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Not Awkward
What do you do when you and your ex seem fated to meet… AGAIN??
Scott has his fair share of problems. Just weeks before his wedding to Charlotte, he finds out that he not only is passed over for a long-awaited promotion but also loses his job completely to a newer, less experienced candidate. Also, his own sister, Quinn, doesn’t approve of his impending nuptials to her best friend.
To make matters worse, Scott is devastated when he finds out that Jerry, his ex-girlfriend Leila’s dad, passed away. Even when Leila broke up with him out of the blue nearly six years ago, he still liked Jerry. And now Scott wants to pay his respects.
Scott plans to show up, say his condolences, and leave. Charlotte is off to her bachelorette getaway with Quinn anyway. She’ll never know he’s gone.
But fate had something else in mind.
What was initially a short and sweet visit turns into a days-long, very awkward stay at Leila’s house, sitting shiva with her and the rest of her family. As if that’s not awkward enough, Leila keeps throwing fits while everyone else seems to be under the impression that it was Scott who broke up with Leila.
Amid the chaos and confusion, more and more people show up, giving rise to a few more incredibly uncomfortable situations.
Will Scott be able to get out of this scot-free? (Pun fully intended)
Will he finally uncover the real reason why Leila broke up with him?
Will there be a rekindling of an old flame after all?
Find out for yourself in “Not Awkward” — a delightfully uncomfortable contemporary romantic comedy novel by Matthew Hanover!
Scott has his fair share of problems. Just weeks before his wedding to Charlotte, he finds out that he not only is passed over for a long-awaited promotion but also loses his job completely to a newer, less experienced candidate. Also, his own sister, Quinn, doesn’t approve of his impending nuptials to her best friend.
To make matters worse, Scott is devastated when he finds out that Jerry, his ex-girlfriend Leila’s dad, passed away. Even when Leila broke up with him out of the blue nearly six years ago, he still liked Jerry. And now Scott wants to pay his respects.
Scott plans to show up, say his condolences, and leave. Charlotte is off to her bachelorette getaway with Quinn anyway. She’ll never know he’s gone.
But fate had something else in mind.
What was initially a short and sweet visit turns into a days-long, very awkward stay at Leila’s house, sitting shiva with her and the rest of her family. As if that’s not awkward enough, Leila keeps throwing fits while everyone else seems to be under the impression that it was Scott who broke up with Leila.
Amid the chaos and confusion, more and more people show up, giving rise to a few more incredibly uncomfortable situations.
Will Scott be able to get out of this scot-free? (Pun fully intended)
Will he finally uncover the real reason why Leila broke up with him?
Will there be a rekindling of an old flame after all?
Find out for yourself in “Not Awkward” — a delightfully uncomfortable contemporary romantic comedy novel by Matthew Hanover!
342 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 24, 2021
21 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Hanover
5 books63 followersI’m Matthew Hanover. By day, I’m just an ordinary forty-something marketing professional just trying to earn a paycheck.
But, by night (and on weekends) I write novels. My novels are contemporary fiction / romantic comedies. I originally set out to just write one novel I had in my head and realized I had more stories to tell. So far, I’ve written three novels, and a fourth one is on the way!
Read more at his blog at MatthewHanover.com or follow him on Twitter @MatthewHanover.
But, by night (and on weekends) I write novels. My novels are contemporary fiction / romantic comedies. I originally set out to just write one novel I had in my head and realized I had more stories to tell. So far, I’ve written three novels, and a fourth one is on the way!
Read more at his blog at MatthewHanover.com or follow him on Twitter @MatthewHanover.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 18, 2022
A thoroughly enjoyable read from a POV I am not used to – – I read a lot of chick lit and this story is told entirely from the male’s point of view. The tone of the book is conversational; I felt like I was sitting next to Scott as he told me his tale.
The characters are believable, original, and complicated. I found myself really rooting for Scott, and thoroughly delighted with the end of the story.
Thanks to the author for providing a look at the Jewish art of grieving, and also for a little education on speed cubing. I look forward to reading more from this author!
The characters are believable, original, and complicated. I found myself really rooting for Scott, and thoroughly delighted with the end of the story.
Thanks to the author for providing a look at the Jewish art of grieving, and also for a little education on speed cubing. I look forward to reading more from this author!
June 4, 2021
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S NOT AWKWARD ABOUT?
