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28 Questions by Indyana Schneider

Reviewed by Chris Gordon

The premise of British-Australian opera singer Indyana Schneider’s novel, 28 Questions , is to examine what creates and sustains a successful relationship. It is set over four years, five cities and organised into 28 questions, which range from ‘what brings you pleasure’ to ‘do you find giving up easy?’ Schneider explores these ideas by delving into the lives of the two key characters, Oxford music student Amalia and Australian expat Alex. Certainly, I enjoy a love story as much as the next person; however, this is a novel more about growing up, rather than falling in love.

A better means of enjoying this book is to set aside the intended love story and to read it as an exposé on being young, hopeful and free. The questions posed by each chapter work wonderfully well to structure the novel, giving us a deep understanding of the two key characters. Amalia’s friendship with Alex allows us to explore music, literature, art, dance and sex. The author was also a music student at Oxford and her understanding of opera and scores is impressive, as is her sense of place.

This is a novel about owning a philosophical position. It is about the power of friendship and the importance of questioning influences. Some may consider the premise fanciful, but the writing is infused with colour and movement, celebrating sexual rendezvous and all the intense marvellous emotion shaped by passion and love. If you loved Sally Rooney or Diane Reid’s writing, or if you’re a romantic, then consider this for your next read. Or perhaps, like me, you simply need a reminder of how we become who we are; 28 Questions offers some answers.

Chris Gordon is the programming and events manager at Readings.

28 Questions: A love story for our times and for all time

Indyana Schneider

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Kathryn White. Author. Book critic. Blogger. Poet. Cat lover. INTJ. Caffeine junkie. Insomniac.

Review: 28 Questions by Indyana Schneider

Amalia is a first year music student at Oxford College. One evening, a mutual friend introduces her to Alex, a fellow Australian at Oxford. The pair quickly form an intense friendship that, as Amalia becomes more self aware of who she is and what she wants out of life, that becomes a relationship. But can friends ever really become lovers? What does it take to truly fall in love with another person? And what happens when that relationship ends.

Each chapter is based around 28 questions that, when answered, are purported to make a couple fall in love with one another. Through these questions, we follow Amalia as she navigates her way through university and then out into the real world, maturing along the way. Intercepted into the narrative are bits of music that she writes, mostly things that reflect her feelings for Alex.

This was an interesting glimpse into what it means to leave home and to be living in a new and strange place when faced with some of life's big questions. I found parts of the novel quite intense, while other parts had a lovely level of self-awareness. Initially, I thought that this one would be very similar to Normal People, but with a same sex relationship, but I was soon proven wrong. 28 Questions has its own unique story and characters, and works all the better for it. And despite knowing that it ended in heartbreak, I most definitely wanted to keep reading and sharing in Amalia's journey.

Overall, 28 Questions is an intelligent read and one very well worth giving a chance.

Recommended. 

Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia for my ARC. 

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28 Questions by Indyana Schneider

28 Questions is a novel about what makes relationships, as two women meet as students, fall deep into friendship and then in love. Amalia moves from Australia to Oxford to start as a first year music student and is still dealing with the culture shock and the work when she meets Alex, another Australian in her third year. They quickly become best friends, asking each other questions and learning more and more about each other, but Amalia starts to realise they’re both maybe feeling the pull of attraction. A romantic relationship might be perfect, or it might change things forever.

Spanning across four years, three at Oxford and then one once Amalia has graduated, 28 Questions uses the idea of it taking 28 questions to fall in love to structure the book, with each chapter named after a question that will occur. The premise sounds a bit like a romcom, and I did see it being marketed as a ‘queer When Harry Met Sally ‘ (a film the book references a few times, around ideas of friendship and sex), but it is less of a romcom than a coming of age type book set at university, exploring love, sex, and relationships as well as music and art and what is highbrow or not. One book it actually reminded me of in some ways is The Lessons by Naomi Alderman (which is funny because characters talk about Alderman’s Disobedience in the novel), as it has a similar sense of complicated love story entwined in Oxford, though 28 Questions is much more focused on the love aspect than the ‘can Oxford students function as humans’ part.

