Robin Yeatman

Based on the title, cover, and description, I expect to be the reader for Robin Yeatman’s debut novel, Bookworm. However, sadly, I am not. Unfortunately, I do not find it funny, and I do not find the main character at all relatable or likable. For me, books are a way to travel the world, see alternate realities, and imagine other possibilities. Unfortunately, I was not the right reader to travel that road with this book.

Read my complete review at rel="nofollow" target="_top">http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2023/12/bookworm.html

Reviewed for NetGalley.… (més)

My Rating: 3.5/5 rounded down

A young woman sits at a table in her favorite café with her nose in a book ( unfortunately, she isn’t quite enjoying the book) while also observing the people around her. She spots an attractive man sitting at another table reading the same book and decides she has found her soul mate! But there’s a catch! Victoria, our bookworm is married, albeit unhappily, to Eric, an affluent and successful lawyer who is on the verge of being promoted to Partner. Victoria works as a masseuse and spends most of her free time reading, which isn’t something her controlling husband ( who would rather spend his evenings watching television ) is too happy about. Everything about Victoria’s life revolves around Eric’s preferences - from her reading eBooks as opposed to physical books, grocery lists and dinner menus to their sex life. Her parents, her mother in particular and her best friend Holly never fail to remind Victoria how lucky she is to be with Eric. She finds solace in her books and her fantasies – which range from romantic rendezvous with her “soul mate” to dreaming up scenarios in which her husband ends up dead. As the narrative progresses and the suffocation in her life and marriage start to become unbearable, Victoria decides to take charge of her life and the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur.

I believe I enjoyed the concept/premise of this book more than the book itself. I did sympathize with Victoria’s plight and while I initially found her train of thought and wild imagination amusing it soon became repetitive and a tad off-putting. Ordinarily, I enjoy dark humor/satire and identify with characters who are voracious readers//bookworms. I did enjoy both the literary and pop culture references interspersed throughout the narrative. I also don’t mind unlikable characters if the story is good but overall, I wasn’t completely invested in this story. I’d expected to enjoy this book more than I actually did, which surprised me. I couldn’t find much humor in Eric and Victoria’s toxic relationship and/or dysfunctional marriage. I felt that the author could have avoided certain stereotypes ( I won't say more because I don’t want to give too much away.) Overall, though Bookworm by Robin Yeatman is a well-written book and I did find parts of the story quite entertaining, I wasn’t quite as taken with it as many other readers have been.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing a DRC of this book via Edelweiss . All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on February 13, 2023.… (més)

Victoria is given to flights of fancy. An active imagination – it’s a gift, right? A positive attribute?
Sometimes it’s an escape.

Massage therapist, reader of fiction, creator of stories (whether she realizes it or not), and wife of the supercilious Eric, Victoria does not show up for herself. Instead, she escapes into the stories she creates, and even we, the readers, can’t always tell whether a story is more than a flight of fancy. Is she really leaving her body at night for astral assignations with her potential lover?

Author Robin Yeatman is clever; in creating a heroine who likely has qualities shared by readers of Bookworm, she has made it much easier for us to connect with Victoria; after all, who among us has not created an entire imaginary daydream story, sparked by who knows what?

After a slightly too-rushed first chapter, the narrative is fascinating and engaging, with a couple of weak points. There’s no plausible reason given for Victoria’s complete lack of assertion with anyone in her family. No one has threatened physical harm and there’s no evidence of past trauma – yet the family dynamics are so backwards that when Victoria is thinking of leaving Eric, she broaches the possibility with, of all people, Eric’s mother. Because she refuses to assert herself, Victoria channels her anger and resentment into continued, desperate murder plots that always somehow fail, all while smiling her calm ‘spa girl’ smile and keeping a low profile.

Regardless, this was an effortless and intriguing read, with a clever ending in which Victoria’s best friend Holly plays a large part. Victoria’s infatuation with the mysterious Luke is interesting; who hasn’t built a fantasy around someone, then had to face a flawed reality? (Poor Luke; one fears for his safety if he doesn’t live up to the fantasy.)

Luke is secondary though; the true tension that drives the plot and pulls the reader along is Victoria’s tenacious fantasy of killing Eric. You’ll have to read the book to find out if fantasy turns to reality – and you’ll enjoy the read. Four stars for readability and easy engagement.… (més)