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Kismet
Black Mirror meets Bridget Jones in this whip-smart debut set in a world where the ultimate matchmaking app has redefined romance.
Twenty-nine-year-old Anna is smart, vivacious, and in the midst of a complete existential meltdown. Sure, from the outside everything in her life seems to be going just She has a decent job, a devoted BFF, and a lovely boyfriend named Pete with whom she is exactly 70% compatible, according to Kismet, the matchmaking app that everyone in Anna's world uses to find love.
Still . . . isn't there supposed to be more to life than this? Should she settle for a secure and predictable existence with Pete, or risk everything for a life of passion and adventure?
With true adulthood (the dreaded thirty) just weeks away, Anna secretly re-joins Kismet, and soon encounters Geoff, a dashing, forty-something journalist with whom she has a shockingly high compatibility score of 81. How can she not at least see where this goes . . . ? A funny and propulsive love story for our over-networked age, Kismet challenges us to take stock of how technology shapes our desires and what it means to "settle."
Twenty-nine-year-old Anna is smart, vivacious, and in the midst of a complete existential meltdown. Sure, from the outside everything in her life seems to be going just She has a decent job, a devoted BFF, and a lovely boyfriend named Pete with whom she is exactly 70% compatible, according to Kismet, the matchmaking app that everyone in Anna's world uses to find love.
Still . . . isn't there supposed to be more to life than this? Should she settle for a secure and predictable existence with Pete, or risk everything for a life of passion and adventure?
With true adulthood (the dreaded thirty) just weeks away, Anna secretly re-joins Kismet, and soon encounters Geoff, a dashing, forty-something journalist with whom she has a shockingly high compatibility score of 81. How can she not at least see where this goes . . . ? A funny and propulsive love story for our over-networked age, Kismet challenges us to take stock of how technology shapes our desires and what it means to "settle."
400 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2018
34 people are currently reading
2150 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 155 reviews
October 15, 2018
Meh. All of the characters were pretty annoying, especially the main character. She was such an idiot, and deserved every crap thing that happened to her. Then, the author got lazy and just ended up the book with nothing resolved. The best part was reading about the delicious food her boyfriend made for her. He deserved someone better. Like her best friend. There were “feelings.” It was confusing.
Pair with: a nice bottle of wine. Take a drink every time Anna does something dumb. Probably better make that two bottles of wine.
Pair with: a nice bottle of wine. Take a drink every time Anna does something dumb. Probably better make that two bottles of wine.
January 27, 2021
Imam svašta da kažem, verovatno će zvučati messy. 🙈 Faber & Faber je izdavač kome verujem i nekako nikad ne pogrešim sa njima. Koliko me je glavna junakinja nervirala, četvorka je previsoka ocena. Ali.
Uzeću u obzir da je muškarac pisao o ženi i mislim da su Anine loše odluke većim delom odatle potekle. Postojala su mesta na kojima sam se skroz razumela sa njom, a to ćemo pripisati tome da smo obe anksiozni milenijalci. Kada ostavimo po strani generacijske sličnosti, glavna junakinja je moja sušta suprotnost. Ona želi da se dokaže na poslu i kada konačno dobije važan projekat i priliku za unapređenje šta radi? Pa, baš i ne radi. Misli da ima dovoljno vremena, ostaje do tri ujutru u barovima, kasni uvek i svuda, ne može da se koncentriše zato što je opsednuta dejting aplikacijom, ide na pauze za ručak koje potraju dva sata, šetka se, šopinguje. Ovim je izazvala kod mene samo takav stres. Prioriteti, sestro.
Zašto onda četvorka? Znam da sam kontradiktorna, ali Tredget se dobro pozabavio društvenim pitanjima modernog doba i problemom usamljenosti. On kritikuje mlade ljude koji veruju Kismetu, dejting aplikaciji koja ih spaja sa ljudima koji su im slični tako što prati njihove aktivnosti na društvenim mrežama i raznim sajtovima. Upozorava nas da previše počinjemo da verujemo algoritmima i da se prelako prepuštamo brojevima i dopuštamo da nam formiraju svest i odlučuju umesto nas. A ja sam pored svega toga ipak poželela da je Kismet stvaran.
Dalje, sviđa mi se njegov stil pisanja, stvarno ima dobre ideje i ume lepo da spakuje svoja razmišljanja. I na čemu sam mu posebno zahvalna - vratio me je u London opisima ulica, detaljnim rutama i metro stanicama. Bila sam u autobusu sa Anom i tačno sam videla zgrade pored kojih prolazi. Grad se izdvaja kao zaseban lik. A ostali likovi? Zapravo su podjednako iritantni kao Ana. Najviše mi se dopao lik kog je autor okarakterisao kao negativnog i pomoću kog je želeo da naglasi da Ana ima daddy issues. Plašila sam se kraja zato što sam znala da mi se neće svideti. Znala sam da će Ana doneti još jednu glupu odluku. Ili možda samo da se zahvalim autoru jer ga je očigledno mrzelo da se pred kraj pozabavi smislenim raspletom i odjednom se setio da Ana kao ima moralni kompas, šta li.