I'm assuming I'm not the only one who finds themselves in a situation like this—I halfway expected to find a Jeff Murdock monologue about this, but alas... You go to an event of some kind because of family obligation, an acquaintance, your Significant Other's employer—not because you really want to, but you feel you should. Once there, you stay an adequate amount of time and try to make your excuses and leave. But the host or someone talks you into staying for a little longer, and a little longer after that. While you may not be actively hating the experience, you're certainly not enjoying yourself much and are looking for an opportunity to make a tactful exit.
This is pretty much the situation that Scott finds himself in. But rather than a birthday party for your second cousin you haven't seen in a decade, Scott finds himself as a guest at his ex-girlfriend's house while they sit shiva for her father. Recently fired and about to get married, Scott felt like he should go to the funeral for the man who always treated him so well. One thing led to another and Leila's mother compelled him to stay for a night, which turns into another, and another...
Scott's fiance, Charlotte, is off for a bachelorette's week with his sister and Charlotte's closest friend, Quinn. So there's nothing for him to go home to, and he can search for jobs from Leila's as well as anywhere. So he sticks around as emotional support (and/or emotional punching bag, depending on Leila's understandably shifting moods require), and finds himself with an opportunity to get the closure he didn't realize he needed and maybe even an explanation for why she dumped him out of the blue six years ago. Or maybe, something else will end up happening between the two.
SPEEDCUBING
A few months ago, one of the local newscasts had a feature about an area resident who used to take part in Rubik's Cube competitions on a pretty high level, it looked back on his competitions and "does he still have it?" No, he doesn't. But he's still faster than at least 96% of anyone who's ever solved one.
So when we learn that Charlotte is a speedcuber, going to competitions, posting videos to social media, my mind immediately went back to that and I was in. Most readers aren't going to have that particular background, but Charlotte's hobby (for lack of a better word, but it's not quite right) is going to make her stand out in readers' minds—how often have you come across a character who does that? What I appreciated most about the Rubik's cube thing is that was it starts out as a character quirk, but by the end, Hanover finds some thoughtful things to do with it—revealing something about the character (and a little more).
THE SISTER FACTOR
A mistake that readers like me can make is to think they've figured out all a writer's moves, I really thought I had a handle on the role of "protagonist's sister" in Hanover's books. So when Quinn shows up pretty early, I sat up and paid attention to her. Which is when I noticed that Quinn is going to serve another role in this novel. She's not an antagonist, but she's certainly an obstacle for both Charlotte and Scott to overcome.
She's been best friends with Charlotte since childhood—and try as she might, she's still having trouble shifting from being Charlotte's best friend to her best friend and brother's significant other/future sister-in-law. I wasn't entirely sold on this particular arc, but it helped us get a different look at Scott and his love life, and in the final third or so of the novel, it really paid off.
Along the same lines, Hanover hasn't given us a protagonist's brother before. I really didn't care for this one—but I wasn't supposed to*, he was written in such a way that it'd be hard to like him at all. But Scott and Quinn having an older brother is a new dynamic for Hanover and it works pretty well.
* And I won't even get started about his wife.
THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF IT ALL
In Not Dressed, Hanover alludes to a couple of characters and events from Not Famous, but here in Not Awkward he goes a lot further—the characters and events actually show up in the text. Sure, it's done in such a way that people who haven't read the other books won't be short-changed when it comes to understanding this novel. But if you have read them, you'll appreciate the way that Hanover has woven them into these pages.
It's a great way to make a reader smile when they recognize something. But better, it's a fantastic way to touch base with characters from one of those books. "Oh, look X got engaged." Or "hey, Y and Z will be working together." We also get to see characters like that in a different setting and from a different perspective. Rather than having to go through the bother with writing a whole new novel about one of Not Dressed's characters, with a few scenes in this (that move the plot along and help us understand Scott better), we see that character in a whole new light and it may change what you think of some parts of that other book.
Again, I stress—if you haven't read his other novels, or if you don't remember the details, it won't matter at all.
EEP! A CONSERVATIVE!
There is a character in this book who is a political conservative who works in politics (in more of the pre-2015 mold, I should stress), but this is a non-political book. The fact that they are conservative is mentioned a few times, and two (I think—no more than three) positions are mentioned. There are no debates, explanations, or arguments for the positions.
