#clare pooley

[catbrarian]

⭑.ᐟ — BOOK REVIEW

the people on platform 5 by clare pooley

— RATING: 9/10 • GENRE: urban fiction, lesbian literature • TW: physical attack (once flashback)

— THOUGHTS: this book is a brilliant blend between a social commentary and humour along with lesbian representation. it touches upon topics of ageism, bullying and societal pressures in a gentle manner. its overall a feel good read with lovable characters and a happy ending. the book has its own darkness and depth adding on its layer among several. people will feel relatable and understood along its way.

— read an excerpt 📑

— read for a longer review 🗞️

[razreads]

Sometimes fate shows you the way to go and you have no option to follow.

Clare Pooley, The People on Platform Five

[umi-no-onnanoko]

[losientojournals]

Iona Iverson's Rules For Commuting Review coming soon!

[cortlandkaard]

by the way shameless promotion but Read This Book! it's great :3

[themelodyofspring]

JOMP Book Photo Challenge

June 08, 2023 - Feel Good Read

[desdasiwrites]

– Clare Pooley, The Authenticity Project

[embookreviews]

The Authenticity Project

Clare Pooley

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ (5/5)

Clare Pooley writes books for lonely people. each time i’ve read one of her books (so twice), i’ve found myself yearning for the friendships found in the book. sure, they��re twisted and messy and sometimes the relationships between people suck. but also, they all find each other and work it out in the end. i’m a pooley fan for life, both this and rules for commuting felt like they poked at a little hole in my life i didn’t know was there. that desire to find a group of strangers that i just….fit with.

also! i loved the little twist this book took, though i never felt the same about the character afterwards (so vague but i don’t want to spoil anything!! unless you’re like roy from the it crowd and even knowing there’s a twist is devastating information)

[fizzreads]

At first, I thought this book was kind of cheesy, but then it took some turns that surprised me and I really got into it. Very nice book. I can totally see it being made into a movie.

[bookcoversonly]

Title: Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting | Author: Clare Pooley | Publisher: Penguin (2023)

[fortbooks]

The Authenticity Project, A Novel by Clare Pooley

Okay, here's the thing. It's been close to a month since I finished reading this book and I never got around to writing about it because I got busy. Pass-out-in-bed-by-10-pm busy. But I did like this book…enough.

I like the premise. That I can say without quantifying anything. I like the premise: of leaving a notebook with your innermost "truth" with the hope that the next person will continue it. I like the idea of people touching other people's lives and changing it.

There's a reason why, for the longest time, my life motto was the whole "For Good" song from Wicked. Because people I met might not have changed me for the better, but they sure as hell changed me for good. And I like that. It takes the pressure off in being a good example, of always having to check yourself that you're not setting a bad precedent. Because none of us is perfect. And, for the most part, this book tackles that idea head on.

I just did not like some of the decisions the author made along the way…but that's a me-problem, and not an author-problem. My biggest problem was telegraphed pretty early by the book. The eventual love story between two characters who, if I'm going to be very honest with you: had no business being a couple. But the seeds were planted. And they were planted well. I just did not like the seeds. Or the fruit. But I can honestly that it doesn't make the book less enjoyable for me.

Well, maybe a little bit.

One character I did like kind of got the short-end of the stick. And with a book that had changing POVs, it was definitely a choice not to let us in on how this character went from emotion A to emotion B seemingly overnight. (It was a fortnight, at least, within the book's timeline. But it was a single chapter from my perspective.) Basically: I felt like the book was rushing its ending. And the repercussions of one character's actions didn't get explored before we moved on to the ending.

And then there's the ending.

Look, I get it. Life doesn't really just end and that's it. But I felt like it was a bold choice to wrap one character's journey in a very poignant note--and then introduce a new character just to keep the initial premise going. Again, this doesn't really detract from the book being an enjoyable read. But this last chapter felt very tacked on. As if the publisher asked the writer: is there a way of leaving it open-ended enough for a possible sequel? I feel like taking this last chapter out would've made the ending more powerful.

But that's just me.

And I think I've rambled on enough about this book that I read almost one month ago.

Do I recommend it? I guess, yes. It's good. There are just some stuff in it that I wish were better.

[razreads]

Most endings turned out to be beginnings in disguise.

Clare Pooley, The People on Platform Five

[tudorblogger]

Monthly Reading Summary – May 2024

[pepper-cup]

It’s not empty, dear heart! It’s LIGHT. That ring was weighing you down! It wasn’t a declaration of love, it was a symbol of OWNERSHIP.

- The People On Platform 5

[madmonkeysandrum-blog]

Not my genre but it looks so nice and cozy. "People on Platform 5" by Clare Pooley

[bshocommons]

"Life is short, mine possibly shorter than most, and I refuse to waste a single day more stressing about something I can’t control."

Clare Pooley, Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting