish her good luck but I wont be duped into reading another book.
July 18, 2018
Lacklustre and trivial.
dnf
March 24, 2019DNF at 137 pages. I just cannot for the life of me get through this one. I wanted to get to the part in the past so bad but I cannot do it. Every time I think I CAN make it, something else that's really fucking irritating happens.
I don't even know where to being with explaining everything that annoyed me about this one. Is it the fact that it's trying super hard to be woke but it just slaps you in the face with it in a very non-pleasant way? And this comes from someone that is a self-proclaimed SJW. I've read a bunch of really good books that talked about the bad sides of social media, especially for women in the public eye, but this was just.. so not well done. At all.
And it just yells "Hi, I'm Carrie, THIS IS A PSA with my issues and insecurities packed into a fiction book." Olive and her thoughts are SO CLOSE to Carrie herself and on top of that is the whole falling in love with your co-star storyline.. it's really uncomfortable because if you know Carrie just a little bit you really can't help but wonder which other parts of this story are inspired by her life. It feels intrusive in a really fucked up way.
Generally Olive is one of the most annoying character I've ever had to read about, the conflicts she has with Oscar are not out of nowhere but it is literally the same back and forth all the time. Like he made things clear from the beginning but you keep being like "no I can't do this" and then you get back together but then you're upset again about him acting exactly like he said he was gonna act? Uuuuuugh that is so frustrating to read about.
So yeah.. I'm sad to say that this is probably the last book I'll be picking up by Carrie. When I read her Fiction debut back in 2016 I truly loved it. I don't really know what happened but I don't vibe with her other books AT ALL and really don't wanna spend any more time, however cool her ideas might be.
I don't even know where to being with explaining everything that annoyed me about this one. Is it the fact that it's trying super hard to be woke but it just slaps you in the face with it in a very non-pleasant way? And this comes from someone that is a self-proclaimed SJW. I've read a bunch of really good books that talked about the bad sides of social media, especially for women in the public eye, but this was just.. so not well done. At all.
And it just yells "Hi, I'm Carrie, THIS IS A PSA with my issues and insecurities packed into a fiction book." Olive and her thoughts are SO CLOSE to Carrie herself and on top of that is the whole falling in love with your co-star storyline.. it's really uncomfortable because if you know Carrie just a little bit you really can't help but wonder which other parts of this story are inspired by her life. It feels intrusive in a really fucked up way.
Generally Olive is one of the most annoying character I've ever had to read about, the conflicts she has with Oscar are not out of nowhere but it is literally the same back and forth all the time. Like he made things clear from the beginning but you keep being like "no I can't do this" and then you get back together but then you're upset again about him acting exactly like he said he was gonna act? Uuuuuugh that is so frustrating to read about.
So yeah.. I'm sad to say that this is probably the last book I'll be picking up by Carrie. When I read her Fiction debut back in 2016 I truly loved it. I don't really know what happened but I don't vibe with her other books AT ALL and really don't wanna spend any more time, however cool her ideas might be.
December 10, 2018
I wanted to give Carrie's books a try because I really love and respect her and everything she does, from her YT channel to her shows (saw her in Les Misérables a few years ago, she was amazing!).
But I'm afraid this book was not for me. I found it predictable and cliché. It was like a bad mix of Phantom of the Opera and Moulin Rouge (which I both love to death).
But you can really feel all the love she has for theater and its people, and you can definitely tell how kind and generous she is through her words.
But I'm afraid this book was not for me. I found it predictable and cliché. It was like a bad mix of Phantom of the Opera and Moulin Rouge (which I both love to death).
But you can really feel all the love she has for theater and its people, and you can definitely tell how kind and generous she is through her words.
May 26, 2021
The only thing I enjoyed about this story were the flashbacks to Walter and Fawn during their time performing the show. I can't stress enough how much better I would have enjoyed this if it was solely about them, and if the main character and her "romance" wasn't in it. So, fair warning... From here it's going to be a rant review.
This isn't good writing. The plot seemed like an afterthought, just thrown in there at the last minute, and the characters were so surface level it was hard to drum up any interest in them. Over the course of my reading life I've learned that characters are integral to my enjoyment of a story. I can forgive a weak plot and subpar setting if I like the characters. Unfortunately I didn't get along with the main character in this book and I didn't have a good time reading it.
