Goodnight Beautiful

Oct 21, 2012 Filipa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit, contemporary, library, not-own, portuguese-books, 2012-reads

Nova Kumalisi e Malvolio - Mal para simplificar - foram criados juntos. O seu pai morreu quando ele ainda era jovem e a sua mãe sofre de um problema mental, pelo que desde cedo Nova e Mal se tornaram o apoio um do outro. Criavam uma unidade e sempre se amaram incondicionalmente, como só as crianças podem amar. No entanto, conforme foram crescendo, Mal e Nova apercebem-se que a grande amizade que mantêm é especial. Mais do que amizade, ambos se apaixonaram pelo outro, mas devido às circunstâncias...more
Nova Kumalisi e Malvolio - Mal para simplificar - foram criados juntos. O seu pai morreu quando ele ainda era jovem e a sua mãe sofre de um problema mental, pelo que desde cedo Nova e Mal se tornaram o apoio um do outro. Criavam uma unidade e sempre se amaram incondicionalmente, como só as crianças podem amar. No entanto, conforme foram crescendo, Mal e Nova apercebem-se que a grande amizade que mantêm é especial. Mais do que amizade, ambos se apaixonaram pelo outro, mas devido às circunstâncias em que vivem e às escolhas que fizeram na sua vida, a amizade incondicional que sempre mantiveram não poderá agora também passar disso mesmo. Uma grande amizade.
Quando Mal e a sua mulher, Steph decidem ter um filho, pedem à sua melhor amiga Nova que seja barriga de aluguer, visto que Steph não poderá nunca ter filhos. Nova, que sempre fez tudo pelo amigo e sempre fará, após muita ponderação decide conceder este desejo ao casal e engravida de Mal.
Contudo, o casal, inesperadamente, muda de ideias e Mal chega até a desaparecer da sua vida, deixando-a sozinha e desamparada, grávida de um filho seu.
Nova mal quer acreditar que Mal, o seu amigo de todo o sempre, é capaz de lhe fazer tal coisa, mas a verdade é que o filho que carrega no ventre é o último pedaço de Mal que poderá guardar consigo e por isso, cria o filho de ambos sozinha.
Nada a viria a preparar para o acidente que Leo, o seu filho de 7 anos apenas, viria a ter, obrigando o rapaz a ser submetido a uma cirurgia e um consequente coma profundo. Agora, Nova quer que Mal conheça o filho que nunca teve oportunidade de ver. Se ao menos as coisas fossem tão simples assim, tudo seria mais fácil...
Este é apenas o terceiro livro desta autora que leio. Contudo, desde o primeiro que me confessei fascinada pela sua escrita, pela sua envolvência, pelos seus enredos viciantes e por todo o leque de emoções que a sua narrativa me faz sentir. Dorothy Koomson é uma autora que gosta de mexer com os corações dos seus leitores, fazendo por isso, com as suas histórias românticas que têm sempre uma pitada de dramatismo. Nem sempre são histórias fáceis e os protagonistas passam sempre por momentos muitos difíceis que me trazem lágrimas aos olhos, mas é uma leitura que compensa a todos os níveis. Dos três livros dela que já li, posso dizer que cada um me toucou de forma diferente, mas todos - sem excepção - puxaram muito pelas minhas emoções e é por isso que continuo tão ansiosa, a ler os seus livros.

Ainda fico impressionada quando penso com que rapidez costumo ler estes livros de Dorothy. Isto tudo porque mal começo a ler o prólogo, simplesmente não consigo parar mais. Se pouso o livro, ando sempre a pensar nele. Se não o leio, estou a pensar quando é que o poderei ler, à procura sempre de uns minutos extra para lhe deitar a mão.
Existe uma força que me impele sempre para a leitura destes livros. As personagens, o enredo cravam as suas garras em mim e não me deixam sossegada até ao terminar esta viagem na sua companhia.
Quando me preparei para ler este livro (e o anterior a este igualmente, por sinal) não foram poucos os avisos de que estes livros não eram os melhores da autora, para que eu não tivesse muitas esperanças e isso colocou-me algo de pé atrás, sem saber o que esperar e a achar que estas seriam daquelas autoras que mudam de estilo conforme a direcção do vento. Hoje, ao olhar para trás para estas leituras, vejo que não estou particularmente de acordo quando se diz que não são os melhores livros. Embora não tendo muito para com que comparar, posso no entanto com alguma segurança, dizer que estas três obras estão todas praticamente ao mesmo nível, com pequenas diferenças que se devem ao facto de a autora fazer uma escolha: aposta mais no romance, ou não.
Sendo eu uma romântica incurável, será de esperar que goste de livros com ênfase no romance. E normalmente, assim o é.

Mas com Dorothy Koomson, não me sinto particularmente assim. E vou tentar explicar porquê. Porque os livros dela são românticos o suficiente sem ser preciso existir um final diferente àquele que efectivamente houve (não esquecendo que me estou a referir apenas a este livro e ao anterior que li). De certa forma, acabo sempre por desejar que a autora acabe o livro como eu quero e andamos ali numa força de vontades até à última página para ver quem é que tem razão, mas os livros dela preenchem-me a tantos outros níveis que é impossível ficar insatisfeita com aquilo que ela escreve e da maneira como o faz. Realmente, os últimos dois livros tiveram finais com os quais não esperava, mas isso não diminui a magia que esta autora tem em mim, nem um pouco. Embora continue a dizer que o primeiro livro é o meu favorito (até agora) os outros pouco lhe ficam atrás.

Por palavras mais simples, estou completa e totalmente fã desta autora e das suas histórias. Levam-me sempre a outro mundo: a um mundo de esperança, com um misto de emoções muito intensas que tiram um pouco de mim e dão-me um pouco mais a mim mesma também. (less)

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Oct 22, 2010 Laurel-Rain rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Seven-year-old Leo lies in a hospital bed, comatose, after a seemingly minor accident followed by surgery. By his bedside, his mother Nova recalls the moments of their lives together. But once upon a time, long ago in her own childhood, she and her best friend Mal were like two sides of one coin. Their bond was strong and one that they thought would never be broken.

Through flashbacks, we see the journey of Nova and Mal, how they gradually forged separate lives in their adulthood, while still mai...more Seven-year-old Leo lies in a hospital bed, comatose, after a seemingly minor accident followed by surgery. By his bedside, his mother Nova recalls the moments of their lives together. But once upon a time, long ago in her own childhood, she and her best friend Mal were like two sides of one coin. Their bond was strong and one that they thought would never be broken.

Through flashbacks, we see the journey of Nova and Mal, how they gradually forged separate lives in their adulthood, while still maintaining a very strong connection. When Mal met Stephanie, however, things changed—just a bit. And when he married her, Nova knew that their relationship, with its strong friendship bonds, had morphed into something else—a friendship that now included the three of them.

The collision course that severs the connections between them begins when Stephanie and Mal want a baby, but Stephanie cannot have her own; they know that adoption will not be possible because of Stephanie's history and emotional problems. They approach Nova, asking her to carry their baby. After much thought and considerable anguish, Nova agrees.

Eight years later, Nova is raising her son Leo alone. What happened and how did everything go wrong?

Answering those questions fills the pages of this compelling novel that probes below the surface, peeling back the layers to finally reveal the hidden motivations that altered all of their lives.

Will Mal finally meet his son and join the others at his bedside? Will his presence heal the wounds? And will the tragedy finally change the future for all of them?

The characters were richly detailed, with all the flaws and strengths of real people. Sometimes I felt very frustrated with each of them, as their inability to clearly communicate their thoughts and feelings to each other led to the breakdown of their relationships. None of them revealed the complete truth. When Mal told Nova that he and Stephanie had changed their minds about the baby, he would not (or could not) tell the whole story. When Stephanie said she no longer could take the baby, the reasons she gave were not completely true, either.

And afterwards, while Nova was raising her son alone, she didn't share any of the details with her family, her husband Keith (whom she married after her son was born), or even her closest friends.

Told in the first-person narrative of Nova, and then Stephanie, we gradually come to understand each of the women. Alternating first-person voice is not unusual, but in this novel, each chapter began without anything to identify whose "voice" was spotlighted. Sometimes it took two or three paragraphs to figure it out, which altered my enjoyment of the story. The flow was not as smooth as I would have liked.

Because of this somewhat confusing writing style, I decided to award four stars. I would still recommend it to anyone who enjoys tales of friendship, family, and the defining moments that change our lives. (less)

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Nov 11, 2010 Tonya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-reads

I am not sure how to convey what I feel about this book. I have such mixed emotions. On one hand, I really enjoyed the story. We have 2 friends who's families have been close since they were little. In a long drawn out story you find out that Mal and Nova are inseperable. They have never been boyfriend and girlfriend but that is in part due to the fact that both of them thought neither was interested.

So when Mal finds Stephanie and wants Nova to meet her, Nova tries to be the best friend she ca...more

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Jun 21, 2010 Jasmine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: first-reads, favorites

I must confess that there is an extra air of excitement about this book for me. I didn’t have anything to do with it, I don’t know the author personally or anything, but I entered the drawing to win it from goodreads’ first reads and low and behold, I won a copy. Hopefully this isn’t the last book I win from that nifty little program.

I very often don’t write reviews as soon as I’ve finished a book, especially if it is an emotional read. There is apart of me that does not understand my feelings a...more I must confess that there is an extra air of excitement about this book for me. I didn’t have anything to do with it, I don’t know the author personally or anything, but I entered the drawing to win it from goodreads’ first reads and low and behold, I won a copy. Hopefully this isn’t the last book I win from that nifty little program.

I very often don’t write reviews as soon as I’ve finished a book, especially if it is an emotional read. There is apart of me that does not understand my feelings and I can be a little harsh in reviewing if the writer has left me with emotions I don’t want to deal with. If I rate solely on my feelings alone I don’t know if it’ll be so high, so I take my time, think about things and try to give things a chance to roll around in my head and heart.

Koomson’s story telling, the way she weaves this story with the present and past, is superb. It is a sad story of love and loss, but a beautiful one as well, told by a highly talented writer who was able to draw me in and keep me there.

Yet, a part of me feels tricked and seduced by Koomson. That despite carrying this book around with me everywhere, devouring pages nonstop, reading until the wee hours of the morning, hoping and hoping and hoping the that characters I had grown to like and care for so much would do the things I wanted them to do, say the magic words that needed to be said, make everything well again, wrapped with a happy love drenched bow and leave me feeling lighter, knowing that their lives were set straight and were now quite delightful. Koomson made me care about these characters that much. And alas, I didn’t get what I wanted in the end. I got something else, not the predictable fairy tale I hate to admit to wanting, and not the miserable depressing end I’m currently making it seem like (sorry about that) but something else, left kind of open, maybe for me to take which way I want to. At least that’s how I’m looking at it.

That is why I have to wait to write reviews. I’m not thinking like a sensible adult but like a child that hasn’t gotten what she wanted and now will throw a temper tantrum because of it, hurling harsh words at the keyboard, insulting Koomson and highlighting far fewer stars than deserved and typing the phrase “it isn’t fair!” over and over. But then again, that is how life is.

