Erin McRae

[I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review]

4.5 stars

Sometimes there are books I have a lot of expectations about but ultimately fail them, other times instead there are books that surprise me in the most positive way..."Starling" definitely belong to the second category!

I really liked this story: it felt -while set in a world known for its half-truths and lies and obviously very distant to my own- so realistic and down to heart. As it was pointed out by another reviewer, more than a love-story "Starling" is a life-story.
Both Paul and Alex have their flaws and their secrets and both have a difficult time sharing their past with each other. They are quite different in some ways and not so much in others, and obviously that turns to be both a good and a bad thing at once. In many occasions they are afraid of saying or reveal too much and too soon and so they make mistakes and make each other suffer. All of this but also (maybe mostly) those moments when they're apart and find comfort in someone else while still not letting go of each other, make this two fictional characters so very real to me and make reading their story such a bittersweet experience.

In the very beginning both Paul and Alex voices were quite impersonal and as a reader I felt detached to them; but now, thinking about it, I feel like it makes sense and fits the story and its realism quite well: after all that's exactly the way it feels meeting someone for the first time!

The only criticism I feel to do is the following: I'd have liked to find out more about Paul's and Alex's past (bad) experiences since they were mentioned and implied more than once..I hope to have the chance in book 2

At last, I'd like to thank again the authors for the opportunity to read this book for free and I hope they appreciate my honest review.



… (mais)

This was pretty good, particularly in its approach to communication. This isn't one of those books where all of the problems stem from a couple failing to talk to each other - sometimes just talking isn't sufficient.

However, I don't love the way Katie seems to be The Problem in the relationship - her anxiety, her superstition tearing them apart, her uncertainty, even her injury. Brendan gets to be the solid, patient rock. Even his one big Drama moment generally paints him in a good light.… (mais)