Monday, June 11, 2012

The Kissing List by Stephanie Reents

5 Star

The interlocking stories in The Kissing List feature an unforgettable group of young women – Sylvie, Anna, Frances, Maureen – as their lives connect, first during a year abroad at Oxford, then later as they move to New York on the cusp of adulthood. We follow each of them as they navigate the treachery of first dates, temp jobs and roommates, failed relationships and unexpected affairs – all the things that make their lives seem full of possibility, but also rife with potential disappointment.





Sabrina-Kate - 5 Star

I had never heard of The Kissing List before and was quite pleasantly surprised in every way about it. At first I was a bit confused though with the short story format but quickly I got used to it and actually preferred it as it was a great way to take a break between reading sessions.

The short stories eventually connect the stories of the four main characters together by weaving a story of their lives in early adulthood, beginning with a year abroad and culminating with living in New York City. Since I've always loved NYC yet am fully aware of how difficult it would be to try and create a life there, I really enjoyed the very realistic way the jobs, or lack thereof, love lives and socializing were portrayed in this book. It made me feel like I could really identify with each of the characters, not just one in particular, which was a refreshing way to view a book for me.

The stories resonated with me, even though I could perhaps not identify directly with what was going on, I could definitely identify with the emotions, hopes and dreams portrayed within. It was a book that made me laugh, sigh, cry and cringe at times but in that way you think, "Oh I've been THERE before."

More about every day events and very much less about kissing, or very superficially so, this book was quite enjoyable though the title may have been a bit misleading. I wonder how it was decided upon but nevertheless, I highly recommend picking up this book for a very lovely read.

Thank you to Hogarth for our review copy! 

Connect with Stephanie Reents here:

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for your kind words about The Kissing List!

    Stephanie Reents

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't usually go for short stories but these sound interesting!

    ReplyDelete

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