Uzeću u obzir da je muškarac pisao o ženi i mislim da su Anine loše odluke većim delom odatle potekle. Postojala su mesta na kojima sam se skroz razumela sa njom, a to ćemo pripisati tome da smo obe anksiozni milenijalci. Kada ostavimo po strani generacijske sličnosti, glavna junakinja je moja sušta suprotnost. Ona želi da se dokaže na poslu i kada konačno dobije važan projekat i priliku za unapređenje šta radi? Pa, baš i ne radi. Misli da ima dovoljno vremena, ostaje do tri ujutru u barovima, kasni uvek i svuda, ne može da se koncentriše zato što je opsednuta dejting aplikacijom, ide na pauze za ručak koje potraju dva sata, šetka se, šopinguje. Ovim je izazvala kod mene samo takav stres. Prioriteti, sestro.
Zašto onda četvorka? Znam da sam kontradiktorna, ali Tredget se dobro pozabavio društvenim pitanjima modernog doba i problemom usamljenosti. On kritikuje mlade ljude koji veruju Kismetu, dejting aplikaciji koja ih spaja sa ljudima koji su im slični tako što prati njihove aktivnosti na društvenim mrežama i raznim sajtovima. Upozorava nas da previše počinjemo da verujemo algoritmima i da se prelako prepuštamo brojevima i dopuštamo da nam formiraju svest i odlučuju umesto nas. A ja sam pored svega toga ipak poželela da je Kismet stvaran.
Dalje, sviđa mi se njegov stil pisanja, stvarno ima dobre ideje i ume lepo da spakuje svoja razmišljanja. I na čemu sam mu posebno zahvalna - vratio me je u London opisima ulica, detaljnim rutama i metro stanicama. Bila sam u autobusu sa Anom i tačno sam videla zgrade pored kojih prolazi. Grad se izdvaja kao zaseban lik. A ostali likovi? Zapravo su podjednako iritantni kao Ana. Najviše mi se dopao lik kog je autor okarakterisao kao negativnog i pomoću kog je želeo da naglasi da Ana ima daddy issues. Plašila sam se kraja zato što sam znala da mi se neće svideti. Znala sam da će Ana doneti još jednu glupu odluku. Ili možda samo da se zahvalim autoru jer ga je očigledno mrzelo da se pred kraj pozabavi smislenim raspletom i odjednom se setio da Ana kao ima moralni kompas, šta li.
June 26, 2018
There’s something so profoundly reductive and indolent about describing something using a combination of two other semi similar things such as Kismet is a Black Mirror meets Bridget Jones. No, it really isn’t. First off, one probably shouldn’t use two far superior modern cultural pop classics for fear of unflattering comparisons. Secondly, just because the novel features a dating app and a young woman’s messy lovelife of being torn between two suitors doesn’t mean it has to be aggressively hyped up as something it may not be. Why not be its own thing. Be Kismet. Kismet is actually a pretty decent story, a surprisingly readable and compelling one, despite being essentially a romance for millennials…a subject and a generation really difficult to like or care about. It isn’t Black Mirroresque, because it isn’t as stunningly clever and it isn’t Bridget Jones because it isn’t nearly or at all funny. What it is is a story of a confused 30 year old whose brain is addled by being on the latest all encompassing dating app Kismet, which analyzes your entire life and then offers you potential matches rated by compatibility (1 to 100). She’s in a nice relationship with a 70, but then meets an 81 and all bets are off. Suddenly there are choices to make, entirely too many choices. The story itself was fairly average, but the app aspect elevated it and provided a nice dark note and even a plot twist. So maybe Black Mirror than Bridget Jones after all, the sociopsychological ramifications of technology on the very fabric of society seems to make for a more interesting subject than indecisive young women’s love affairs. This is a timely reflection of the modern dating world, the future or romance and choices adulthood brings. And a nicely written one too. Thanks Netgalley.
August 29, 2018
This one was...meh. It was almost a DNF for me about halfway through. I am glad I stuck with it, because the second half was much better than the first half (admittedly, however, a very low bar). The main character is pretty terrible, and for about half of the book I couldn't keep Ingrid and Zahra straight, due to poor character development. I did, however, like the idea of the Kismet dating app and the author's point about being hung up on an arbitrary number simply because it was generated by an algorithm. Towards the end, we also learned a lot about the main character that made her far more likeable. I think the novel would have benefitted from some restructuring. I spent most of the book thinking the protagonist was a self-sabotaging dumb bitch, only to find out she is in fact a woman turning 30 who has a bit of a wild streak that she's denying because she feels like she needs to be sensible and make sensible choices in her life. It made her far more sympathetic and interesting, and I would have enjoyed the story far more if I had learned that earlier in the novel.
I can't say I'd recommend it, but I didn't hate it (well, I didn't hate the second half). Three stars.
I can't say I'd recommend it, but I didn't hate it (well, I didn't hate the second half). Three stars.
May 22, 2018
Not really into “love stories” to be honest but I liked the idea of Kismet, seems it might not be all about the romance and I was right – this is a journey of discovery for our main protagonist Anna, utterly compelling throughout.
I related to Anna on many levels and that made this a bit of a page turner for me. Stuck in a seeming rut, not really on a level with her friends and in a relationship she may not be as invested in as her partner is, she downloads “Kismet” a dating app that matches you on almost everything. Her current love it seems may not be “the one” who is lurking around the corner and as Anna reassesses everything in her life it is genuinely completely riveting.
This is a very modern tale encompassing many thought provoking themes, Luke Tredget writes with an insightful eye and an absorbing prose that just immerses you into Anna’s world. I loved the technology theme – find your perfect partner with a download – and how the story then proceeded to change perceptions and look at life with all it’s ups and downs.