All of the dialogue in the book is written as if a script, with name tags for who is speaking, and though it’s an unusual conceit, I didn’t find it hard to get into, but I imagine it’ll put some people off. There’s also a lot of classical music and opera throughout, which I don’t know much about, but I enjoyed the vibe and some of the discussions about music, and thoughts about creating things and enjoying art more generally. There’s a lot of Oxford detail in this, which I appreciated, and it depicts the insular, pressure cooker feeling well, though I expected more follow through around this later in the book, as it felt like there were things Alex was hiding.

The relationship between Amalia and Alex shows the complexity of feelings, and also how something that sounds good on paper might not work out when people’s actual tendencies and emotions come into play. I liked some of the conversations and the way intensity was shown, and how Amalia expected certain conversations to go, or expected certain types of combative discussion due to being at university. The book captures very well some of the experiences of university and trying to find out who you are whilst also feeling pressure to do well and seem clever, but also how this bleeds into relationships and where lines might be between finding and losing yourself in them.

I really enjoyed 28 Questions , particularly through some of the ideas it explores and the fact it depicted a university experience similar to my own, though I did keep expecting there to be slightly more drama or things later revealed in the plot. I also liked the fact it takes the Oxford student obsession/love story plot and tells it with two women, both quite similar rather than a typical class or other divide, and there’s some good lingering tension between them. If you like university-set stories about messy love and friendship, then this one is worth a read.

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28 Questions: A love story for our times and for all time Hardcover – 20 Jan. 2022

'An intensely beautiful cleverly layered story of young queer love. An intense but entertaining read. Highly recommend.’ Juno Roche

• Print length 480 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Scribner UK
• Publication date 20 Jan. 2022
• Dimensions 13.5 x 3.25 x 21.6 cm
• ISBN-10 1398501093
• ISBN-13 978-1398501096
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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner UK (20 Jan. 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1398501093
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398501096
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 13.5 x 3.25 x 21.6 cm
• 48,965 in Literary Fiction (Books)
• 54,088 in Contemporary Fiction (Books)

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Word of Mouth

Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:.

Elin Hilderbrand’s 28 SUMMERS is the rinse-and-repeat love affair of Mallory Blessing and Jake McCloud.

Jake is a friend of Mallory’s brother, Cooper, and they begin their clandestine romance over the phone. Their flirtation is consummated when they meet at the beachside summer cottage that Mallory has just inherited from her Aunt Greta on Nantucket, where she is hosting Cooper’s bachelor party. As drama ensues, the two are left alone, and Jake conveniently forgets about Ursula DeGournsey --- the girl he has known since eighth grade and has been dating in D.C., where they now live. He describes the relationship to Mallory as “complicated.”

28 SUMMERS is also “complicated,” to say the least. It is more of a social commentary on marriage and modern relationships than it is a breezy, romantic beach read. The only character without a flaw is the island of Nantucket. Hilderbrand’s descriptions --- “until it was just beach, water, grassy dunes, and in the distance, a white lighthouse with a black top hat,” “the ocean is a blue satin sheet beyond,” “the eelgrass sways; the gulls dip and swoop unpredictably in the wind” --- are alluring and seductive.

"[28 SUMMERS] is more of a social commentary on marriage and modern relationships than it is a breezy, romantic beach read. The only character without a flaw is the island of Nantucket."

However, this is where the seduction stops. There is a distinct lack of steamy passion between our once-a-year lovers. The fact that they do exactly the same thing, eat the same meals and watch the same movie --- Same Time, Next Year --- that inspires their get-together every Labor Day weekend shows that this is a shallow relationship, even though it lasts 28 summers. It feels stale except for the Nantucket sunshine.