I cried, a lot, but I don’t feel angry about it. I was at first, but now I’m okay and I’ve accepted it and I feel Koomson did me a great service by introducing these people into my literary psyche.
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Dec 27, 2010 Peggy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked the book, but felt it was slow moving.It took me awhile to get the minor characters straight. From the title to the story, the plot was twisted. What I expected from the book wasn't what how the story developed. Although I didn't shed tears and it wasn't as emotional a book as the reviews stated, I can see where it would "hit" some people that way. I do believe there is something about childhood friends that no one can "put asunder".....and that is certainly true in this story of Nova an...more

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Jun 12, 2013 Hannah rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read Goodnight Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson towards the end of last year after a friend lent it to me and I really enjoyed it. I have to warn you though, it is really sad! The story is told from the point of view of three main characters - Nova, Mal and Stephanie - and switches between them every chapter. The story begins with Nova's son Leo in a coma and gradually unravels the tangled up lives of the main characters and their tragic story: Nova had agreed to be a surrogate mother for Mal, her...more I read Goodnight Beautiful by Dorothy Koomson towards the end of last year after a friend lent it to me and I really enjoyed it. I have to warn you though, it is really sad! The story is told from the point of view of three main characters - Nova, Mal and Stephanie - and switches between them every chapter. The story begins with Nova's son Leo in a coma and gradually unravels the tangled up lives of the main characters and their tragic story: Nova had agreed to be a surrogate mother for Mal, her best friend since childhood, and his wife Stephanie, who could not have children. However they backed out at the last minute leaving her to raise Leo on her own after Stephanie found a text from Mal to Nova reading "Goodnight, beautiful" and forced him to cut ties with her out of paranoia.

I thought the novel was very well written and Koomson did a brilliant job of writing such engaging characters. I began the novel hating Stephanie, then hating Mal but then ending it feeling desperately sorry for all of them. I felt so sorry for Nova because of the situation she was left in: having to raise a baby by herself that she never planned to keep and then having to go through the pain and fear when he was hospitalised. At first I was really angry at Stephanie for forcing Mal to put Nova in that situation and I felt really cross with Mal for not standing up to her and for being so callous to his best friend. However as more and more was revealed about the characters' lives and I began to understand the series of events which led up to the novel I was able to sympathise with them more. I felt really sorry for Nova and Mal and the relationship between them that could have been if only they had been more honest with one another. The more I learnt about Stephanie's life the more I began to sympathise with her, especially as it became apparent that her fears weren't completely unfounded. All she wanted was to keep her husband, although it ended up having a devastating effect on her marriage and caused them to miss out on the life of the baby they desperately wanted and would now never be able to have. I also began to sympathise more with Mal as well when it became clear how much he cared for Stephanie, though I still feel that his behaviour towards Nova was inexcusable.

Ultimately a lot of the tragedies within the novel (with the obvious exception of Leo's condition) occurred because of a lack of honesty and communication. Koomson's narrative shows that there are often no clear-cut heroes and villains and makes for a very emotional read.(less)

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Jun 08, 2013 Alice Oakley rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: drama

Another amazing one from Dorothy Koomson. Mal and Nova have been best friends for years. Then one day, Mal comes to Nova with a proposal - his wife Stephanie can't have children, and their only chance of having one is if they find a surrogate mother. And they want Nova to be that surrogate. Nova selflessly agrees, but halfway through the pregnancy, Mal tells her that he and Stephanie have changed their minds and aren't ready for a child. Nova has no choice but to have the baby and bring him up b...more

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Feb 15, 2013 Rim rated it 4 of 5 stars

I never cry when reading a book so this was a first one.
Plot summary: Nova (the main character) agreed to be a surrogate mother for her best friend/love(Mal). But as things progress to the finall stages during pregnancy she gets abandoned by the couple. Now eight years later her son Leo is ina coma and even though the doctors are not saying anything yet. Nova knows that he might not have much left so she has to make a choice whetever she wants Leo to atleast meet his father for the last time or...more

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Jan 22, 2013 Mónica Silva rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Opinião no blog http://howtoliveathousandlives.blogsp...

Esta é uma estória de amor, mais do que o amor romântico e cor-de-rosa, de um amor feito de altos e baixos, de encontros e desencontros, com uma intensidade que para sempre abalará as vidas de Mal e Nova. Esta é uma estória triste, repleta de drama, com personagens credíveis e fascinantes.

Alternando entre o passado e o presente, o leitor adquire diferentes perspetivas acerca do que aconteceu para destruir a relação de Mal e Nova. Rapidament...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Jenine rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone

Out of all Dorothy Koomson books this one has to be my fav because it is the only one that made me cry!! I got completely drawn into the storyline and it takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions. It is soo powerful and emotional and so beautifully written that it is definitely in my top ten favourite books of all time!
The main characters are Nova and Stephanie, Nova and Mal (Stephanie’s husband) were best friends who grew up next door together. Mal asks Nova to have a baby for him and Step...more Out of all Dorothy Koomson books this one has to be my fav because it is the only one that made me cry!! I got completely drawn into the storyline and it takes you through a rollercoaster of emotions. It is soo powerful and emotional and so beautifully written that it is definitely in my top ten favourite books of all time!
The main characters are Nova and Stephanie, Nova and Mal (Stephanie’s husband) were best friends who grew up next door together. Mal asks Nova to have a baby for him and Stephanie, as she is unable to have children. After some reluctance Nova agrees and becomes pregnant. However Mal then tells her that they do not want the baby anymore and that she cant be apart of his life, without telling her the true reasons why. The story is told in the POV of both Nova and Stephanie in alternate chapters.
I absolutely loved Nova from the beginning of the book. She is the epitome of a true friend and some of her actions can only be described as admirable. Stephanie I had mixed emotions for. One minute I absolutely hated her, as her decisions were the cause of the breakdown of Nova and Mals relationship. The next minute I actually felt sorry for her because her own insecurities will always be her downfall. However by the end of the book I couldn't describe her actions as anything other than selfish.