Yes very good indeed. A read in one sitting pray for a happy ending novel that I would happily recommend to anyone.
I related to Anna on many levels and that made this a bit of a page turner for me. Stuck in a seeming rut, not really on a level with her friends and in a relationship she may not be as invested in as her partner is, she downloads “Kismet” a dating app that matches you on almost everything. Her current love it seems may not be “the one” who is lurking around the corner and as Anna reassesses everything in her life it is genuinely completely riveting.
This is a very modern tale encompassing many thought provoking themes, Luke Tredget writes with an insightful eye and an absorbing prose that just immerses you into Anna’s world. I loved the technology theme – find your perfect partner with a download – and how the story then proceeded to change perceptions and look at life with all it’s ups and downs.
Yes very good indeed. A read in one sitting pray for a happy ending novel that I would happily recommend to anyone.
June 7, 2018
I liked the idea behind the book and how you’d become focused on ‘the number’ of your match with someone. It links well with things like FOMO and the apparent restlessness we millennials suffer from. The step from Tinder to Kismet is a small one to make.
However, I thought the main character wasn’t written well and her development felt unrealistic and only half-finished. Some of her rather important, and, I felt, damaging behaviour from the first half of the book were not addressed again, not even around the time of the resolution. Some of the important things she struggled with all magically vanished when the story needed an ending.
I flew through most of this book, because I wanted to know if she’d really make the choices she seemed to want to make, so in that sense, it was a book that grabbed me. But I wanted it to be grittier, fleshed our more. It could’ve been so much more in terms of commentary on our culture, and the main character definitely deserved a better, more realistic character development.
However, I thought the main character wasn’t written well and her development felt unrealistic and only half-finished. Some of her rather important, and, I felt, damaging behaviour from the first half of the book were not addressed again, not even around the time of the resolution. Some of the important things she struggled with all magically vanished when the story needed an ending.
I flew through most of this book, because I wanted to know if she’d really make the choices she seemed to want to make, so in that sense, it was a book that grabbed me. But I wanted it to be grittier, fleshed our more. It could’ve been so much more in terms of commentary on our culture, and the main character definitely deserved a better, more realistic character development.
did-not-finish
December 17, 2018Ugh. Chose not to continue after about a hundred pages.
I found the main character to be very annoying.
She's given a major assignment at work. So what does she do? Not work very hard and then worry about the consequences. And goes for walks instead of going to work.
This was actually starting to stress me out!
Then relationship-wise: just live with one guy and string him along while looking for something better.
Really?!?
Am I supposed to like this girl?
I didn't.
Goodbye.
I found the main character to be very annoying.
She's given a major assignment at work. So what does she do? Not work very hard and then worry about the consequences. And goes for walks instead of going to work.
This was actually starting to stress me out!
Then relationship-wise: just live with one guy and string him along while looking for something better.
Really?!?
Am I supposed to like this girl?
I didn't.
Goodbye.
August 21, 2018
Note: I won a prerelease copy of "Kismet" by Luke Tredget from goodreads.com.
I struggled through this book. In my opinion no paragraph should be two full pages long. The premiss was interesting, but I got bogged down by the detailed descriptions of self reflection by the main character. Even though the plot resolved, I felt the ending was anticlimactic.
I struggled through this book. In my opinion no paragraph should be two full pages long. The premiss was interesting, but I got bogged down by the detailed descriptions of self reflection by the main character. Even though the plot resolved, I felt the ending was anticlimactic.
March 6, 2021
***Contains SPOILERS***
This is a book that should have been DNF, but I continued reading in the hopes that the storyline, characters, and writing would improve. I was completely wrong! The idea of the book sounds contemporary and interesting, an app that can match you to the love of your life, and a main character who could find everything she has ever wanted. Sadly, the main character is vapid, selfish and immature from the outset. The downloading of the app is not a test, as much as a conscious decision she makes to be unfaithful to her boyfriend, because he is planning on proposing. The test is whether he really is the man for her, given that they had a low score when they originally met on Kismet. I would say the fact she had to download the app was the answer to her question. We may then have been saved 400 pages of her research.
The characters and storyline are badly developed. The popularity of the app is constantly highlighted by the fact Kismet is on a billboard or in the news. Other characters who could have had more depth are only there as an extension of Anna herself, everyone accommodates her needs, even when she turns up late to her *own* birthday party, knowing people are waiting for her at home.
The investigative story had potential, but ended abruptly, as did the storyline about the suitcase. The only real achievement we get from Anna is her 13 mile run at the end.
I also found it unfair of the author to include a real mental illness in the book, as an almost-excuse for Anna's selfish behaviour. People with depression, or those taking anti-depressants, do not use illness as an excuse, or a throwaway justification of their behaviour, but that is how Anna seems to use it. I felt the author was also trying to do this with the grief over Anna's dad - more exploration of this could have added so much to the story.
Overall, I am truly disappointed in this book. The writing is poor, the characters under-developed, and the storyline flimsy. It is definitely not the "smart romantic comedy" it is labelled as on the back cover.
Finally, I wonder, if this book had been about a man, consciously cheating on his long-term girlfriend who was about to propose, being irresponsible at work, dismissive of others' feelings, would it have been labelled as "a brilliant critique of our age" or "bright and funny"? I somehow doubt it.
