Maybe I should’ve seen the “eventuality” of this book’s disposition coming. Yet, I still decided to give it a chance. I’m one of those people who do believe in giving a book a chance after not researching it thoroughly.
After passing on it here (Bookish First) both the raffle as well as trading in my points for it; I saw it on Amazon’s VINE program and requested it. It was, believe it or not, in my RECOMMENDED tab of VINE items. I don’t know why unless it was because it was a BOOK, and not necessarily the subject material. So, after seeing it here (Bookish First) and there (Amazon VINE) – I thought maybe that I was being directed to read it.
I have not read Elinor Oliphant Is Completely Fine or Severance, so I don’t know how similar this is to those books. And, I will admit those two books as well as this one are out of my usual genre. Anyone reading my blog or other review sites (Goodreads and BookBub) will attest to that.
Right off, it is clear that STÄDA is a knock-off of IKEA. There is NO clear way around it, no way to avoid it either. It is even more so with the “NAMES” of the products, including Ava’s own “product”: THE VERY NICE BOX. While IKEA’s products have Swedish names, STÄDA’s products have American names.
On the first page of the story no less than 10 products are named by Ava with regard to choosing to furnish her home with STÄDA products even if she didn’t work there – these range from pet furniture, to home furniture, dishes, to furnishings. Sound like IKEA yet?
While I’ve been to IKEA, I’ve never purchased anything (lack of financial resources). It isn’t like I wouldn’t though. And, I’m not an IKEA “follower”. But, those who have a soft spot for the store could see this as a way of poking fun at the store if not see it as an insult in some respects.
This, at times, read like a catalog for STÄDA with a story crafted around it.
Every item pertaining to the company had to be named and mentioned (written as if a proper name) when used, one line even at the end of chapter one “She sighed and looked at her Precise Wristwatch”; and even repeating that in chapter 4 – “Ava looked at her Precise Wristwatch”. This continues with multiple items throughout the book and honestly made it difficult to read the story. There were several more mentions of Ava’s Precise Wristwatch that made reading this cringy.
I get that the store was prominent in the story due to the work romance and even the SHRNK (robo app) for mental health. But, this was definitely overwhelming and tedious. It was hard to focus on the story.
I don’t want to be “THAT” person, but if I wanted to read about products; and there are a TON mentioned – in the first 10 chapters OVER 3 dozen products are referenced to [41], along with the other products already referenced – I’d bust out my IKEA catalog to read it. After 41+ products, I couldn’t stand to count any more.
If the goal of the book was to rip IKEA’s products or disparage the culture – this book was well on its way of doing that. Also, STÄDA is overly used in referring to the store. Simply, it could’ve been better “worded” – the warehouse, the store, that place – things that indicated it without using it.
Getting to the Mat/Ava storyline, the first part definitely dragged the relationship out between Mat and Ava – and, that should’ve said something to me (as well as other readers). Again, it was hard to read because of the product placement. He seemed rather “off” and yet totally gravitated to Ava for some reason.
The second part delves into a bit of a psychological thriller with Mat’s behavior. And, there were some surprises that came out that tried to make this story “work”.
Another problem plaguing this was the “flashbacks” which were oddly placed. There needed to be a year or month, something to let the reader know that what they were reading was indeed a flashback. I only caught on because of the characters mentioned in the story.
There are multiple times when Ava seemingly breaks up with Mat, only to let him back in repeatedly. His use of “Lamby” is just creepy.
The story itself just tended to drag out with more focus on the work aspect as opposed to the relationship aspect.
The end is a bit disturbing, I mean REALLY disturbing. And, I would honestly be interested to see what consequences Ava will end up facing as a result of what happens. Yup, it’s one of those type of endings – open and a bit … interesting. That’s probably the saving grace of this book – the ending. What’s sad though, is that she employs a tactic that was similar to something used on a character in their youth. To me, that seemed like it was perpetuating the cycle of bullying despite Ava’s own “personal” reason for it.
What’s truly sad in all this is that this book had a lot of promise with the premise. I did not see much humor in it, more sarcasm than humor. Then again, there is a difference between dark humor and laugh-out-loud-good-time humor.
The constant “product placement” (even for a fictional) company, was far too much for me. After it was established that Ava wore a Precise Wristwatch, I don’t think it was necessary to keep repeating that particular item. Simply stating “Ava checked her watch” would’ve worked. I don’t know how many times she checked her Precise Wristwatch. Okay, I know there was around six (6) if not more times mentioned.
It was as if there was a magical word count needed to get this book to be published and that was the main goal – hit the word count. By the authors’ own admission in the back – they wrote it in the dark with no idea where it would lead them.
I can admire their courage in taking that approach. I’m still struggling with finishing my own works. Still, I like to have some plan of where my plot is going and repeated phrases and words are something I try to steer clear of.
I couldn’t even finish this book despite the authors’ usage of short chapters, one of my favorite writing techniques. I would often skip to another part only to see more products or at best an email, or some note. I decided to “skim” it to give it some kind of review. I got the general gist and was able to bypass the “filler”.