My favorite quote from the book is
"We should be careful when we tell lies,' I say to Carole. "They’re alive. Lies are alive. Once you've told them they need looking after, feeding, nurturing, attention, companionship... love and affection, I suppose, like any other living thing we're responsible for"
When I read this I realised that this was the foundation of the book. One lie caused so much heartache and destruction between not just two friends but two families. But which lie was the cause of it all. Was it the little white lie that Nova said to Mal to make him accept Keith or was it the lie that Stephanie said to Mal so she wouldn't have to make a huge sacrifice.

Yes it is a sad story and there isn't the HEA that you may want but that’s the beauty of the story. It’s honest and true to the characters instead of conforming to what would be expected from a book of this genre.
If there was ever a book that Dorothy koomson was going to write a sequel to this would be it!!!

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Jul 11, 2012 Barbara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: absolutefavs

Dorothy Koomson is a new author on my favorites list now. The first book of her's that I read was the Ice Cream Girls which I really enjoyed. Thanks to a buy 3 get 1 free sale at Chapters I picked up another Dorothy Koomson book...Goodnight, Beautiful.

Nova and Mal have been friends forever, but as much as they love each other the relationship never moved past ultimate friendship. So when Mal and his wife Stephanie can't have children, they turn to Nova knowing Nova would be a surogate for them.

N...more

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Jul 10, 2012 Brianne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary, unrequited-love, parents

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I started this book because, for reasons that escape me, the summary on the back of the book caught my eye in Target and I put it on my library list. When it came in, I thought "Why the hell did I request this book?" but started reading anyway. I was tripping on British dialect a little, but I liked it well enough, or was intrigued, anyway, and looked up reviews online a chapter or so in because I am an absolute review junkie. I was completely disappointed to realize that it was the same author...more I started this book because, for reasons that escape me, the summary on the back of the book caught my eye in Target and I put it on my library list. When it came in, I thought "Why the hell did I request this book?" but started reading anyway. I was tripping on British dialect a little, but I liked it well enough, or was intrigued, anyway, and looked up reviews online a chapter or so in because I am an absolute review junkie. I was completely disappointed to realize that it was the same author and a very similar premise as My Best Friend's Girl, which I guess I didn't hate, but it was not amazing. I kept reading and was pleasantly surprised. Mal and Nova are best friends - it's soon revealed that grew up together, quite literally from birth, and were raised practically as siblings (Nova's parents cared for their mentally unstable friend and neighbor's children, Mal being one of them), with a long-running unrequited love that neither knew was mutual. Mal grows up and marries Steph, who is infertile (or is she?) and also mentally unstable and badly wants a baby. Long-suffering Nova ends up agreeing to be a surrogate for them, only to be left twisting in the wind when Mal admits his feelings for her and Steph's festering insecurity and instability explodes, leading her to cut Nova and the baby out of their lives. 8 years later, the child, Leo, is in a coma, and Mal and Steph are still married, miserably, and childless. Everyone starts to come apart at the seams, and I was amazed at how the author managed to develop the characters so well that their seemingly inexplicable or ridiculous decisions seem perfectly in character and make total sense within the context of the story. You can write a story and say "And then he did this, and then she said that, and then this happened," and it will never have an impact if you can't feel what they're feeling, and understand their motivations and what led them to do the things they did. This book would've been a prime candidate for that - why can't Nova and Mal just get it together and date each other? Why would Steph even ask Nova to be a surrogate if she's been jealous of her from day one? Why the hell did Nova agree? Why is Steph so crazy? Why did Mal allow himself to lose his best friend and his child? Any of those are so outlandish that they could've easily, easily derailed the whole story, but every decision feels natural and makes sense in context. The ending is sad and unsatisfying, but making decisions as bizarre as those fully understandable is a feat that alone makes the book worth reading.(less)

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Jun 30, 2012 Asmahan Abd Halim rated it 4 of 5 stars

A story about two people who had been grown up together, a very close friends which not so sure about their real feeling towards each other. But they end-up having their own life, built a family of their own. Malvolio (Mal) and Nova (weird-star-name-by) so cute and weird name they both have. :)

Mal's wife refuse to have kids on her own (which Mal do not know), asking help from Nova to get pregnant for them. But out of her jealousy towards Nova where she find out one unanswered text message ' Good...more

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Apr 11, 2012 CookieDemon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: family-drama, fiction

(This review also appears on Amazon.co.uk)

I've read some of other Koomson's books and whilst I was completely blown away by `The Woman He Loved Before' I have to say that I personally thought some of her other books were only average. Therefore, when I picked this up, I had no preconceptions other than I expected this book to be fairly well-written with engaging characters.

For me, Koomson doesn't read like `chick-lit.' Her books are too gritty for that, concentrating on subject matters that real...more (This review also appears on Amazon.co.uk)

I've read some of other Koomson's books and whilst I was completely blown away by `The Woman He Loved Before' I have to say that I personally thought some of her other books were only average. Therefore, when I picked this up, I had no preconceptions other than I expected this book to be fairly well-written with engaging characters.

For me, Koomson doesn't read like `chick-lit.' Her books are too gritty for that, concentrating on subject matters that really make you think- almost in a Picoult-esque fashion, though written from a very English viewpoint. This book was no different.

Told from alternating characters points of view, the book focuses on two lifelong friends- Nova and Mal. Nova agrees to be a surrogate for Mal and his wife, Stephanie. Halfway through the pregnancy however, the couple change their minds, leaving Nova pregnant and alone.