This is a book that should have been DNF, but I continued reading in the hopes that the storyline, characters, and writing would improve. I was completely wrong! The idea of the book sounds contemporary and interesting, an app that can match you to the love of your life, and a main character who could find everything she has ever wanted. Sadly, the main character is vapid, selfish and immature from the outset. The downloading of the app is not a test, as much as a conscious decision she makes to be unfaithful to her boyfriend, because he is planning on proposing. The test is whether he really is the man for her, given that they had a low score when they originally met on Kismet. I would say the fact she had to download the app was the answer to her question. We may then have been saved 400 pages of her research.
The characters and storyline are badly developed. The popularity of the app is constantly highlighted by the fact Kismet is on a billboard or in the news. Other characters who could have had more depth are only there as an extension of Anna herself, everyone accommodates her needs, even when she turns up late to her *own* birthday party, knowing people are waiting for her at home.
The investigative story had potential, but ended abruptly, as did the storyline about the suitcase. The only real achievement we get from Anna is her 13 mile run at the end.
I also found it unfair of the author to include a real mental illness in the book, as an almost-excuse for Anna's selfish behaviour. People with depression, or those taking anti-depressants, do not use illness as an excuse, or a throwaway justification of their behaviour, but that is how Anna seems to use it. I felt the author was also trying to do this with the grief over Anna's dad - more exploration of this could have added so much to the story.
Overall, I am truly disappointed in this book. The writing is poor, the characters under-developed, and the storyline flimsy. It is definitely not the "smart romantic comedy" it is labelled as on the back cover.
Finally, I wonder, if this book had been about a man, consciously cheating on his long-term girlfriend who was about to propose, being irresponsible at work, dismissive of others' feelings, would it have been labelled as "a brilliant critique of our age" or "bright and funny"? I somehow doubt it.
June 9, 2018
This book was received from the publisher in return for an honest review
Anna seems to be in a pretty good place in life, she’s just about to turn 30, she’s handed an exciting opportunity at work, and she knows her boyfriend is about to ask THE question but Anna’s got some doubts, why? Her and Pete’s Kismet score is only a 70, below the national average, is that enough to settle down or is there someone else out there who is a better match?
Kismet came into my life at pretty much the perfect time, I turned 30 back in October, and while I’m currently very happily single that little voice is starting to whisper at the back of my mind, telling me I should start thinking about what I want from the future, do I want to settle down, and do I really want to delve into the world of internet dating and Tinder…
On the face of it Kismet sounds like a fantastic idea, it’s an app that compiles information about you based on the websites you visit, what you buy, the films you watch and then shows you your compatibility with other users you happen to be near, wouldn’t it be great to not have to sit through a dodgy date with someone you have nothing in common with! But then I starting thinking about it a little bit more as I followed Anna’s story through the book, if you’re looking at a number for validation and confirmation of your relationship where do you draw the line? Are you happy with a 70? a 75? Do you keep looking for an 80 or do you hold out for that illusive 90 or higher that might not, and probably doesn’t even exist, do you spend so long putting off life and settling down waiting for someone with that ideal number for you that by the time you realise you’re not going to find an 84 or whatever your chosen number happens to be it’s too late? Or if you’re already in a relationship would you take the retrospective test to see how compatible you are? If you don’t do you spend the rest of your days wondering if you’ve settled when there was someone better for you out there? And if you do what happens if you get a lower number than you expected? At what point do the happy times you’ve already spent together outweigh a low number? Do you throw away a year long relationship because you only score a 70? What if you’ve been happily with someone for five years and only score a 61? What carries more weight, experiences that you’ve had, or the potential (but no certainty) for more with someone else?
As you may be able to tell from all the above Kismet is a novel that really got me thinking about the world we live in, where more and more it feels like we’re experiencing life almost second hand, we sit and watch things through a screen as we film them on our phones, we go to lunch with friends and can’t help but pick up our phone every time it lights up to check what’s happening in the world rather than fully engaging with the person sitting opposite us, and I say this as someone completely obsessed with technology, I love my phone, and my tablet and my laptop and I’ve made some wonderful friends through blogging and the internet, but is an app that monitors you and then generates a score with a complete stranger a step too far, do we start relying on technology too much and do you miss out on THE ONE because an algorithm says you’re only 60% compatible and so you never bother to go over and start a conversation with them?
I’m not going to say too much about Anna’s journey through the story, I’ll leave you to discover it for yourself but I found it fascinating as she tried to balance where she was in life with where she thought she’d be, the things that she thought she would have achieved, and the life she thought she’d be living by the time she turned 30 compared to where she is. It’s probably fair to say that I had a wide variety of feelings when it came to Anna, at times I completely identified with her, at points I felt quite sorry for her and at others I just wanted to give her a shake and ask her what on earth she thought she was doing!
At just under 400 pages Kismet isn’t a short book but at no point did it feel as though the plot was dragging on, the plot was so well paced and the structure was fantastic, split into three parts each chapter focused on a particular day in Anna’s life as she counts down to her 30th birthday and then follows her in as she moves into her 31st year on the planet, I kept just wanting to read a day more, to see what she did next, and for me it reached a pretty satisfactory hopeful conclusion which shows there’s more to life than a number, especially a number generated by an arbitrary algorithm!
Would I Recommend?
Absolutely! Kismet is a fantastic debut with a really interesting and I think timely and thought provoking topic! Well worth picking up, I’m certainly intrigued as to what comes next for Anna, I shall be imagining it in my head and looking forward to whatever the next tale Luke has to tell may be.