Hilderbrand compares their relationship to that of Mallory’s parents, who were a breath of fresh air. They were the life of the party who raised two children together, had lots of friends, were happily married and died tragically together, having led full, happy lives.

Mallory’s brother marries four times during the course of the novel, each time thinking that this woman standing in front of him at the altar is the perfect choice. He dates, he marries, he divorces. Isn’t that the acceptable track? Hilderbrand would have us thinking that perhaps a  Same Time, Next Year  affair is an option that allows freedom. In Mallory’s case, she conducts multiple relationships and affairs, one resulting in a pregnancy that gives her a beloved son.

Except for Labor Day weekend, Jake and Mallory live their lives without each other. Jake marries Ursula, who Hilderbrand paints as a wealthy bitch; she is safe and familiar to him because she was there for his twin sister, who was dying of cystic fibrosis. Ursula is an overachiever who has her own skeletons when it comes to their relationship. Both are dreadfully unhappy, leading Ursula to have an affair of her own, which almost derails her run for the presidency. In year 27 of her husband’s affair, this supposedly smart senator puts the pieces together with a little help from some spying eyes on Nantucket and confronts the “other” woman.

Mallory wonders, Would you rather have perfect bliss for only three days or a solid but dull relationship all year long? There are times when Jake feels guilty because he is undeniably conducting an affair, and now he, too, has a child with Ursula, the same age as Mallory’s son. He thinks, They are living inside a magic bubble, the kind that doesn’t pop . A conundrum for sure, and the reader wonders how many  Same Time, Next Year  relationships might exist in reality. In a 2018 interview with The Boston Globe , Hilderbrand stated, “What I write about in my novels is also what’s in my life.”

Jake and Mallory justify their unique relationship in their own way because it makes them happy. For 28 summers, they experience nothing but magic and everlasting love.

Reviewed by Hillary Wagy on June 19, 2020

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

• Publication Date: February 9, 2021
• Genres: Fiction , Women's Fiction
• Paperback: 448 pages
• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• ISBN-10: 0316428647
• ISBN-13: 9780316428644

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They say it takes 28 Questions to fall in love. Then what?A queer “When Harry Met Sally” for the Sally Rooney Generation.‘Reader, imagine yielding to someone with a power so strong she has the ability to slice time. Before. Her. After.’When first-...

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Book Club: Read ‘The Hypocrite,’ by Jo Hamya, With the Book Review

By MJ Franklin

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Welcome to the Book Review Book Club

Welcome to the Book Review Book Club! Every month, we select a book to discuss with our readers. Sometimes that’s a new book we’re excited about and would love to introduce you to; other times it’s an older book that’s back in the cultural spotlight. What all our selections have in common? They’re great books primed for robust, thoughtful conversations.

For September, we’re reading “The Hypocrite,” by Jo Hamya.

This month, we also have a cozy new space to talk about the book as all of us are reading (that’s this article here). We encourage you to share your thoughts and questions with us and with other readers as you go along.

In addition to the main conversation room, where no spoilers are allowed, we have a spot for conversation among readers who have already finished the novel and another place to share book pairing recommendations. Each conversation space will have its own comment section so you can easily join the discussions that you’re most interested in.

You can find those conversations, as well as more information on “The Hypocrite,” below.

We’ll also be chatting about the novel on the Book Review podcast on Sept. 27. If you post in any of the conversation hubs by Sept. 23, we may mention your observations in the podcast episode.

We can’t wait to discuss the novel with you (and if you’d like to invite a friend to read the book with us, here’s a quick link to the club ). In the meantime, happy reading!

Learn More About the Book

Write what you know, the adage goes. But what happens when what — or who — you know doesn’t like what you write?

That is the question at the center of our September selection for the Book Review Book Club: “The Hypocrite,” by Jo Hamya.