The dialogue and character interaction is not interesting. There was a complete lack of investment in the characters. I didn’t care what happened to them at all to be honest.
Ava’s only real character growth is more or less to get involved with Mat who obviously has his own issues. It is also clear that an accident a few years prior to the story has obviously caused Ava some PTSD which could account for her behavior. Readers will be shocked at the connection Ava and Mat really have.
There is some questionable language (s-word, f-word); there are some intimate scenes (one F/F scene alluded to). For those looking at clean reads, this isn’t particularly a “nasty” read, but it isn’t clean either.
There are LGBTQ themes and characters in this story as well, though they do not seem to be the primary plot point, that honor belongs to STÄDA and its products. This is at times mocking, socially relevant, explores the corporate culture, male entitlement, mental health, self-help groups, office romances, and sadly lacks the “thriller” aspect I was expecting. It was more like a mini mystery that connected the past to the current.
I admit that I do have my “tried and true favorite” genres; obviously for a reason. I do try to read something new here or there, but this was not a good choice, and I will admit that. I wish I would’ve stuck to my initial impression and not requested it. As I said previously, I passed on this here (raffle, didn’t use points either) before succumbing to the Amazon VINE temptation. The cover also isn’t impressive enough to warrant a second glance.
This should be a lesson – if you pass on something a few times – there is a reason. Do not feel pressured to try something. The book is so badly executed that I am embarrassed to put this on my Goodreads, BookBub, or blog. I will stick to reviewing it here and Amazon (since I got it there).
Having read different types of genres over the last few years – this, to me, tried to be FAR too many things at once to too many audiences and it missed whatever goal it had – if it had a goal. The book might’ve worked had the authors targeted one audience group and one particular genre, in addition to the other problems plaguing it. I am surprised the publisher, most known for publishing textbooks, published it.
Yes, this is an ARC, but I’ve found most of the finished books read like the ARC with regard to the plot and “wording”. This is more common with self-published books vs. traditional publishing.
This is Blackett and Gleichman’s debut book, but based on this offering, I won’t be reading any future books from the duo. While no first book is ever perfect, there are some authors that do tend to knock it out of the park on the first swing, be it single authors or a writing duo. One particular duo to check out is Sarah Pekkanen & Greer Hendricks. Their debut, The Wife Between Us (2018), was simply amazing – that lived up to every expectation. So much so, I did have to go back and re-read it a second time to truly make sense of it. I also read their An Anonymous Girl (2019) and You Are Not Alone (2020).
I was hoping for another book by them this year (2021).
I will say, that like Pekkanen and Hendricks, it was hard to tell who wrote what segment of the book.
After passing on it here (Bookish First) both the raffle as well as trading in my points for it; I saw it on Amazon’s VINE program and requested it. It was, believe it or not, in my RECOMMENDED tab of VINE items. I don’t know why unless it was because it was a BOOK, and not necessarily the subject material. So, after seeing it here (Bookish First) and there (Amazon VINE) – I thought maybe that I was being directed to read it.
I have not read Elinor Oliphant Is Completely Fine or Severance, so I don’t know how similar this is to those books. And, I will admit those two books as well as this one are out of my usual genre. Anyone reading my blog or other review sites (Goodreads and BookBub) will attest to that.
Right off, it is clear that STÄDA is a knock-off of IKEA. There is NO clear way around it, no way to avoid it either. It is even more so with the “NAMES” of the products, including Ava’s own “product”: THE VERY NICE BOX. While IKEA’s products have Swedish names, STÄDA’s products have American names.
On the first page of the story no less than 10 products are named by Ava with regard to choosing to furnish her home with STÄDA products even if she didn’t work there – these range from pet furniture, to home furniture, dishes, to furnishings. Sound like IKEA yet?
While I’ve been to IKEA, I’ve never purchased anything (lack of financial resources). It isn’t like I wouldn’t though. And, I’m not an IKEA “follower”. But, those who have a soft spot for the store could see this as a way of poking fun at the store if not see it as an insult in some respects.
This, at times, read like a catalog for STÄDA with a story crafted around it.
Every item pertaining to the company had to be named and mentioned (written as if a proper name) when used, one line even at the end of chapter one “She sighed and looked at her Precise Wristwatch”; and even repeating that in chapter 4 – “Ava looked at her Precise Wristwatch”. This continues with multiple items throughout the book and honestly made it difficult to read the story. There were several more mentions of Ava’s Precise Wristwatch that made reading this cringy.
I get that the store was prominent in the story due to the work romance and even the SHRNK (robo app) for mental health. But, this was definitely overwhelming and tedious. It was hard to focus on the story.
I don’t want to be “THAT” person, but if I wanted to read about products; and there are a TON mentioned – in the first 10 chapters OVER 3 dozen products are referenced to [41], along with the other products already referenced – I’d bust out my IKEA catalog to read it. After 41+ products, I couldn’t stand to count any more.
If the goal of the book was to rip IKEA’s products or disparage the culture – this book was well on its way of doing that. Also, STÄDA is overly used in referring to the store. Simply, it could’ve been better “worded” – the warehouse, the store, that place – things that indicated it without using it.