Anna seems to be in a pretty good place in life, she’s just about to turn 30, she’s handed an exciting opportunity at work, and she knows her boyfriend is about to ask THE question but Anna’s got some doubts, why? Her and Pete’s Kismet score is only a 70, below the national average, is that enough to settle down or is there someone else out there who is a better match?
Kismet came into my life at pretty much the perfect time, I turned 30 back in October, and while I’m currently very happily single that little voice is starting to whisper at the back of my mind, telling me I should start thinking about what I want from the future, do I want to settle down, and do I really want to delve into the world of internet dating and Tinder…
On the face of it Kismet sounds like a fantastic idea, it’s an app that compiles information about you based on the websites you visit, what you buy, the films you watch and then shows you your compatibility with other users you happen to be near, wouldn’t it be great to not have to sit through a dodgy date with someone you have nothing in common with! But then I starting thinking about it a little bit more as I followed Anna’s story through the book, if you’re looking at a number for validation and confirmation of your relationship where do you draw the line? Are you happy with a 70? a 75? Do you keep looking for an 80 or do you hold out for that illusive 90 or higher that might not, and probably doesn’t even exist, do you spend so long putting off life and settling down waiting for someone with that ideal number for you that by the time you realise you’re not going to find an 84 or whatever your chosen number happens to be it’s too late? Or if you’re already in a relationship would you take the retrospective test to see how compatible you are? If you don’t do you spend the rest of your days wondering if you’ve settled when there was someone better for you out there? And if you do what happens if you get a lower number than you expected? At what point do the happy times you’ve already spent together outweigh a low number? Do you throw away a year long relationship because you only score a 70? What if you’ve been happily with someone for five years and only score a 61? What carries more weight, experiences that you’ve had, or the potential (but no certainty) for more with someone else?
As you may be able to tell from all the above Kismet is a novel that really got me thinking about the world we live in, where more and more it feels like we’re experiencing life almost second hand, we sit and watch things through a screen as we film them on our phones, we go to lunch with friends and can’t help but pick up our phone every time it lights up to check what’s happening in the world rather than fully engaging with the person sitting opposite us, and I say this as someone completely obsessed with technology, I love my phone, and my tablet and my laptop and I’ve made some wonderful friends through blogging and the internet, but is an app that monitors you and then generates a score with a complete stranger a step too far, do we start relying on technology too much and do you miss out on THE ONE because an algorithm says you’re only 60% compatible and so you never bother to go over and start a conversation with them?
I’m not going to say too much about Anna’s journey through the story, I’ll leave you to discover it for yourself but I found it fascinating as she tried to balance where she was in life with where she thought she’d be, the things that she thought she would have achieved, and the life she thought she’d be living by the time she turned 30 compared to where she is. It’s probably fair to say that I had a wide variety of feelings when it came to Anna, at times I completely identified with her, at points I felt quite sorry for her and at others I just wanted to give her a shake and ask her what on earth she thought she was doing!
At just under 400 pages Kismet isn’t a short book but at no point did it feel as though the plot was dragging on, the plot was so well paced and the structure was fantastic, split into three parts each chapter focused on a particular day in Anna’s life as she counts down to her 30th birthday and then follows her in as she moves into her 31st year on the planet, I kept just wanting to read a day more, to see what she did next, and for me it reached a pretty satisfactory hopeful conclusion which shows there’s more to life than a number, especially a number generated by an arbitrary algorithm!
Would I Recommend?
Absolutely! Kismet is a fantastic debut with a really interesting and I think timely and thought provoking topic! Well worth picking up, I’m certainly intrigued as to what comes next for Anna, I shall be imagining it in my head and looking forward to whatever the next tale Luke has to tell may be.
July 26, 2018
I really enjoyed this novel. It was interesting to think about how having an app that showed our compatibility with our partner would impact our lives.
LIKED: The plot, writing, and the story. It all worked together really well and was really interesting. i found myself thinking about this book every time I put it down. It's also a nod to the author's writing that she made me kind of dislike the main character while simultaneously hoping for the best.
DISLIKED: I wish we could have seen more interactions between Anna's best friend and her husband, or had more backstory there. Also I would have liked to dive into Anna's whole past a little more.
Overall I definitely recommend this novel, as the premise is very interesting and had me thinking a lot. There are a lot of good ideas posed in here, and the writing and everything is really good. I think this will sit with me for a while, and considering buying a copy for myself.
I won a galley in a giveaway for an unbiased review.
LIKED: The plot, writing, and the story. It all worked together really well and was really interesting. i found myself thinking about this book every time I put it down. It's also a nod to the author's writing that she made me kind of dislike the main character while simultaneously hoping for the best.
DISLIKED: I wish we could have seen more interactions between Anna's best friend and her husband, or had more backstory there. Also I would have liked to dive into Anna's whole past a little more.
Overall I definitely recommend this novel, as the premise is very interesting and had me thinking a lot. There are a lot of good ideas posed in here, and the writing and everything is really good. I think this will sit with me for a while, and considering buying a copy for myself.
I won a galley in a giveaway for an unbiased review.
December 22, 2020
Not a favorite, but led to a very interesting book club discussion!
December 26, 2020
Most nights - whether she is in the bath or lying on the sofa or merely sitting in the dark - she can close her eyes and imagine she is within a pitch-black chamber of music, the insistent beat and soaring chords of some minimal dance track opening up landscapes of emotion within her, whole rolling storm clouds of feelings.