I mention this only because in our current climate, a lot of readers (from all over the political spectrum) run for the hills when politics come up. There is no need for that here—it's brought up occasionally, but not in any kind of detail. No political position is ever endorsed or supported, or discussed in any kind of depth.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT NOT AWKWARD?
While this is a lighter read, as is the norm for a "lad lit" novel—it's not as funny as Hanover's earlier works. That said, there are a couple of moments that are comedic gold. Slap-stick humor is difficult to pull off in print, but Hanover makes it look fairly effortless.
At at least three points in this novel, I assumed I knew how the rest would play out, "Oh, it's going to be ____ kind of a story." And I was wrong each time—thankfully. Instead, Hanover has given us a different kind of story than he has in the past, a subtler one, a more mature one.* One still infused with his trademark warmth, heart, and appeal. But there's more going on, there's a little ambiguity about some things. Experience is making a better author out of Hanover.
* Although I would have been satisfactorily charmed and entertained by the kind of story he's given us before.
There were aspects of the story or characters that I wasn't crazy about—but I'm not going to get into that at this point, because I don't know what will happen to those things between the beta stage and the final version (although I was told about some directions he was going and that made me feel better). Maybe I'll update this when the final version is out—maybe I won't, we'll see how much I care once it hits. But whatever quibbles I might have had, that's all they were, quibbles. And they paled in comparison to the novel as a whole.
Because I wanted to think carefully about this novel, I wouldn't let myself read more than 10-15 percent of it a night. That was hard. I wanted to read the whole thing in one sitting—and easily could have. I literally had to force myself to stop reading each time I picked it up so I could send my feedback and do other things. But I wanted to keep going, I had such a great time with these characters, this story, and Hanover's writing.
Somewhere in there is Hanover's secret—no matter what dumb, reckless, obnoxious, or (have to say it) awkward thing his characters do, you like them. You can't help but do so. Scott said a couple of things in the first chapter that really made me wonder if I wanted to go through an entire book with him. By the third, I was pulling for the guy. This goes for Leila, too—not only did she break Scott's heart six years ago, but she didn't even tell him why. But in no time flat, you're hoping she's doing okay after her father's death and you feel bad for the situation she finds herself in. If it's bad enough that she talks Scott into sticking around...
And I've gone on far too long here. I need to wrap things up.
Not Awkward is a warm and heart-filled story about revisiting the past, finding healing (whether or not you thought you needed it), and embracing a future that doesn't look like you expected it would (and is probably better). It's the kind of book that'll make you feel a little better about life for a while—and who doesn't want to read something like that?
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
WHAT'S NOT AWKWARD ABOUT?
I'm assuming I'm not the only one who finds themselves in a situation like this—I halfway expected to find a Jeff Murdock monologue about this, but alas... You go to an event of some kind because of family obligation, an acquaintance, your Significant Other's employer—not because you really want to, but you feel you should. Once there, you stay an adequate amount of time and try to make your excuses and leave. But the host or someone talks you into staying for a little longer, and a little longer after that. While you may not be actively hating the experience, you're certainly not enjoying yourself much and are looking for an opportunity to make a tactful exit.
This is pretty much the situation that Scott finds himself in. But rather than a birthday party for your second cousin you haven't seen in a decade, Scott finds himself as a guest at his ex-girlfriend's house while they sit shiva for her father. Recently fired and about to get married, Scott felt like he should go to the funeral for the man who always treated him so well. One thing led to another and Leila's mother compelled him to stay for a night, which turns into another, and another...
Scott's fiance, Charlotte, is off for a bachelorette's week with his sister and Charlotte's closest friend, Quinn. So there's nothing for him to go home to, and he can search for jobs from Leila's as well as anywhere. So he sticks around as emotional support (and/or emotional punching bag, depending on Leila's understandably shifting moods require), and finds himself with an opportunity to get the closure he didn't realize he needed and maybe even an explanation for why she dumped him out of the blue six years ago. Or maybe, something else will end up happening between the two.
SPEEDCUBING
A few months ago, one of the local newscasts had a feature about an area resident who used to take part in Rubik's Cube competitions on a pretty high level, it looked back on his competitions and "does he still have it?" No, he doesn't. But he's still faster than at least 96% of anyone who's ever solved one.