Eight years later, Nova waits for her son to wake up from a coma and Stephanie reflects on her failing marriage- and Nova and Mal's friendship has been seemingly ripped apart forever...

An engaging read with a compelling subject matter. The characters are well developed and the plot held my attention all the way through. Though Leo is in a coma you get to know him through flashbacks- he is a terrifically portrayed little character. Nova too, was wonderfully written- I enjoy reading about strong female protagonists and you really get to know her in this book.

I have to say though, that even despite the circumstances I felt no empathy towards Stephanie- though she was written that way for a reason. Mal too, though his circumstances were tough, I still couldn't feel much sympathy for- so this is a book that may divide opinion. I found myself getting a bit frustrated in parts. Personally, I didn't cry at this book either- though its easy to see why others did- it is a bit heart-wrenching in places, but for me the ending was just a little bit too abrupt which is why I've only given it four stars, not five.

Ultimately this is a book about love, loss and friendships, so don't prepare yourself for an uplifting read. I personally felt a bit flat when I finished it, despite enjoying it. If you've enjoyed Koomson's other novels and like well written contemporary fiction with strong female characters then this is a book you will probably enjoy. (less)

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Apr 05, 2012 Danderma rated it 5 of 5 stars

I have just finished the 5th novel by Dorothy Koomson, one of my favourite authors… this book? Probably her 2nd best! and one of the best most touching ones i have read in a long long time.

You see, Dorothy has a unique writing style. She doesnt start from the begining and move forwards, she starts at some point in the story, with dreams and flashbacks and sudden memories that will piece up the puzzle of plot as you go on forwards.

and if you are like me, get sick of happy every one is in the clou...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Clo rated it 5 of 5 stars

I tried reading this years ago but I gave up after a bit because I couldn't get into it, but I found it yesterday when I was looking for a book to read after i'd finished my other book. I thought I'd give it another go and finished it within the day, it was such a good book.

I was divided as to who I felt for the most Steph or Nova; Yes Steph was bipolar and had faced her own traumas but ultimately it was Nova I felt sorry for given the fact she only agreeed to have a baby because Mal was her bes...more

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Jun 02, 2011 Laura rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Goodnight, Beautiful is the June selection one of my book clubs. Nova and Mal have been best friends their entire lives. When Mal and his wife Stephanie can’t have a child of their own, they ask Nova to be a surrogate mother. Things do not go as planned and Mal and Stephanie cut Nova out of their lives before the baby is born. Nova is left raising baby Leo on her own. After tragedy strikes, she must decide whether to allow Mal back in her and Leo’s lives again.

I had a love/hate relationship with...more Goodnight, Beautiful is the June selection one of my book clubs. Nova and Mal have been best friends their entire lives. When Mal and his wife Stephanie can’t have a child of their own, they ask Nova to be a surrogate mother. Things do not go as planned and Mal and Stephanie cut Nova out of their lives before the baby is born. Nova is left raising baby Leo on her own. After tragedy strikes, she must decide whether to allow Mal back in her and Leo’s lives again.

I had a love/hate relationship with this book, which I think will provide for a good decision during our book club meeting this weekend. I thought Goodnight, Beautiful was a very hard book to get into at first. The narrative switches between Nova and Stephanie and back and forth in time. It was hard to understand who was talking sometimes and when. Once I got into the book however, I enjoyed reading it and wanted to know how it ended. Once I reached the end, I was disappointed in the conclusion, but don’t want to spoil the book for others so I’ll have to leave that discussion for book club. I’ll just say that I didn’t think the essential conflict in the novel was resolved by the ending.

I liked the unique characters is this book. They all had problems to overcome and were fully three dimensional characters that I enjoyed reading about. I also liked the supernatural element – Nova sees ghosts and runs a psychic café. I also liked how Nova didn’t want to necessarily be a mother, but then her son Leo became the real love of her life. Mal was a great character too, but his flaw was being too loving and trusting of his wife to the detriment of his friendship with Nova.

Overall, Goodnight, Beautiful was a so-so chick lit novel. It had great characters with a unique and compelling storyline, but I think it was overall dragged down by a very slow start and a bad ending. Make sure to have your Kleenex ready when you read this book, I had to work hard to not cry during the end while riding in the car with the family.
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Jun 30, 2010 Rusane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Rusane by: good reads advanced copy giveaway

I received this book through the good reads advance copy give away. Is exactly the type of book that I would have picked up to read anyway. But, it is heart wrenching.

The story line is very interesting (though not very likely - I mean, who in their right mind would agree to something like this?????). Somewhat of a love story (though I don't know that I cheered any of the relationships that were or weren't being developed), somewhat a mother/child story (though not fully developed, but strong non...more

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Dec 04, 2009 Chloe rated it 4 of 5 stars

Nova and Mal have been best friends since, well, forever really. They grew up together and Nova thought they’d end up together as well.

But when Mal met Stephanie, he fell in love and married her. The couple have a big favour to ask Nova – will she have a baby for them? Nova agrees but when the couple suddenly decide they don’t want their baby anymore, Nova is left feeling frightened, alone and unsure she can be a single mother.

Flicking from the past to the present day, Nova’s son’s life hangs in...more Nova and Mal have been best friends since, well, forever really. They grew up together and Nova thought they’d end up together as well.

But when Mal met Stephanie, he fell in love and married her. The couple have a big favour to ask Nova – will she have a baby for them? Nova agrees but when the couple suddenly decide they don’t want their baby anymore, Nova is left feeling frightened, alone and unsure she can be a single mother.

Flicking from the past to the present day, Nova’s son’s life hangs in the balance, and so does Mal and Stephanie’s marriage. Can both survive?