March 9, 2021
yeesh. had higher hopes, honestly. was almost a dnf but i managed to push through. i hated all the characters, and i hated the plot. it got a little better in the second half but it was just bad, i wouldn’t recommend it.
August 17, 2020
Just. Super. Average.
February 16, 2022
I was a little disappointed on how this book ended. So much went into building up the story and then it was hurriedly wrapped up with little to no resolve
May 13, 2024
(Dnf) Couldn't get past how annoying the main character was - lame and one dimensional. Big eye roll from me.
September 10, 2019
The description of "Black Mirror meets Bridget Jones" is what initially captured my interest. Thankfully, the story was solid enough to hold my interest throughout.
It was an interesting premise to have a number dictate whether a relationship would be worth pursuing or keeping. That's the Black Mirror element of the story. It blended well with the Bridget Jones aspect, with Anna not liking her job, coming off as awkward most of the time, and questioning her relationship. Anna was relatable and I kept forgetting a man had written this novel, as she was written so well. I grew frustrated with her fixation on a number to determine if she and her boyfriend should be together. Especially when someone with a higher number came along to shake things up.
Some parts of the story felt slow, but it moved at a decent pace otherwise and kept me wondering what was going to happen. I didn't like that the characters talked about doing drugs. I didn't think that was a necessary element to mention every so often.
Kismet is "chick lit" with a somewhat surreal aspect, as I could potentially see online matchmaking going in this direction someday. Readers who are looking for something a bit different will enjoy this novel.
Movie (or TV series) casting ideas:
Anna: Mia Wasikowska
Pete: Taron Egerton
Geoff: Chris O'Dowd
Zahra: Jessica De Gouw
It was an interesting premise to have a number dictate whether a relationship would be worth pursuing or keeping. That's the Black Mirror element of the story. It blended well with the Bridget Jones aspect, with Anna not liking her job, coming off as awkward most of the time, and questioning her relationship. Anna was relatable and I kept forgetting a man had written this novel, as she was written so well. I grew frustrated with her fixation on a number to determine if she and her boyfriend should be together. Especially when someone with a higher number came along to shake things up.
Some parts of the story felt slow, but it moved at a decent pace otherwise and kept me wondering what was going to happen. I didn't like that the characters talked about doing drugs. I didn't think that was a necessary element to mention every so often.
Kismet is "chick lit" with a somewhat surreal aspect, as I could potentially see online matchmaking going in this direction someday. Readers who are looking for something a bit different will enjoy this novel.
Movie (or TV series) casting ideas:
Anna: Mia Wasikowska
Pete: Taron Egerton
Geoff: Chris O'Dowd
Zahra: Jessica De Gouw
February 5, 2021
At first, I didn’t like this book. Even though it’s written in third person, it has a first-person flair. Yet, there was a weird distance between the narrator and the protagonist, Anna. This made the storytelling jarring. The descriptions of Anna’s body odour and ‘the kernel’ when she is feeling sexually aroused are two examples that spring to mind. These word choices and sentences like it didn’t quite work, and I wasn’t able to pinpoint why. Was it because I have a chip on my shoulder about men writing women’s minds? Perhaps. But I warmed to it eventually. The second half improved with a tender detour into Anna’s vulnerability. It made her more relatable and in doing so filled the narrative with a drive the opening lacked.
I liked the concept of Kismet. The dating app that plays with the human mind, like life is a video game and love is a high score. Exploring validation and the societal pressure to have likes and lots of them, Kismet unpicks the ethics of algorithms and data in the modern world. This resonated with me in terms of Goodreads. Since lockdown, I have become consumed by finishing books for my reading challenge. Being obsessed with a number perhaps distracts from my reading experience. Similarly, Anna loses sight of who she is when she becomes obsessed with her high Kismet score and the events thereafter present her with possible routes back to realising herself.
This novel is for anyone who likes a simple, love story set in London. The sort of plot where you feel like something is going to happen, but you’re not sure what.
I liked the concept of Kismet. The dating app that plays with the human mind, like life is a video game and love is a high score. Exploring validation and the societal pressure to have likes and lots of them, Kismet unpicks the ethics of algorithms and data in the modern world. This resonated with me in terms of Goodreads. Since lockdown, I have become consumed by finishing books for my reading challenge. Being obsessed with a number perhaps distracts from my reading experience. Similarly, Anna loses sight of who she is when she becomes obsessed with her high Kismet score and the events thereafter present her with possible routes back to realising herself.
This novel is for anyone who likes a simple, love story set in London. The sort of plot where you feel like something is going to happen, but you’re not sure what.
July 1, 2021
This was actually a 3.5/5 for me, but I would rather round down than up!
Kismet is a new age romance novel following Anna, a 29 year old woman a week and a half off from her thirtieth birthday. The thought of this kicks off a ‘midlife’ crisis and she realises her life is not living up to being everything she dreamed. So she decides to download the dating app, Kismet, even though she’s in a long term relationship.
Although I can see why others may find it a tad slow or dislike the main character, I read the book in one go and did really enjoy the story! I personally think the main arc in the book is simply Anna’s mental stableness and properly coming to terms with what she wants from life - so no drastic character resolution, just a snippet into someone’s life.
I wouldn’t agree with hyping it up to be ‘black mirror meets Bridget Jones’ as the review from Evening Standard states. Yes, I can see why someone would say that, but I believe if you go in with expectations of how intricately written and beloved those two things are, you may be disappointed!