So when we learn that Charlotte is a speedcuber, going to competitions, posting videos to social media, my mind immediately went back to that and I was in. Most readers aren't going to have that particular background, but Charlotte's hobby (for lack of a better word, but it's not quite right) is going to make her stand out in readers' minds—how often have you come across a character who does that? What I appreciated most about the Rubik's cube thing is that was it starts out as a character quirk, but by the end, Hanover finds some thoughtful things to do with it—revealing something about the character (and a little more).
THE SISTER FACTOR
A mistake that readers like me can make is to think they've figured out all a writer's moves, I really thought I had a handle on the role of "protagonist's sister" in Hanover's books. So when Quinn shows up pretty early, I sat up and paid attention to her. Which is when I noticed that Quinn is going to serve another role in this novel. She's not an antagonist, but she's certainly an obstacle for both Charlotte and Scott to overcome.
She's been best friends with Charlotte since childhood—and try as she might, she's still having trouble shifting from being Charlotte's best friend to her best friend and brother's significant other/future sister-in-law. I wasn't entirely sold on this particular arc, but it helped us get a different look at Scott and his love life, and in the final third or so of the novel, it really paid off.
Along the same lines, Hanover hasn't given us a protagonist's brother before. I really didn't care for this one—but I wasn't supposed to*, he was written in such a way that it'd be hard to like him at all. But Scott and Quinn having an older brother is a new dynamic for Hanover and it works pretty well.
* And I won't even get started about his wife.
THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF IT ALL
In Not Dressed, Hanover alludes to a couple of characters and events from Not Famous, but here in Not Awkward he goes a lot further—the characters and events actually show up in the text. Sure, it's done in such a way that people who haven't read the other books won't be short-changed when it comes to understanding this novel. But if you have read them, you'll appreciate the way that Hanover has woven them into these pages.
It's a great way to make a reader smile when they recognize something. But better, it's a fantastic way to touch base with characters from one of those books. "Oh, look X got engaged." Or "hey, Y and Z will be working together." We also get to see characters like that in a different setting and from a different perspective. Rather than having to go through the bother with writing a whole new novel about one of Not Dressed's characters, with a few scenes in this (that move the plot along and help us understand Scott better), we see that character in a whole new light and it may change what you think of some parts of that other book.
Again, I stress—if you haven't read his other novels, or if you don't remember the details, it won't matter at all.
EEP! A CONSERVATIVE!
There is a character in this book who is a political conservative who works in politics (in more of the pre-2015 mold, I should stress), but this is a non-political book. The fact that they are conservative is mentioned a few times, and two (I think—no more than three) positions are mentioned. There are no debates, explanations, or arguments for the positions.
I mention this only because in our current climate, a lot of readers (from all over the political spectrum) run for the hills when politics come up. There is no need for that here—it's brought up occasionally, but not in any kind of detail. No political position is ever endorsed or supported, or discussed in any kind of depth.
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT NOT AWKWARD?
While this is a lighter read, as is the norm for a "lad lit" novel—it's not as funny as Hanover's earlier works. That said, there are a couple of moments that are comedic gold. Slap-stick humor is difficult to pull off in print, but Hanover makes it look fairly effortless.
At at least three points in this novel, I assumed I knew how the rest would play out, "Oh, it's going to be ____ kind of a story." And I was wrong each time—thankfully. Instead, Hanover has given us a different kind of story than he has in the past, a subtler one, a more mature one.* One still infused with his trademark warmth, heart, and appeal. But there's more going on, there's a little ambiguity about some things. Experience is making a better author out of Hanover.
* Although I would have been satisfactorily charmed and entertained by the kind of story he's given us before.
There were aspects of the story or characters that I wasn't crazy about—but I'm not going to get into that at this point, because I don't know what will happen to those things between the beta stage and the final version (although I was told about some directions he was going and that made me feel better). Maybe I'll update this when the final version is out—maybe I won't, we'll see how much I care once it hits. But whatever quibbles I might have had, that's all they were, quibbles. And they paled in comparison to the novel as a whole.
Because I wanted to think carefully about this novel, I wouldn't let myself read more than 10-15 percent of it a night. That was hard. I wanted to read the whole thing in one sitting—and easily could have. I literally had to force myself to stop reading each time I picked it up so I could send my feedback and do other things. But I wanted to keep going, I had such a great time with these characters, this story, and Hanover's writing.