The book follows a famous English novelist as he watches a staging of a new play by his daughter, Sophia, in London. The lights go down in the theater, and immediately the novelist realizes: The play is about him, the vacation he took with Sophia a decade earlier and the sins he committed while they were away. During the show, Sophia is at lunch with her mother, dissecting their family history until she can talk with her father after the play has concluded. The story also jumps to the past, to show what really happened on that fateful father-daughter holiday.

The novel is an art monster story and a dysfunctional family saga that explores the ethics of creating work inspired by real life.

(Read our review of the book and learn more about Jo Hamya in our “Related Reading” section below.)

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Book Club Conversation Space: Main Discussion

Share your thoughts about “The Hypocrite,” by Jo Hamya, in the comments here (click that chat bubble above to comment). This will be our main conversation space.

( IMPORTANT : Please don’t post spoilers here. We have a separate spoiler chat .)

We can’t wait to hear what you think about the book!

[ Click here to go back to the main book club hub. ]

Book Club Conversation Space: Spoiler Chat

Want to talk about something that happens later in “The Hypocrite”? Dying to dig into a particular plot point or react to a big reveal? Post your spoiler-filled thoughts, questions and observations in the comments here (click that chat bubble above to comment).

Book Club Conversation Space: Book Pairing Recommendations

Did “The Hypocrite” make you think of other books? Are there other titles you love — fiction or nonfiction — that explore similar themes? Share your recommendations for books you’d pair with “The Hypocrite” in the comments here (click that chat bubble above to comment).

Related Reading

Here is some related reading to accompany you before, during and after you read “The Hypocrite”:

Our editor Joumana Khatib’s review of the novel: “Hamya is attuned to the precarity that young women inherit, the realization that no amount of privilege, education or artistic chops could confer the freedom or power they desire.” [ Read the full review here. ]

Hamya’s interview with Hephzibah Anderson in The Guardian: “I had a clear image suddenly of a man in a theatre, watching a play of his life, and I knew that he would disagree with everything that was happening on stage, but he couldn’t leave. I thought about it for hours that night because it was a really interesting formal challenge. Could I write something where both parties were wrong and they were both utterly sympathetic, but the reader would still — especially if they spend time on the internet — feel conscious of wanting to take sides?” [ Read the full interview here. ]

Katie Kitamura’s review, for the Book Review, of Jo Hamya’s debut novel, “Three Rooms”: “‘Three Rooms,’ like Olivia Laing’s ‘Crudo,’ Patricia Lockwood’s ‘No One Is Talking About This’ and Lauren Oyler’s ‘Fake Accounts,’ compresses the noise of contemporary life into a record of recent events: Grenfell Tower, Boris Johnson, Brexit. But personal and everyday occurrences take up equal space in the narrator’s consciousness, and are precisely and beautifully rendered.” [ Read the full review here. ]

Robert Kolker’s New York Times Magazine article “Who Is the Bad Art Friend?”: Though not about Hamya’s book, this viral magazine article explores the dilemma of art drawn from life. [ Read the full article here. ]

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Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

Kirkus Reviews' Best Books Of 2020

New York Times Bestseller

IndieBound Bestseller

by Elin Hilderbrand ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

Oh for the days when life was a picnic on the beach: Hilderbrand sets the gold standard in escapist fiction.

A Nantucket-ization of the world’s most romantic adultery story.

Inspired by the 1978 movie Same Time, Next Year , Hilderbrand creates her own pair of annual secret lovers—Mallory Blessing and Jake McCloud. Mallory is a Baltimore girl, born and raised in Anne Tyler territory, who inherits a Nantucket beach cottage from her gay aunt. Jake is her brother Cooper’s best friend from his college days at Johns Hopkins. They first cross paths in 1993, when Mallory hosts Cooper’s bachelor party over Labor Day weekend…and the book’s title gives you a pretty good idea of the rest. When they meet, Jake is already the property of a glamorous but coldhearted powerhouse named Ursula DeGournsey—the two grew up together in South Bend, Indiana—who by the end of the book is a U.S. senator running for president. To get to 2020, Hilderbrand paves a lush path of nostalgia, introducing each year with a rundown of headlines, song lyrics, and pop-culture memories, and also slips in an astute commentary on marriage, showcasing various good ones and bad ones along the way. Come for the sailing, the sunsets, and the sweet romance, stay for the cold gin and tonics, the lobster dinners, and truly unparalleled picnics: “rare roast beef, Boursin, and arugula pinwheel sandwiches, chicken and potato sandwiches with celery and chives; a marinated cucumber salad from the Baltimore Junior League cookbook, and lemon bars with a coconut shortbread crust.” In her 25th novel, Hilderbrand gets everything right and leaves her ardent fans hungry for No. 26.

