Buddy Reads discussion

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No spoiler tags required :)

I like how the friendship grow between Raymond and Eleanor. Twist I was surprise I did not notice that or it did not come into my mind. Honestly I was waiting the face to face confrontation of mummy and Eleanor. And I was hoping a Romance in the end...beautiful story good people deserved good friend....it’s about acceptance, friendship and forgiveness.

Yes, it was her fault thinking up all that fantasy, but that didn't mean that no one cared or no one will care, right? How can we expect anyone to be there when we don't talk to anyone? Thank God for Raymond.

She really took the whole musician thing too seriously, didn't she? I mean after years of solitude and loneliness, even a little chance that things can be different flares up a whole lot of hope. She must've been desperate enough to just grasp to the first person who fit any description, or showed any sign of being the one for her. She knows it now.

Counselling was the right way to go. She's never had a friend and people always got tired of taking care of her in foster homes so they called the agency, but now that she finally made a friend, she found that not all people are the time.

I hate her Mummy,. So Much. Glad to know she's scared too! Now the truth will finally be out.

And what did Eleanor mean by 'Us'? Who else was there during the incident and how come she didn't remember anything. Even when she called 911.

@Anne, me too! But I don't mind :)

Ok, so I read chapters 20-30 and found I had some difficulties with some of the details...:
(view spoiler)[
- I found the sudden realization that her crush was just an illusion, juvenile, with no chance of becoming a real relationship too sudden and abrupt, without a clear trigger. Our mind will do all and everything, even lying to us, creating illusions, to prevent a break down. Until a trigger makes it impossible to hold up the illusion. There was no such trigger. The musician not looking at her, not seeing her, isn't enough of a trigger imo. Eleanor's mind would be perfectly able to think up a reason for that, just as she had been doing all this time. A straightforward rejection for example would be much a much more plausible trigger or anything else that would feel like a slap in the face.
- The end of her session wasn't credible either. As Eleanor stated herself at the beginning of the next chapter: "How could she do it? How could one human being see another so obviously in pain, a pain she had deliberately drawn out and worried away at, an then push her out into the street and leave her to cope with it alone?" Even more when this human being is a therapist. You always make sure to have enough time at the end of a session to "tidy up" the emotions until the next session.
- How come Mummy doesn't mention not having spoken to Eleanor the Wednesday before (Eleanor was knocked out for 3 days after the gig)? Why didn't she ask about the 'project'? She doesn't yet know how it ended right? And even if she had (maybe Eleanor did pick up the phone the previous Wednesday and just doesn't remember it), why wouldn't she gloat a bit more about how stupid Eleanor has been and how no man will ever want her? (hide spoiler)]

I really do feel for Eleanor. We don't know the details yet, but (view spoiler)[hers must have been a horrible childhood... :
"'No one's mother would be happy to know their child was suffering.' I shrugged, and kept my eyes focused on the floor. 'You haven't met Mummy,' I said."
and
"Raymond hadn't phoned anyone or asked an outside agency to intervene. He'd elected to look after me himself. I'd been pondering this, and concluded that there must be some people for whom difficult behaviour wasn't a reason to end their relationship with you......This was something of a revelation." (hide spoiler)] :'(

Aqsa wrote: "Yes, it was her fault thinking up all that fantasy, but that didn't mean that no one cared or no one will care, right? How can we expect anyone to be there when we don't talk to anyone? Thank God f..."

I'm betting on a little sister she couldn't rescue perhaps?

No spoilers were required here Susy.

Yes I agree. There should've been sufficiemt trigger. I mean the singer never noticed her before and how could she expect him to notice her now? It was somewhat frustrating to me. I forgot to mention lol.

And the therapist too. Why did she throw her out? That was rude especially since she was trying to gain Eleanor's trust so that she could be open with her and doing so especially after their very first meeting was rather weird.

Aqsa wrote: "No spoilers were required here Susy."

Lol, I know but I'm used to marking spoilers and want to keep it that way. This way I don't have to think about it, it is just routine. I really hate spoilers so. And this way, even people who haven't finished chapter 30 can check in on the discussion.

Yes I agree. There should've been sufficiemt trigger. I mean the singer never noticed her before and how could she expect him to notice her now? It was somewhat frustrating to me. I forgot to mention lol.


And the therapist too. Why did she throw her out? That was rude especially since she was trying to gain Eleanor's trust so that she could be open with her and doing so especially after their very first meeting was rather weird. "

Imo either the author just didn't take the time, rushed things or hasn't enough knowledge about/didn't research on mental illnesses and therapy. I didn't find it rude as much as not believable that a (competent) therapist would let a client go right after letting all kinds of emotions out and not doing anything with them.

Perhaps :)

Wow, I feel like those 10 chapters had more emotions than the whole book

I'm intrigued to know what Eleanor's story will end with.
It's really sad how Eleanor came to decide that the musician would not be right for her. And yes she took this one-sided relationship way to serious and the poor girl had to figure it out that it wouldn't work the hard way.
That guy was a jerk anyways, those tweets he made makes me want to punch him out!

I love Raymond now, he's so caring and I guess he's getting used to Eleanor's conversations, how's she blunt and straight to the point. I love that he is her friend, even if she is a little odd. He treats her like a person, unlike her work colleagues

And yes I hate her mother so much! She's so rude, who would ever want to inflict pain to their own children!!

When Eleanor said, "Please don't hurt us" I thought she was talking about herself and the counsellor, since it's only them two in the room with the mother, I don't know, but it could be a relative or even a friend ?

Really need to know how this will end!