Somewhere in there is Hanover's secret—no matter what dumb, reckless, obnoxious, or (have to say it) awkward thing his characters do, you like them. You can't help but do so. Scott said a couple of things in the first chapter that really made me wonder if I wanted to go through an entire book with him. By the third, I was pulling for the guy. This goes for Leila, too—not only did she break Scott's heart six years ago, but she didn't even tell him why. But in no time flat, you're hoping she's doing okay after her father's death and you feel bad for the situation she finds herself in. If it's bad enough that she talks Scott into sticking around...
And I've gone on far too long here. I need to wrap things up.
Not Awkward is a warm and heart-filled story about revisiting the past, finding healing (whether or not you thought you needed it), and embracing a future that doesn't look like you expected it would (and is probably better). It's the kind of book that'll make you feel a little better about life for a while—and who doesn't want to read something like that?
May 21, 2021
I’ve read his first two books, so my expectations were high going in. Somehow Hanover still surpassed my expectation. The story flows incredibly well with no wasted words or bloated chapters. I was struck by the emotions this book bring to the forefront. As human beings we all have a need for closure, even if we never admit it. As you read this book you will realize this and enjoy the book even more. The characters are layered, requiring you to pay close attention so that you can understand their motivations in regards to the whole story.
Another interesting aspect of this book that I found fascinating. I’m not Jewish, and hearing about the process of sitting shiva was done well in a way that made me look at the world a little differently.
All this leads back to the characters, and Hanover delivers the goods. The MC is relatable, and I don’t wanna give anything away, so ill just say that Hanover doesn’t bite on the temptation to write the cliche story about visiting your ex. He also handles the family dynamics with areal, and often hilarious hand, showcasing just how awkward things can get between friends and family members.
I guess I should throw in here that I shrieked with delight at a few of the surprises he threw in, particularly if you’re a fan of his other works.
Read this book and check out his others if you haven’t.
Another interesting aspect of this book that I found fascinating. I’m not Jewish, and hearing about the process of sitting shiva was done well in a way that made me look at the world a little differently.
All this leads back to the characters, and Hanover delivers the goods. The MC is relatable, and I don’t wanna give anything away, so ill just say that Hanover doesn’t bite on the temptation to write the cliche story about visiting your ex. He also handles the family dynamics with areal, and often hilarious hand, showcasing just how awkward things can get between friends and family members.
I guess I should throw in here that I shrieked with delight at a few of the surprises he threw in, particularly if you’re a fan of his other works.
Read this book and check out his others if you haven’t.
August 25, 2021
5 Star Read
This was a phenomenal story about closure. I went into this book blindly, but after reading Matthew Hanover’s other two books I knew that I would love this one. This did not disappoint, I didn’t know where it was going but I love how it ended up. Highly, highly recommend.
It has a few grammatical errors, but it didn’t take away from the story.
This was a phenomenal story about closure. I went into this book blindly, but after reading Matthew Hanover’s other two books I knew that I would love this one. This did not disappoint, I didn’t know where it was going but I love how it ended up. Highly, highly recommend.
It has a few grammatical errors, but it didn’t take away from the story.
February 4, 2022
This book is frustrating in the best way. A real page turner that keeps you guessing but ends with a satisfying hea. The third in a series, I found this one even more captivating then the last. You can read them out of order or as a standalone. But I recommend reading them in order to truly feel the world Matthew Hanover has been building.
April 14, 2022
2 1/2 star round-down. This story just didn’t resonate with me - I didn’t particularly feel engaged with any of the characters, the back-and-forth with Leila was just a bit off, and the wrap-up of the book felt a bit abrupt. It wasn’t a DNF quality, but wasn’t something that I’d run out to read again.
I received this book free through Voracious Readers.
I received this book free through Voracious Readers.
October 12, 2021
What an awful book. I say this after having really enjoyed Matthew Hanover’s previous two books. His most recent to this, Not Dressed, was particularly good and I thought if he could match that effort with this new book, he might actually gain some traction as a recognized author. But this was a huge step backward.
The problem? Three main characters who are completely unlikable.
First you have the main character and narrator, Scott, who deceives his fiancé, deceives his ex-girlfriend, and throughout the entire book never makes the choices that a decent person would make.
