I had previously read a couple of Mike Gayle books (Dinner for Two and The To-Do-List) and considered them to be Chick-Lit, but written by a man - Guy-Lit. The Man I Think I Know was in another class entirely, one of my favourite books of 2018. It still contained Mike's trade-mark humour, but this was also full of empathy and emotion, and still remains with me even though I read it nearly six months ago.

 

The two main characters had been to private school together, yet both were in some way disabled. James DeWitt was from a wealthy family, while Danny Allen was from the wrong side of the tracks, but circumstances have a way of producing outcomes that no-one would have expected and they are thrown together in a fascinating, endearing twosome, that had me turning the pages enthusiastically.

 

I don't think I want to say too much more because this is a book that should unravel before your eyes and it would be a shame to spoil the pleasure with too much information. So I will just say that I hope you get the chance to pick up this book, and if so, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

It took longer and it was meant to be finished last year but the struggle I went through was one I regret buying this book. I have three words after I read it.

 

Plain. Dull. Predictable.

 

Firstly, the title isn't much of any connection that for the whole universe searching I can barely understand its meaning of it. Secondly, this has been done before many times that even any films that dealt with the subject of infidelity is a passing off of uninteresting story that even real life is happening to many people. The characters, as it turn out to be, are just predictable responses of every day norm what people will do when one cheats. Sure - there is a page I like where it talks about conviction and what was said is very true, but the rest has left me any thing to be desired about.

 

I truly try to like the story, I truly do. I even try to find other angles of acceptance but it was tolerance that takes over and that sense of realization that I know where this story is going - Tom is an idiot that only had cheated one time and only through his honesty, shit happens and every thing just go downhill. His wife, behaves like any other wives, cheat once and let's divorce. Nothing to compromise but a fixated mind that I can't handle this and so I find my ex-boyfriend who is much better and give the kids a better life. Then of course, there is that 'their kid's running away' routine and find that and its a sign. Throw in the ghost/hallucination of an ex-girlfriend of Tom to torture him and 90% of the novel was all a dream.

 

I didn't read this book to have all that but I guess when it comes to writing such stories, I thought maybe there would be some thing that is thoughtful or witty. Nothing comes to that and only escapism of Tom's character that it was all a dream, save his arse the next time he knew what to do when he was tempted again.

 

Seeing Other People is a book I tolerate and at times, I do find it a bore. I had a lot of such normal realities in my experience but reading this on each chapter, its expected such consequences do happened when a guy makes a single mistake. It shows men are dumb when it comes to the opposite sex and women are not strong when they can't handle such situations. I won't recommend it to anyone that live through such an experience before... whether even a ghost 'appear' in front of them for any book readers.

This is my first "lad lit". Basically it's Bridget Jones diary with a male lead.

Because the main character is so whinny, i got really bored and annoyed and i didn't like the book. I even thought at some point that maybe if the main character had been a girl, i would have liked it but there is other stuff that didn't sit right with me, put aside the non-stop whining :

- main character falls in love with a girl OVER THE PHONE and wants to marry her after two days.
- main character spends a lot of time (=pages) "thinking" about his ex. This could have been insightful and interesting, instead it just gets repetitive and lame.
- main character was getting on my nerves all book long. I can't even begin to list everything that he does wrong.
- other characters : the weird-online-unknown love interest, the bitchy ex, the betraying best friend (male), the trying-too-hard-to-mean-something best friend (female). Let me word it clear : hard to like any of them.
- the ending : i'm all for "long time friends falling for each other" but please don't botch it up in the last 3 pages. I say no to that.

I really didn't enjoy this book, I was tempted to not finish it...but my 'need to finish' books problem got the better of me. I'm so glad I borrowed it from the library instead of buying it.

 

It tells the story of Phil & Helen, the respective Stag & Hen. Split in half, in two separate books it tells the in and outs of their weekends - the lads in Amsterdam, the girls at a Hotel Spa. I liked the original premise of the way the book was split in two, and was intrigued as to how this would work out. 

 

I just thought the storyline was dull and in some places quite far-fetched. I didn't particularly warm to either of the characters. If I had to choose a storyline I preferred I would go with Helen's. Her friends seemed quite fun and supportive to be around. 

 

I don't really have much more to say about this book, it hasn't spurred me on to read any more of Mike Gayle's novels - although I recently purchased 'Wish You Were Here' - drat!

 

Have you read this and had different feelings about it? Have you read any other books written by Mike Gayle?

The Stag and Hen is two separate stories told from Phil and Helen on their stag and hen weekends away. I randomly started with Phil’s stag, he and the lads decided to go away to Amsterdam. Phil and Helen had been together for nine years, so Phil knew for a long time coming that Helen was the one for him. I had a hard time connecting with Phil’s story, maybe because he was an older character than what I usually read my pov’s from. But it was fun getting into the lads mind set and watching them having a good time. The only thing that didn’t work for me was how all of Phil’s mates didn’t really give encouraging messages to Phil to get married. He was getting married next week and all of his friends had stories where they just got married for the sake of it or their partner didn’t want to get married, way to put self-doubt in the grooms head a week before his big nuptials. Then as more self-doubts started trickling in, Phil decided making erratic decisions and listening to random strangers instead of his gut instinct about his feeling towards Helen. Phil’s story started off as good fun between a group of lads but unfortunately trailed into several unwanted secrets being discovered and the groom getting cold feet.Now with Helen’s story I much preferred, after what had gone on in Phil’s story I was eager to know whether the assumptions Phil had made were true or not. With Helen also I felt I could connect more with her character and understand the situation she was going through. Helen’s weekend in comparison was also a lot more fun, she had attitude from future sister in law and an ex-boyfriend confusing her feelings to deal with. Both Phil and Helen had individual important decisions to deal with which could affect their future in a big way. With both characters I thought I knew the decisions they would make, but both stories were left wide open with me having no clue what they would do.Despite some issues, The Stag & Hen weekend was a decent rainy day comfort read.