Unfortunately, I have not been able to read and review this book.

After losing and replacing my broken Kindle and getting a new phone I was unable to download the title again for review as it was no longer available on Netgalley.

I’m really sorry about this and hope that it won’t affect you allowing me to read and review your titles in the future.

Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
Natalie.

2.5/5

In my opinion, this is going to be one of those novels that people will either get or just hate it. I feel like it's similar in that sense to Brighton Rock and The Catcher in the Rye. This book has a raw openness about just how bleak and depressing life can be at times, just like those two novels and not everyone can appreciate that honesty. But while I loved those two books, I didn't really enjoy The Boyfriend. Enjoy is probably not the right word, because I don't think that this is meant to be enjoyed, but it didn't leave me really feeling anything after.

I don't mean to keep comparing it to the two books I mentioned, but it's helping me to pinpoint where this went wrong. Both of those books don't have characters that are particularly likeable in any way, but they were crafted so well, that you still formed an attachment to them. Here, none of the characters were likeable at all, and although I did feel sorry for Erica, I didn't really form an attachment to her of any sort. Catcher and Brighton Rock also had stellar writing that made sure the dreariness of life was fully felt and was communicated in a interesting way. Whereas the writing didn't really stand out and add anything to this story.

I wasn't really a big fan of the structure of this book either, I remember being quite confused a lot of the time as to what was going on. Everything seemed to blur into one and there just wasn't that much significance in certain parts, I don't even think the book being split into parts helped this issue. There were also a lot of characters and it was hard to keep track, I didn't even realise who Erica's parents were until much later on, as she referred to them by their names most of the time.

Although I sympathised with Erica as she very clearly had her issues, with their being hints of mental illness, plus her inability to escape Donny, it was hard to truly care for her. She just made a lot of poor choices that I couldn't understand and I didn't ever really get what was going on with her or why she did the things she did. Her relationship with almost every character in here was strange and confusing, especially with the men in her life.

The Boyfriend highlights the chaos that young girls can go through in the transition into adulthood. They are trying to figure out themselves and their lives, whilst simultaneously losing themselves in unhealthy and inappropriate relationships. This was incredibly realistic and I applaud the author for that. I just wish that the writing would have been more engaging, the plot and structure much clearer and it would have been nice to actually see Erica grow from her experiences. The ending was also quite disappointing for me, despite not loving this story, I don't regret reading it.

Even if it's well written I found the characters unlikeable and couldn't connect to them.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I found the description of this book really good and it get me in. But I found the story difficult to get along with. I’m not usually bothered by characters that are unlikeable but these were wholly unlikeable it was difficult to respond to them at all. This is a book fir someone, just perhaps not me!

I chose to read this book based on the description, and was lured in almost at once. Although I was unsure for most of it whether I should be feeling awkward-amused or awkward-uncomfortable.

The writing and pace have a similarity to Irvine Welsh which I'm unable to put my finger on. This book is set in New Zealand, but has an air or Scotland about it somehow. Maybe it's the desperation one can feel in the words and atmosphere.

I enjoyed this book, but felt at first that I didn't know or understand the characters well enough to put them into the context of the narrative. About halfway through, there's a subtle shift in the writing that makes it more real than the first half of the book. This could also be the fact that I know nothing of New Zealand and many cultural references may have been missed on my part.

I really enjoyed this - it was nice to read a book somewhere set other than America! I liked the prose, I liked the main character, I hated Donny! I wouldn’t read it again in a hurry, but I liked the story a lot.

Not really my kind of book. But good characters overall and the story was absorbing. Probably wouldn't recommend but this doesn't mean you shouldn't read and draw your own assumptions!

A quality read; "The Boyfriend" urges the reader to reminicise all the terrible decisions one makes when in their twenties, whilst feeling thankful they are now older and, hopefully, wiser than they were when life resembled, in many ways, Erica's.