The blurb in itself suggests that this is going to be an emotional read, as are all of Dorothy Koomson’s novels. The main idea focuses on the issue of surrogacy, which isn’t an issue I’ve ever read about in a fictional book before. Surrogacy is something I know I could never do, I couldn’t grow a baby only to give it away the end and this theme is well-explored by Koomson, showing us Nova’s thoughts about the idea and how she comes to the decisions she eventually reaches. But the most important part of the surrogacy issue in this book is how it changes the relationships of those involved, right from finding out the surrogate mother is pregnant to the birth of the baby, and beyond.

I found the way that Koomson approached the whole issue was delicately done, and this really is a credit to her writing skill and indeed style. The whole background for the story was so well done that it really wasn’t a shock to read about, and nothing too graphic was written about, the idea of the surrogacy really focussed on Nova and Mal’s relationship, and the effect the surrogacy had on Stephanie, the outsider. Koomson really has a skill for writing well developed relationships between characters, and this was really a great element of the book. Koomson really knows how to engage her readers with an emotional storyline which has you hooked in minutes, and leaving you not able to put the book down again until its finished!

The characters themselves were very interesting too, with the main 2 characters of Nova and Mal being very detailed in background, emotion and story. The book flips between the present day and the past, right back to the childhood of the pair, and this allows you to get into the minds of both, particularly Nova as she is the storyteller for most of the book, and allows you to build up in your mind why things in the future (i.e. present day in the book) happen as they do. Mal’s wife Stephanie was clearly meant to be the evil outsider, and right from the off I really didn’t like her. How a woman can make her man choose between her and his child is beyond me, and for this I hated her instantly. Even towards the end when her past is fully revealed, I sympathised with her but didn’t feel it justified what she had to done to Nova and Mal.

The writing style used in the book was quite interesting to me, partly because it left me feeling confused quite frequently throughout the book! Despite the fact that Koomson had chose to tell the story from both Stephanie and Nova’s perspectives, so that’s 2 storytellers, she’s chosen to write in the first person without giving a name at the top of a new chapter to tell you who is narrating that particular section. I sometimes found I had to read almost 2 pages of a chapter before I got whether Nova or Stephanie were ‘talking’, and this left me frustrated and often confused. I always find first person narratives work best when there is only one storyteller as you can follow emotion and the story much better, but the 2 person first-person narrative just didn’t work, it would have been much better in the third person!

Although I have found the previous Koomson reads of “Marshmallows for Breakfast” and “My Best Friend’s Girl” quite uplifting, this one was quite the opposite, and I had a feeling all the way through that I might not get the happy ending I was hoping for. There wasn’t much happiness throughout the book as a whole to be honest, what with unrequited love, mental illness, failed surrogacy and broken friendships being the main themes in the book. I was hoping for a small glimmer of happiness somewhere in the book, but there just seemed to be misery all around which left me feeling a bit drained after reading large chunks of the book. It’s a shame Koomson didn’t write just a chapter of something happy going on in the story, as this really lost the book a star on its rating from me. It was quite a depressing read, and I did find myself a bit teary at stages throughout, so it wasn’t the light hearted chick-lit read I was hoping for! It is a very well-written story with interesting themes, great characters and a very easy to read style, but just a little depressing for me! I’d still recommend it to Koomson fans though, it is up to her usual writing standards. I’d give it 3.5 stars if I could, but I decided to round it up for writing and a good story. (less)

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Jun 13, 2009 Betita rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: emprestado

Li este livro de uma assentada! Fiquei completamente "agarrada" a ele logo nas pimeiras páginas, não podendo interromper a sua leitura por muito tempo seguido.
É inevitável, sendo mãe, não sentir esta história até ao mais profundo do nosso ser.
Nunca achei que teria vocação para mãe, nunca fui "assaltada" por aquele tão falado instito maternal como alguma das minhas amigas antes de ter a minha filha e ao ler esta história recuei atrás no tempo e recordei a minha gravidez... Um bebé a crescer dent...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Ummu Auni rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2011, general-fiction

As with her first novel, Koomson had indeed made this one a tear jerker. Nova & Mal were best friends till a pact Mal made with his wife, Stephanie severed their relationship. As much as Nova agreed to become surrogate mother for Mal & Stephanie, somehow, I feel it's a bit too late to explain the broken promises. This is a novel which will make you wonder, "What if?" As much as I tried my best not to be emotionally detached, I pitied Stephanie. This book reminded me of a story played by...more

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Jan 23, 2013 Elvia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 01, 2009 Pedro rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Este foi o primeiro livro que li da autora.
Desde que saiu A Filha da Minha Melhor Amiga que queria ler algo desta autora... Boa notícia: vale a pena.

É um romance sobre a amizade, a maternidade, a traição, o amor. Temas já bases. Mas tudo isto resulta num produto bastante emotivo, que nos deixa a suspirar pelas personagens. Por isso mesmo, gostei muito de lê-lo.

A sinopse engana um pouco... Sinceramente, acho que este livro tem muito mais qualidade do que a sinopse mostra! A acção não se estabelec...more Este foi o primeiro livro que li da autora.
Desde que saiu A Filha da Minha Melhor Amiga que queria ler algo desta autora... Boa notícia: vale a pena.

É um romance sobre a amizade, a maternidade, a traição, o amor. Temas já bases. Mas tudo isto resulta num produto bastante emotivo, que nos deixa a suspirar pelas personagens. Por isso mesmo, gostei muito de lê-lo.

A sinopse engana um pouco... Sinceramente, acho que este livro tem muito mais qualidade do que a sinopse mostra! A acção não se estabelece num único fio condutor, vai-se encadeando: de capítulo para capítulo pode mudar o espaço, a personagem que nos desabafa ou a época. Pode parecer confuso, mas não é, é até bastante interessante, e dá à obra um outro brilho, mais literário.