The author portrays Olive (the main character) as the "nice girl" type who is always kind, never gossips, and is always professional; but her constant baiting of Oscar due to the multitude of her insecurities is borderline gaslighting and completely offsets the nice girl persona. It's passed off as teasing, but nothing would make me distance myself from a person more than having my words constantly twisted out of context. Her entire personality seemed based off of her insecurities/anxieties and her behaviour genuinely baffled me. For instance, Oscar is a celebrity, a year out from a very public break-up with his fiancé, and wants to keep it quiet that he's dating someone new to avoid a media frenzy. He explained all of this to Olive and they both agree to some no-pressure dating. A very mature arrangement, until Olive gets crazy attached and entitled after only one month (which equals two chapters in the book). Shortly after that the press get a whiff of them dating and he immediately calls his agent in an effort to stop it spiralling out of control, and she breaks up with him for still trying to keep "them" quiet (though they were never really in a relationship so???). She then proceeds to go into an emotional breakdown when she later spots Oscar kissing another girl when he's drunk off his face. I really struggled to sympathise with her in any kind of way. It was all a bit much. Drama for the sake of drama except there wasn't any foundation for the drama. And then at the end when Walter and Fawn tell Oscar to get his shit together... I wanted to throw the book.
I'm rating this 2.5 because I managed to finish it (even though it almost took an entire month to read) and because I really did enjoy Walter and Fawns thread of story.
This isn't good writing. The plot seemed like an afterthought, just thrown in there at the last minute, and the characters were so surface level it was hard to drum up any interest in them. Over the course of my reading life I've learned that characters are integral to my enjoyment of a story. I can forgive a weak plot and subpar setting if I like the characters. Unfortunately I didn't get along with the main character in this book and I didn't have a good time reading it.
The author portrays Olive (the main character) as the "nice girl" type who is always kind, never gossips, and is always professional; but her constant baiting of Oscar due to the multitude of her insecurities is borderline gaslighting and completely offsets the nice girl persona. It's passed off as teasing, but nothing would make me distance myself from a person more than having my words constantly twisted out of context. Her entire personality seemed based off of her insecurities/anxieties and her behaviour genuinely baffled me. For instance, Oscar is a celebrity, a year out from a very public break-up with his fiancé, and wants to keep it quiet that he's dating someone new to avoid a media frenzy. He explained all of this to Olive and they both agree to some no-pressure dating. A very mature arrangement, until Olive gets crazy attached and entitled after only one month (which equals two chapters in the book). Shortly after that the press get a whiff of them dating and he immediately calls his agent in an effort to stop it spiralling out of control, and she breaks up with him for still trying to keep "them" quiet (though they were never really in a relationship so???). She then proceeds to go into an emotional breakdown when she later spots Oscar kissing another girl when he's drunk off his face. I really struggled to sympathise with her in any kind of way. It was all a bit much. Drama for the sake of drama except there wasn't any foundation for the drama. And then at the end when Walter and Fawn tell Oscar to get his shit together... I wanted to throw the book.
I'm rating this 2.5 because I managed to finish it (even though it almost took an entire month to read) and because I really did enjoy Walter and Fawns thread of story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2021
Not at all my usual genre, but I did really enjoy this one! Not at all a theatre or romance person, but the writing style worked for me in this one. Definitely recommend!
December 14, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, enough that I finished it in a day, that’s unheard of for me! However despite my enjoyment of the plot the character development stopped this book from getting a higher rating. Carrie managed to capture the magic of the theatre and the legends of theatre ghosts so well! I wish, however, her characters weren’t subject to insta-love because that draws me out of the story. I think two of the characters fell in love after a week! Despite that it was a quick, fun, enjoyable, almost fairytale like read!
April 6, 2020
(1.5*) lowkey strange to write and publish fanfiction about yourself, not gonna lie.