Kismet is a new age romance novel following Anna, a 29 year old woman a week and a half off from her thirtieth birthday. The thought of this kicks off a ‘midlife’ crisis and she realises her life is not living up to being everything she dreamed. So she decides to download the dating app, Kismet, even though she’s in a long term relationship.
Although I can see why others may find it a tad slow or dislike the main character, I read the book in one go and did really enjoy the story! I personally think the main arc in the book is simply Anna’s mental stableness and properly coming to terms with what she wants from life - so no drastic character resolution, just a snippet into someone’s life.
I wouldn’t agree with hyping it up to be ‘black mirror meets Bridget Jones’ as the review from Evening Standard states. Yes, I can see why someone would say that, but I believe if you go in with expectations of how intricately written and beloved those two things are, you may be disappointed!
September 2, 2019
What is kismet? KISSing someone you just MET because the chemistry and feelings of destiny are too strong? In this Black Mirror angle of sorts, everyone is given a score of how well they would get along (romantically) with another person, (un)surprisingly very similar to the Korean Netflix show, Love Alarm.
So what happens next? The protagonist, Anna, is getting along fine in life - slightly disgruntled with work and her relationship - and then she meets a very good match. An 81. The story sort of brings you around her sad-ish life, which I feel would be better shown in a Black Mirror episode in a book so while I liked the premise, the story didn't wow me. Still, it's pretty readable as chick lit. And the amusing part? - it's written by a dude.
So what happens next? The protagonist, Anna, is getting along fine in life - slightly disgruntled with work and her relationship - and then she meets a very good match. An 81. The story sort of brings you around her sad-ish life, which I feel would be better shown in a Black Mirror episode in a book so while I liked the premise, the story didn't wow me. Still, it's pretty readable as chick lit. And the amusing part? - it's written by a dude.
July 28, 2019
Coined for lovers of FLEABAG, I was really looking forward to diving into KISMET. I thought the premise was really exciting and while I found Anna relatable in some ways, I also found the book brutally realistic and pessimistic. What I loved about Tredget's writing was that he formulated a character that isn't entirely likeable yet I couldn't put the book down. It did feel like a bit of fresh air compared to more conventional romance novels and I'd definitely recommend for those looking for a different kind of love story.
April 27, 2020
This book was perfectly enjoyable and readable but was not a cross between black mirror / Bridget jones diary and lacked any dark humour which is implied by the cover which compared it to fleabag.
An enjoyable story about someone at a cross roads in life but not dark or funny
An enjoyable story about someone at a cross roads in life but not dark or funny
October 20, 2021
Well, Anna is certainly the hero of her own story and anyone else is of little interest to her, or, I suppose, the author. Nothing happened. She made stupid decision after stupid decision and the story achieved nothing. Hardly Black Mirror meets Bridget Jones. Hardly comparible to Fleabag. Boring.
February 6, 2022
This book is the equivalent of Pokemon go and eHarmony having a baby. I skimmed through half of the book... I don't think I missed much. The end.
January 1, 2021
(SEE END FOR TL;DR)
I may be biased as this isn't really the type of book I typically read. Now I can see why.
While this book wasn't awful by any stretch of the imagination, it was pretty much 'meh' throughout and I admit I skimmed certain sections out of boredom/a feeling of 'yeah, ok I get the point of this scene/conversation.'
While I am usually a big fan of unlikeable protagonists, Anna was just an absolute cow. Not only does she cheat on her boyfriend (which isn't excusable anyway, but especially not when your boyfriend is a sweetheart who hasn't done anything to fuck you up, Pete you deserve better. She's self absorbed and childish in thinking she is the only one with any worthy ambitions because she's not mature enough to catch up to the level fo the rest of her friends. You're not quirky for wanting to move to Greece, love. Essentially she is the human equivalent of H&M.
Geoff is my other sore point, character wise. Honestly he was such a shit the two of them deserve each other. His little spiel about drugs made me nearly cry with laughter. Not because it was witty or anything, it was just so cliche and pretentious and stuck up. What a prick.
The book also did not need to be nearly 400 pages. Like that French guy in the beginning? What the fuck happened to him? I suppose he was a way of demonstrating how Kismet works and maybe establish Anna's character a little but it went absolutely no where and again, felt like a waste of time and space. And a lot of waffling about Anna's little inventions or ideas really went absolutely nowhere for the amount of buildup it got.
However the book wasn't total garbage. The line about Pete's only ambition in life being to 'sit down' made me genuinely laugh and there were some semi-decent lines among all the beige. Also the twist in the end was excellent, I admit. I didn't see it coming and it was probably the highlight of the book for me. Fair play Luke, you got me on that one.
Anna's preoccupation with numbers and Geoff just proving that, was an interesting point however, once again, it felt a little like it just totally fell flat and could have been developed way more. Like I would have been more interested in that aspect of the novel and how illusions and perceptions can really effect our relationships with, and perceptions of, people. But the majority of it felt like a series of prepared situations and interactions just to advance plot and conflict.
Honestly this whole novel felt generally flaccid (speaking of; those sex scenes with Geoff felt weirdly graphic and visceral and generally uncomfortable for this kind of novel), and could have been cut down quite a bit and made into something possibly nifty. As it is...
TL;DR: The protagonist is a cow, this book is very, very average, probably best to skip over this one.
I may be biased as this isn't really the type of book I typically read. Now I can see why.