Getting to the Mat/Ava storyline, the first part definitely dragged the relationship out between Mat and Ava – and, that should’ve said something to me (as well as other readers). Again, it was hard to read because of the product placement. He seemed rather “off” and yet totally gravitated to Ava for some reason.
The second part delves into a bit of a psychological thriller with Mat’s behavior. And, there were some surprises that came out that tried to make this story “work”.
Another problem plaguing this was the “flashbacks” which were oddly placed. There needed to be a year or month, something to let the reader know that what they were reading was indeed a flashback. I only caught on because of the characters mentioned in the story.
There are multiple times when Ava seemingly breaks up with Mat, only to let him back in repeatedly. His use of “Lamby” is just creepy.
The story itself just tended to drag out with more focus on the work aspect as opposed to the relationship aspect.
The end is a bit disturbing, I mean REALLY disturbing. And, I would honestly be interested to see what consequences Ava will end up facing as a result of what happens. Yup, it’s one of those type of endings – open and a bit … interesting. That’s probably the saving grace of this book – the ending. What’s sad though, is that she employs a tactic that was similar to something used on a character in their youth. To me, that seemed like it was perpetuating the cycle of bullying despite Ava’s own “personal” reason for it.
What’s truly sad in all this is that this book had a lot of promise with the premise. I did not see much humor in it, more sarcasm than humor. Then again, there is a difference between dark humor and laugh-out-loud-good-time humor.
The constant “product placement” (even for a fictional) company, was far too much for me. After it was established that Ava wore a Precise Wristwatch, I don’t think it was necessary to keep repeating that particular item. Simply stating “Ava checked her watch” would’ve worked. I don’t know how many times she checked her Precise Wristwatch. Okay, I know there was around six (6) if not more times mentioned.
It was as if there was a magical word count needed to get this book to be published and that was the main goal – hit the word count. By the authors’ own admission in the back – they wrote it in the dark with no idea where it would lead them.
I can admire their courage in taking that approach. I’m still struggling with finishing my own works. Still, I like to have some plan of where my plot is going and repeated phrases and words are something I try to steer clear of.
I couldn’t even finish this book despite the authors’ usage of short chapters, one of my favorite writing techniques. I would often skip to another part only to see more products or at best an email, or some note. I decided to “skim” it to give it some kind of review. I got the general gist and was able to bypass the “filler”.
The dialogue and character interaction is not interesting. There was a complete lack of investment in the characters. I didn’t care what happened to them at all to be honest.
Ava’s only real character growth is more or less to get involved with Mat who obviously has his own issues. It is also clear that an accident a few years prior to the story has obviously caused Ava some PTSD which could account for her behavior. Readers will be shocked at the connection Ava and Mat really have.
There is some questionable language (s-word, f-word); there are some intimate scenes (one F/F scene alluded to). For those looking at clean reads, this isn’t particularly a “nasty” read, but it isn’t clean either.
There are LGBTQ themes and characters in this story as well, though they do not seem to be the primary plot point, that honor belongs to STÄDA and its products. This is at times mocking, socially relevant, explores the corporate culture, male entitlement, mental health, self-help groups, office romances, and sadly lacks the “thriller” aspect I was expecting. It was more like a mini mystery that connected the past to the current.
I admit that I do have my “tried and true favorite” genres; obviously for a reason. I do try to read something new here or there, but this was not a good choice, and I will admit that. I wish I would’ve stuck to my initial impression and not requested it. As I said previously, I passed on this here (raffle, didn’t use points either) before succumbing to the Amazon VINE temptation. The cover also isn’t impressive enough to warrant a second glance.
This should be a lesson – if you pass on something a few times – there is a reason. Do not feel pressured to try something. The book is so badly executed that I am embarrassed to put this on my Goodreads, BookBub, or blog. I will stick to reviewing it here and Amazon (since I got it there).
Having read different types of genres over the last few years – this, to me, tried to be FAR too many things at once to too many audiences and it missed whatever goal it had – if it had a goal. The book might’ve worked had the authors targeted one audience group and one particular genre, in addition to the other problems plaguing it. I am surprised the publisher, most known for publishing textbooks, published it.
Yes, this is an ARC, but I’ve found most of the finished books read like the ARC with regard to the plot and “wording”. This is more common with self-published books vs. traditional publishing.
This is Blackett and Gleichman’s debut book, but based on this offering, I won’t be reading any future books from the duo. While no first book is ever perfect, there are some authors that do tend to knock it out of the park on the first swing, be it single authors or a writing duo. One particular duo to check out is Sarah Pekkanen & Greer Hendricks. Their debut, The Wife Between Us (2018), was simply amazing – that lived up to every expectation. So much so, I did have to go back and re-read it a second time to truly make sense of it. I also read their An Anonymous Girl (2019) and You Are Not Alone (2020).
I was hoping for another book by them this year (2021).
I will say, that like Pekkanen and Hendricks, it was hard to tell who wrote what segment of the book.