Second, you have the ex-girlfriend, Leila, who is a complete bi-polar nut job. She’s not even remotely likable. And she’s supposed to be this ultra-smart political pundit who goes on TV and crushes anyone who dares to disagree with her, but yet whenever challenged by Scott or her Mom, her usual retort is to simply say “whatever.”
Finally, you have Scott’s sister, Quinn, who is, against all odds, even more unlikable than Leila because of her non-stop jealousy and insecurity.
This is seriously bad. I won’t even get into the dozens (yes dozens) of missing words and other grammatical errors. And finally there’s the author’s nauseating insistence of trying to work in the characters from his previous books as fringe parts of this story. It’s way too much effort and wasted space, especially when he’s not developing those prior characters or really continuing their stories in any meaningful way.
I hope Hanover will regroup, take his time, and redeem himself with his next work.
The problem? Three main characters who are completely unlikable.
First you have the main character and narrator, Scott, who deceives his fiancé, deceives his ex-girlfriend, and throughout the entire book never makes the choices that a decent person would make.
Second, you have the ex-girlfriend, Leila, who is a complete bi-polar nut job. She’s not even remotely likable. And she’s supposed to be this ultra-smart political pundit who goes on TV and crushes anyone who dares to disagree with her, but yet whenever challenged by Scott or her Mom, her usual retort is to simply say “whatever.”
Finally, you have Scott’s sister, Quinn, who is, against all odds, even more unlikable than Leila because of her non-stop jealousy and insecurity.
This is seriously bad. I won’t even get into the dozens (yes dozens) of missing words and other grammatical errors. And finally there’s the author’s nauseating insistence of trying to work in the characters from his previous books as fringe parts of this story. It’s way too much effort and wasted space, especially when he’s not developing those prior characters or really continuing their stories in any meaningful way.
I hope Hanover will regroup, take his time, and redeem himself with his next work.
September 17, 2021
What an entertaining, wistful and evocative romantic comedy "Not Awkward" is. I thoroughly enjoyed being on Scott, Leila and Charlotte's wacky journey of love, loss, learning and reconciliation. Hanover does both a funny and touching job moving the beleaguered but well-intentioned Scott through the week in which he finds himself at his ex-girlfriend's father's shiva, while his fiancee is away with his piece-of-work sister, Quinn, on a bachelorette trip. The story is filled with a host of amusing and organic obstacles that keep Scott stuck to the shiva house and his unraveling ex-girlfriend, all while several relationships threaten to implode--or maybe reconfigure themselves. As the author has said himself, the book is reminiscent of the work of Jonathan Tropper ("This Is Where I Leave You") and even has one of Tropper's trademark fistfights in it for good measure. Hanover's a talented writer with a big heart. Only downside, the book needed a better edit, but don't let that stop you from taking this sweet, fun ride.
August 29, 2021
The story itself was sweet, thoughtful, hopeful, and of a collection with this first two. (I love the cameos).
But, the Kindle version at least, needs a serious proofread. You can tell it has a spellcheck but nothing else, and a spell check doesn’t bring out the books many errors where for instance, the word supposed to be used was “on” and the word in there was “one”. Also, wrong tenses of verbs, tons of just random missing words in the middle of sentences, and one part where it went from first person to third person to first person in about three sentences in the same paragraph.
I’m not one to usually notice these kinds of things but man, they were just leaping out. It messed with the flow of the book for me, which is a shame. But yeah, this author is fantastic and his books are now 3 for 3 for me. Can’t wait for the next one.
But, the Kindle version at least, needs a serious proofread. You can tell it has a spellcheck but nothing else, and a spell check doesn’t bring out the books many errors where for instance, the word supposed to be used was “on” and the word in there was “one”. Also, wrong tenses of verbs, tons of just random missing words in the middle of sentences, and one part where it went from first person to third person to first person in about three sentences in the same paragraph.
I’m not one to usually notice these kinds of things but man, they were just leaping out. It messed with the flow of the book for me, which is a shame. But yeah, this author is fantastic and his books are now 3 for 3 for me. Can’t wait for the next one.
October 5, 2021
Scott is weeks away from tying the knot—and he absolutely does not want to go to a strip club. But sitting shiva with his ex-girlfriend and her extended family? Yeah, that wasn’t what he had in mind ahead of his nuptials, either.