While this book wasn't awful by any stretch of the imagination, it was pretty much 'meh' throughout and I admit I skimmed certain sections out of boredom/a feeling of 'yeah, ok I get the point of this scene/conversation.'
While I am usually a big fan of unlikeable protagonists, Anna was just an absolute cow. Not only does she cheat on her boyfriend (which isn't excusable anyway, but especially not when your boyfriend is a sweetheart who hasn't done anything to fuck you up, Pete you deserve better. She's self absorbed and childish in thinking she is the only one with any worthy ambitions because she's not mature enough to catch up to the level fo the rest of her friends. You're not quirky for wanting to move to Greece, love. Essentially she is the human equivalent of H&M.
Geoff is my other sore point, character wise. Honestly he was such a shit the two of them deserve each other. His little spiel about drugs made me nearly cry with laughter. Not because it was witty or anything, it was just so cliche and pretentious and stuck up. What a prick.
The book also did not need to be nearly 400 pages. Like that French guy in the beginning? What the fuck happened to him? I suppose he was a way of demonstrating how Kismet works and maybe establish Anna's character a little but it went absolutely no where and again, felt like a waste of time and space. And a lot of waffling about Anna's little inventions or ideas really went absolutely nowhere for the amount of buildup it got.
However the book wasn't total garbage. The line about Pete's only ambition in life being to 'sit down' made me genuinely laugh and there were some semi-decent lines among all the beige. Also the twist in the end was excellent, I admit. I didn't see it coming and it was probably the highlight of the book for me. Fair play Luke, you got me on that one.
Anna's preoccupation with numbers and Geoff just proving that, was an interesting point however, once again, it felt a little like it just totally fell flat and could have been developed way more. Like I would have been more interested in that aspect of the novel and how illusions and perceptions can really effect our relationships with, and perceptions of, people. But the majority of it felt like a series of prepared situations and interactions just to advance plot and conflict.
Honestly this whole novel felt generally flaccid (speaking of; those sex scenes with Geoff felt weirdly graphic and visceral and generally uncomfortable for this kind of novel), and could have been cut down quite a bit and made into something possibly nifty. As it is...
TL;DR: The protagonist is a cow, this book is very, very average, probably best to skip over this one.
February 21, 2021
I initially picked up the book because of the black mirror comparison...I was willing to look passed all the cliches (white girl anna is a journalist who lives in London and wants to “find her voice” and discover her place in life by transitioning from celebrity pop articles to “real investigative journalism”, like we get it) pretty much believing that the whole of it was supposed to be a satirical take on modern day life and dating apps. But as I kept reading and realized that the protagonist wasn’t supposed to be ironic or funny and I was supposed to be rooting for her ??? Bruh no. She’s detestable. I hated her all the way through. A blurb on the back of the book said she’s “so lovable you won’t be able to stop reading” 🤮 nothing could be farther from the truth. The most interesting thing about this book was Raymond Chan. This is barely a 2 star to be honest. And I feel annoyed that I actually read it through when there’s so much great literature out there waiting to be consumed. This is gonna put me off of contemporary fiction for a while. What a waste of time. Nothing redeemable about it. Mediocre writing, not just poor characters but poor character development as well, and no lessons to be learned by anyone with more than half a brain. Skip it.
March 3, 2021
Such a great premise that I got pulled in. An app that shows your dating score which causes the main character to question her relationship and experience because of someone else's algorithm.
Unfortunately, the story never met the expectations of the idea.
The author created multiple interesting plot points that he never delivered on in any satisfying way (the authenticity of the algorithm for one).
The main character is exceptionally unlikeable, but not even in an interesting way. I was rooting against her almost from the beginning and never found anything redeemable to change my mind.
The other characters are forgettable, not fully formed.
And something that irked me as someone with depression: the author also tried to use "I have depression" as a justification for every selfish thing the main character does throughout the book. Nah.
I would say this book wasn't worth the money, but I got it at the dollar store so I guess it was. I flew through it because I kept expecting it was about to get good, but it never did.
I'm disappointed and sad by the missed opportunity. I would love to read a better version of this book.
Unfortunately, the story never met the expectations of the idea.
The author created multiple interesting plot points that he never delivered on in any satisfying way (the authenticity of the algorithm for one).
The main character is exceptionally unlikeable, but not even in an interesting way. I was rooting against her almost from the beginning and never found anything redeemable to change my mind.
The other characters are forgettable, not fully formed.
And something that irked me as someone with depression: the author also tried to use "I have depression" as a justification for every selfish thing the main character does throughout the book. Nah.
I would say this book wasn't worth the money, but I got it at the dollar store so I guess it was. I flew through it because I kept expecting it was about to get good, but it never did.
I'm disappointed and sad by the missed opportunity. I would love to read a better version of this book.
June 8, 2021
Promising start. Liked the style of writing and easy to follow but my interest didn’t last unfortunately. Might just be me but Anna the main character annoyed me too much. By the time the birthday chapter / saga arrived (around page 200) I couldn’t carry on.
Gutted as I don’t like quitting books part way through but it wasn’t for me.
Gutted as I don’t like quitting books part way through but it wasn’t for me.
September 17, 2018
Perhaps with a more skilled writer or someone with an eye for satire could have done well with it but everyone was frustratingly exhaustingly shallow and dull. I hardly saw Anna as "smart and vivacious" instead selfish and child-like for 29.
1..5 Stars
I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
1..5 Stars
I received a copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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