I recommend this book if you like:
-narcissistic authors who completely base the character off themselves and make everyone love them despite the characters actions actually making them a bit of a bitch
-bland love interests
-one-dimensional villains - like I cannot express how little depth they had
-attempts at lesser antagonists being slightly two-dimensional but not giving them any real motivation so it's just confusing
-forgettable friend side characters
-dull relationship that everyone is rooting for despite the fact the main characters have no chemistry
-a slightly less dull but still insta-love relationship that is not at all developed properly
-the author's own snobby, entitled views being very clearly pushed onto the reader
-a book written by someone who's never heard the phrase "show, don't tell"
-an incomplete plot with an unsatisfactory resolution
-rape being used for shock value and just generally handled badly
book gets 1.5* cause it was quick read and Walter was kinda sweet
I recommend this book if you like:
-narcissistic authors who completely base the character off themselves and make everyone love them despite the characters actions actually making them a bit of a bitch
-bland love interests
-one-dimensional villains - like I cannot express how little depth they had
-attempts at lesser antagonists being slightly two-dimensional but not giving them any real motivation so it's just confusing
-forgettable friend side characters
-dull relationship that everyone is rooting for despite the fact the main characters have no chemistry
-a slightly less dull but still insta-love relationship that is not at all developed properly
-the author's own snobby, entitled views being very clearly pushed onto the reader
-a book written by someone who's never heard the phrase "show, don't tell"
-an incomplete plot with an unsatisfactory resolution
-rape being used for shock value and just generally handled badly
book gets 1.5* cause it was quick read and Walter was kinda sweet
July 8, 2018
Ive seen Carrie in numerous shows and always love her however this is the first book by her that I’ve read.
I will be definitely reading the rest.
This book is 2 loves stories in one book which link together fabulously and flows so well. It also has a ghost story (which I normally don’t read either) which made the story so interesting and very clever.
Set in a West End theatre a little like phantom.
Loved it. It’s well written and just lovely.
Not the sort of book I would normally pick however I do not regret it.
Read it you will not be disappointed
I will be definitely reading the rest.
This book is 2 loves stories in one book which link together fabulously and flows so well. It also has a ghost story (which I normally don’t read either) which made the story so interesting and very clever.
Set in a West End theatre a little like phantom.
Loved it. It’s well written and just lovely.
Not the sort of book I would normally pick however I do not regret it.
Read it you will not be disappointed
July 25, 2018
I debated whether to give 4 or 5 stars, but at the end of the day all of my requirements for a fantastic book were achieved: I was hooked, I was invested, and I believed it.
There truly is an element of magic to Carrie’s writing that sweeps you up into the story, and by the end my heart was pounding. I got chills at the Big Reveal - the kind that make your heart go cold - and while the beginning was strong, it got stronger as it went on. I think it’s the strongest of all of her books so far, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!
There truly is an element of magic to Carrie’s writing that sweeps you up into the story, and by the end my heart was pounding. I got chills at the Big Reveal - the kind that make your heart go cold - and while the beginning was strong, it got stronger as it went on. I think it’s the strongest of all of her books so far, and I can’t wait to see what she writes next!
August 6, 2018
This is written across two eras, concentrating on two sets of people. While I adored Walter and Fawns story and could have read a whole book on just them and no doubt would have given it 5 starts, Olive and Oscar set in modern times really fell short for me. Seemed to go round in circles and I found myself speed reading their chapters to get to the end. Weak story line, unfortunately just a weak read full stop.
A very disappointing read and I would think twice before going back to this author now.
A very disappointing read and I would think twice before going back to this author now.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 13, 2018
I really enjoyed this book! It was a very easy read and a quick page turner as i wanted to keep reading just to find out what happened!
I fell in love with Walter and Fawn, but for some reason didn't feel quite the same connection with Oscar and Olive, which surprised me, but i think its more down to personal preference- some of their actions and how they were both so insecure just frustrated me.
But i really enjoyed the book and would definietly reccommend!
I fell in love with Walter and Fawn, but for some reason didn't feel quite the same connection with Oscar and Olive, which surprised me, but i think its more down to personal preference- some of their actions and how they were both so insecure just frustrated me.
But i really enjoyed the book and would definietly reccommend!
August 5, 2018
I think this is Carrie's best work so far. While the first half seems kind of light-hearted and a little bit superficial almost, the second half had me gasping constantly and turning the page as quickly as I could. I absorbed every bit of the story so much because I found it super intriguing and interesting. Her writing is beautiful as well.
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