Acho que todos nós sabemos o que é uma grande amizade. Até onde estaríamos dispostos a ir por esses grandes amigos? Qual é o valor da amizade quando o(a) nosso(a) melhor amigo(a) nos pede algo que ultrapassa o sentimento, mas toca no que nós somos? Arriscaríamos a vida por amor?
Este livro fala sobre isso. Uma forte amizade que é posta à prova quando Mal pede à sua melhor amiga, Nova, que seja "barriga de aluguer" do seu filho e da sua mulher, Steph. Mas, entretanto, o significado do passado das três personagens e o seu presente vão de tal modo ser catastróficos que, oito anos mais tarde, Nova está a criar Leo, o seu filho. Leo está gravemente doente, e Nova não fala com Mal há oito anos. Conseguirão vencer um passado para abarcar o presente e o futuro de braços abertos?

Há aqueles livros bastante emotivos, mas cuja emoção vem em picos: lemos uma página, na seguinte há uma torrente de emoção que nos deita abaixo, as coisas acalmam e algumas páginas à frente voltamos a sentir essa torrente!
Neste livro, não é bem assim. É mais uma linha recta: ao longo de todas as páginas, o nível de emoção mantém-se linear, constante, sem picos mas sim sempre à mesma altura. Como se uma nuvem de emoção cercasse todo o livro. Não nos sentimos emocionados de vez em quando, mas sim constantemente ao longo das páginas. Só tenho pena que este livro seja, algumas vezes, bastante triste, e um pouco deprimente. Esperava que fosse algo mais inspirador, mais alegre. Mas também há, com certeza, momentos desses, embora um pouco mais pontuais.

Uma boa leitura, emotiva, romântica, e mais um caso da vida. É isso mesmo, um caso da vida, mas posto nas mãos de quem me parece ser uma excelente escritora, tornando assim esta bonita história num livro que emocionará o ser provido de sentimentos.(less)

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Mar 02, 2011 Bex rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

Nova and Mal have grown up together – they are pretty much as close as it’s possible for two people to be. When Mal married Steph, who can’t have children, Nova agrees to be a surrogate for them, but when Steph changes her mind about the baby, several months into the pregnancy, Nova is left to deal with raising a child alone. Eight years later, her son Leo is in a coma. Goodnight, Beautiful deals with the kinds of effects such an even has on people, and how it forces them to come to terms with t...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010

Moments after I've finished it is too soon to give a real opinion, but I needed to log on to say that I feel as if I have been punched in the stomach and had the breath knocked out of me. And it's good. I don't remember when I have ever cried at a book.

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This book was really good. I don't have a more descriptive word than "good", unfortunately. I still don't really know what it did to me other than that it made me feel. The three main characters (Nova, Mal, and Steph) were al...more Moments after I've finished it is too soon to give a real opinion, but I needed to log on to say that I feel as if I have been punched in the stomach and had the breath knocked out of me. And it's good. I don't remember when I have ever cried at a book.

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This book was really good. I don't have a more descriptive word than "good", unfortunately. I still don't really know what it did to me other than that it made me feel. The three main characters (Nova, Mal, and Steph) were all nicely formed. We get into the heads of both women, but by seeing Mal through the two sets of thoughts we get a good picture of why he does the things he does. I went into the book knowing only what is on the back cover and I expected to know exactly where my sympathies were. Of course, I was wrong. Steph is a flawed character, but the reader grows to understand her. Or maybe that was just me. It was a very true-feeling picture of mental illness; Steph had a lot of my own fears and worries, although at a level I have never felt.

The book is told in sections by Nova and by Steph, and it also jumps around in time quite a bit. There is no header and it is not always obvious who is speaking or when. This sort of thing usually kills a book for me, but I was surprised at how EASY it was to tell who was speaking and when. There's definitely an art to giving exposition in a few sentences naturally. Within the first line of a new section, something would be said to let you know when you were and who you were with, but it was always organic. Leo would be there, or there would be a mention of fashion or baking and you knew.

This book had to take place in England because of the race relations. Nova is black (Ghanaian), and Mal and Steph are white. This is slightly important, but so different from the ways it would be important in the US. Interracial couples are pretty much a nonissue, but the fact that someone could see the white parents of a biracial child and know something is up IS an issue.

The friendships and family relationships were pitch perfect. I "liked" all the characters, but I wouldn't want to know them, I don't think. We get to know them and all of their ridiculous thoughts and actions. The reader is too intimate with people portrayed too realistically for us to actually want to hang out with them.

As I think about the book now, there are things that perhaps bother me. This is the first book I have read by Ms. Koomson, so I don't know if psychics is one of her "things" that she has to put in every book, but Nova seeing ghosts didn't do much for the plot and felt somewhat thrown in. There were several other things that bother me, but only now. At NO point in the book did I even roll my eyes. I was too wrapped up in the story. That's good.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. I don't think I liked it, but I don't know what could have happened differently. It was more like, that's what happens with life, and life kind of sucks; as opposed to thinking that the book kind of sucks. Anything I didn't like could be written off to "doesn't it suck that life is like that?" and I think there is a spot on my shelf for a book that comments on life like that.(less)

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Mar 22, 2011 Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the third Dorothy Koomson book I've read. I consider it chick lit. Like the other two I've read (Marshmallows for Breakfast and My Best Friend's Girl) the lead single, female character finds herself in the care of a child/children - and that's not really in her life plan. This particular story was about a woman who agreed to be the surrogate for her best friend and his wife. However, several months into the pregnancy, the friend and his wife tell her they can't go thru with it and don't...more

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Sep 08, 2011 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011

This book made me so sad....

