Love and Miss Communication, by Elyssa Friedland2015, 400p, Contemporary Fiction
My Rating=3.5 Stars
Source: Received a copy from the publisher for an honest review
This unforgettable debut novel asks us to look up from our screens and out at the world . . . and to imagine what life would be like with no searches, no status updates, no texts, no Tweets, no pins, and no posts.
Evie Rosen has had enough. She's tired of the partners at her law firm e-mailing her at all hours of the night. The thought of another online date makes her break out in a cold sweat. She's over the clever hashtags and the endless selfies. So when her career hits a surprising roadblock and her heart is crushed by Facebook, Evie decides it's time to put down her smartphone for good. (Beats stowing it in her underwear—she's done that too!)
And that's when she discovers a fresh start for real conversations, fewer distractions, and living in the moment, even if the moments are heartbreakingly difficult. Babies are born; marriages teeter; friendships are tested. Evie may find love and a new direction when she least expects it, but she also learns that just because you unplug your phone doesn't mean you can also unplug from life.
Evie Rosen is addicted to the internet. Her Blackberry is practically attached to her hand. We get a good feel for what her life is like at the beginning. She's an attorney working hard to become a partner in the law firm of Baker Smith. Social media is her life. One day she's called in by one of the partners and is surprised and devastated by what happens. She gets on Facebook later and learns the startling truth about her ex-boyfriend, Jack. She determines right then and there to go offline for a while.
I didn't like Evie in the beginning. She was very self involved. As she unplugged, the changes in her personality became noticeable. I loved her grandmother, Bette, and enjoyed their relationship. Bette had cancer and that also made Evie stop for a while to spend time with her. Bette was constantly on the lookout for a man that Evie could settle down with and being sick didn't get in her way. Once Evie's eventual love interest entered the story, she became more likable to me since she was being sincere and felt free to be herself.
Evie had lots of friends that didn't understand why she would unplug and seemed to forget about it as they would still invite her to events through social media (then get upset with her when she missed it because she didn't get the invite). She had difficulties with them along the way and was able to find ways to reconnect with them on a personal level.
I like the premise of the story and thought Evie made positive changes throughout the book. I think it's awfully hard in this day and age to unplug for as long as Evie did. I love technology and am definitely plugged in yet I find it refreshing to take a day off every so often and just enjoy the simpler things. It took me a little while to get into this story, but once it got going, I had a hard time putting it down (although I thought the Epilogue was strange).
While I did enjoy this book, there is some content to mention. There's swearing, including a handful of "f" words. There's also sex talk and a few brief sex scenes without details.
Purchase Links
Find out more about Elyssa at her website, and connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.
Elyssa’s Tour Stops
Tuesday, May 12th: Svetlana’s Reads and ViewsWednesday, May 13th: West Metro Mommy
Thursday, May 14th: BookNAround
Friday, May 15th: Book Babe
Monday, May 18th: Into the Hall of Books
Tuesday, May 19th: Many Hats
Wednesday, May 20th: Kritters Ramblings
Thursday, May 21st: 5 Minutes For Books
Monday, May 25th: Mel’s Shelves
Wednesday, May 27th: Raven Haired Girl
Thursday, May 28th: 2 Kids and Tired Book Reviews
Friday, May 29th: From the TBR Pile
2 comments:
I've made an effort to cut back my internet use but I know I'd never want to be completely without it!
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
it sounds interesting, but I am still on the fence about it. Great review though :)
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