In his third novel, Hanover uses his signature humor to paint a portrait of human existence that is all at once vulnerable and relatable. The occasional shuffle between the past and present narrative gives a glimpse of what once was and how fractured things have become, but leaves the reader as clueless as Scott about what went wrong between himself and his ex, Leila.
Though its very premise is steeped in grief, it’s really about what blooms from loss: a sense of closure, the unbreakable strength of family, moving on, branching out, and the mysticism of fate.
In his third novel, Hanover uses his signature humor to paint a portrait of human existence that is all at once vulnerable and relatable. The occasional shuffle between the past and present narrative gives a glimpse of what once was and how fractured things have become, but leaves the reader as clueless as Scott about what went wrong between himself and his ex, Leila.
Though its very premise is steeped in grief, it’s really about what blooms from loss: a sense of closure, the unbreakable strength of family, moving on, branching out, and the mysticism of fate.
January 6, 2022
If you know and like Mr Hanover's style, this is for you
This book is an enjoyable read for those who like these well written stories.
You know what you are going to get and it wil not disappoint. Characters and plot lines work well, although the big question (not really a spoiler alert) in this book was not answered until a fair way in.
The only thing that annoyed me was the number of typos in the kindle version I had, at least 2 per chapter. It isn't hard to work out what is meant but those proof readers need a harsh word.
That aside, I look forward to a new release.
This book is an enjoyable read for those who like these well written stories.
You know what you are going to get and it wil not disappoint. Characters and plot lines work well, although the big question (not really a spoiler alert) in this book was not answered until a fair way in.
The only thing that annoyed me was the number of typos in the kindle version I had, at least 2 per chapter. It isn't hard to work out what is meant but those proof readers need a harsh word.
That aside, I look forward to a new release.
June 8, 2022
The book was promising, I really enjoyed the writting style and the story in general is relatable. However, there's a lot of repetition in the story line, lots of back and forth with a flat ending. The characters are a bit in the extreme and a little unrelatable because of it. The pregnancy twist is really interesting, but the use of it is a bit disappointing. I think the author is promising, but a little more twist and turns and deepness in the characters would have been a great adition to fulfill the readers expectations.
*Voracious Readers Only introduced me to that book.
*Voracious Readers Only introduced me to that book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 7, 2021
The beautiful thing about Not Awkward is how deliciously awkward it is. Matthew Hanover does a masterful job of building tension to the point where you want more, and he delivers. The journey of Scott and Leila is sweet, sad, and in moments comical. Not Awkward is a delightful and reflective tale that will have you laughing and crying. If you've ever been unable to get closure, Not Awkward is the perfect read.
July 18, 2022
I enjoyed this book, the characters were relatable and the plot entertaining. A book about finding closure in relationships where we often don't get the opportunity in real life.
I would have like a little more on Scott and Charlotte's relationship and there were a few typos; but otherwise a nice, easy read.
*I received a free copy of this book from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.
I would have like a little more on Scott and Charlotte's relationship and there were a few typos; but otherwise a nice, easy read.
*I received a free copy of this book from Voracious Readers Only in exchange for an honest review.
August 25, 2022
This is my first time reading a story like this and I really enjoyed it. It was different from the books I usually read. I was curious how the story would play out while reading it but I am happy with the ending. I would definitely read another book by this author.
I did receive a copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only
I did receive a copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only
January 16, 2022
This is a great story about how life's events come up at an inappropriate time and can change the course of your plans. Scott is about to get married and must deal with some obstacles. How it pans out you will have to find out. It is a wonderful romantic comedy you must read for yourself.
January 18, 2022
I really liked this book, especially because it gave so much closure to each aspect of the story. The characters were easy to like and relate to. I would recommend this book as a light easy read.
May 16, 2022
A fun light read with likeable characters (except Quinn--I wanted to slap her repeatedly). It was a funny, sweet story about lost love and finding closure. I highly recommend it.
September 19, 2022
Fun read, but more thorough editing would have made the read more enjoyable.
February 9, 2023
DNF
I’m sure this book is for someone but I am not that person.
I’m sure this book is for someone but I am not that person.
April 18, 2023
Enjoyed as an audiobook, read by my son. I can see it as a ROMCOM. Fun story with lots of awkward moments and characters.
March 21, 2022
eh, the writing style was a bit odd so i struggled to get into it. Thank you Voracious Readers for the opportunity to read it :)
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