The obvious reason was Leo, which did make me sad - more than sad actually, i cried my eyes out! but i was sad mainly because the characters didnt get to live the life they were supposed to, i was sad and frustrated all the way through. I did lots of sighing and shaking my head......
What i like most about Dorothy Koomson books are the characters she creates. They're always deep and flawed and believable which means i can empathise and really care about them.
I loved t...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was really enjoying this book until the last few chapters and the end was so terrible that it just made me mad that I read this whole book for that crummy ending! The book centers around best friends Mal and Nova. They grew up together and at times one or the other would contemplate taking their friendship to the next level, but were scared to jeopardize their incredible friendship. When Mal gets married his wife Stephanie is jealous and suspicious of his relationship with Nova, but since she...more

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May 06, 2013 Bree T rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: women-s-fiction

Eight years ago, Nova agreed to do a selfless thing – to have a baby for her best friend since childhool Mal and his wife Stephanie. They could not have children and when Stephanie was desperate to become a mother, they turned to the one person that they thought would help them.

For a while, everything went well. But then Stephanie found a text from Mal to Nova saying ‘Goodnight, beautiful’ and suddenly she was filled with a terrible fear. She decided that she couldn’t go through with it, that sh...more Eight years ago, Nova agreed to do a selfless thing – to have a baby for her best friend since childhool Mal and his wife Stephanie. They could not have children and when Stephanie was desperate to become a mother, they turned to the one person that they thought would help them.

For a while, everything went well. But then Stephanie found a text from Mal to Nova saying ‘Goodnight, beautiful’ and suddenly she was filled with a terrible fear. She decided that she couldn’t go through with it, that she couldn’t raise this child that was Mal and Nova’s and they walked away, leaving Nora pregnant, scared and alone.

Now Leo is 8 and he is ill in hospital, in a coma. Nova spends every waking moment by his bedside, desperately waiting for him to open his eyes. Stephanie is still trying to save her marriage, torn even further apart by the guilt and the aftermath of their decision to walk away and for Mal to cut ties with Nova.

Now that it seems the worst is to come for Leo, Nova decides that Mal has a right to know and to see his son if he so chooses. This may be the only chance he ever gets and Nova is done living her life as if Mal doesn’t exist anymore. They were best friends and surely they can salvage something from this horrible situation.

Goodnight, Beautiful is another book that tackles surrogacy albeit in a very different way. Nova and Mal grew up, bound together by their parents friendship and support. The two of them were almost inseparable up until their college years until a mistimed interaction that went beyond friendship led to a bit of a cooling off. Mal met and married Stephanie and Nova drifted in and out of relationships with Keith, a policeman 10 years older than she. When Mal and Stephanie asked Nova to be a surrogate, her first instinct was to say no. But then she realised she could give them this gift and changed her mind only to end up alone when the two of them walked away from her and the unborn child. Nova had attempted to distance herself from the baby growing inside of her, knowing that he was never going to be hers, that she would be handing him over. But then with no warning…. everything changed.

While I felt for Nova (what an utterly horrible, horrible thing for someone to do to her) she came across as so utterly spineless throughout almost all of this book that it was infuriating. Mal is one of the most selfish, unlikable characters I’ve had the displeasure of reading about in a long time and Nova pretty much just lets him walk right over the top of her. She was in love with him when he baulked and cooled things off between them and she was in love with him still when he married Stephanie and when he asked her to be a surrogate. Mal realising that he’d made a mistake probably couldn’t have come at a worse time but he’d sworn to a fragile Stephanie that he would never leave her, haunted by his mother’s demons. I spent most of the time wanting to slap Mal and Stephanie for their hideous manipulation and selfishness and wanting to shake Nova, to spur her into some form of action. She’s so pathetically passive about what they do to her, she doesn’t even tell her family how she came to be pregnant and what happened. Instead she allows them to think that she had some sort of affair/one night stand with Mal (when it becomes obvious after Leo is born who his father is). Nova shoulders the blame (although I do have to say she is not judged by her family or even Mal’s own mother) of the resulting Leo and even when the truth comes out when Leo is in hospital and Nova feels Mal should know/see him, no one holds Mal accountable for his weak and spineless actions. They way in which they decide on a whim to create a child, involving Nova in the process and then the way in which they walk away from it was loathesome. No matter how tortured they were on the inside, both Mal and Stephanie were such terrible people that I couldn’t get behind Mal and Nova’s fabulous friendship at all. I also found Nova and Mal’s actions late in the novel reprehensible. I know some people do strange things in the grip of grief and what have you but I couldn’t help feeling sorry for Keith. Poor bastard.

I’ve heard some really fabulous things about this author, this novel and also The Ice Cream Girls so I do have to say that this was a bit of a disappointment to me. I think the core story was pretty fantastic but my inability to connect with the two main characters, especially Mal meant that I didn’t really feel the deep emotion that some others did. I do like that it took quite a different look at surrogacy – you’d expect the surrogate to perhaps back out but I feel that the parents desperate for the baby changing their mind was quite an interesting twist. I understand why/how it happened, but that doesn’t change the fact that Nova was treated in a way that went above and beyond awful and she just let it happen. I can’t really get with that!(less)

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Mar 04, 2013 Rhea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reading-challenge

If you're the sort of person who watches the saddest tearjerker you can get your hands on every once in a while because you just want to let yourself wallow, this book is for you.
Goodnight Beautiful is very far from my go-to genres- I'm an escapist at heart; Give me a distopian fantasy over the real world any day.
The book is what it says in the blurb, and while the plot can be summarized perfectly 2 neat paragraphs, the characters and narrative are what stand out. When I started reading Goodnig...more

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