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-316-42004-4

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020

FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | GENERAL FICTION

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by Elin Hilderbrand

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SEEN & HEARD

IT STARTS WITH US

by Colleen Hoover ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 2022

Through palpable tension balanced with glimmers of hope, Hoover beautifully captures the heartbreak and joy of starting over.

The sequel to It Ends With Us (2016) shows the aftermath of domestic violence through the eyes of a single mother.

Lily Bloom is still running a flower shop; her abusive ex-husband, Ryle Kincaid, is still a surgeon. But now they’re co-parenting a daughter, Emerson, who's almost a year old. Lily won’t send Emerson to her father’s house overnight until she’s old enough to talk—“So she can tell me if something happens”—but she doesn’t want to fight for full custody lest it become an expensive legal drama or, worse, a physical fight. When Lily runs into Atlas Corrigan, a childhood friend who also came from an abusive family, she hopes their friendship can blossom into love. (For new readers, their history unfolds in heartfelt diary entries that Lily addresses to Finding Nemo star Ellen DeGeneres as she considers how Atlas was a calming presence during her turbulent childhood.) Atlas, who is single and running a restaurant, feels the same way. But even though she’s divorced, Lily isn’t exactly free. Behind Ryle’s veneer of civility are his jealousy and resentment. Lily has to plan her dates carefully to avoid a confrontation. Meanwhile, Atlas’ mother returns with shocking news. In between, Lily and Atlas steal away for romantic moments that are even sweeter for their authenticity as Lily struggles with child care, breastfeeding, and running a business while trying to find time for herself.

Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-668-00122-6

Page Count: 352

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022

ROMANCE | CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE | GENERAL ROMANCE | GENERAL FICTION

More by Colleen Hoover

by Colleen Hoover

BY ANY OTHER NAME

by Jodi Picoult ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 20, 2024

A vibrant tale of a remarkable woman.

Who was Shakespeare?

Move over, Earl of Oxford and Francis Bacon: There’s another contender for the true author of plays attributed to the bard of Stratford—Emilia Bassano, a clever, outspoken, educated woman who takes center stage in Picoult’s spirited novel. Of Italian heritage, from a family of court musicians, Emilia was a hidden Jew and the courtesan of a much older nobleman who vetted plays to be performed for Queen Elizabeth. She was well traveled—unlike Shakespeare, she visited Italy and Denmark, where, Picoult imagines, she may have met Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—and was familiar with court intrigue and English law. “Every gap in Shakespeare’s life or knowledge that has had to be explained away by scholars, she somehow fills,” Picoult writes. Encouraged by her lover, Emilia wrote plays and poetry, but 16th-century England was not ready for a female writer. Picoult interweaves Emilia’s story with that of her descendant Melina Green, an aspiring playwright, who encounters the same sexist barriers to making herself heard that Emilia faced. In alternating chapters, Picoult follows Melina’s frustrated efforts to get a play produced—a play about Emilia, who Melina is certain sold her work to Shakespeare. Melina’s play, By Any Other Name , “wasn’t meant to be a fiction; it was meant to be the resurrection of an erasure.” Picoult creates a richly detailed portrait of daily life in Elizabethan England, from sumptuous castles to seedy hovels. Melina’s story is less vivid: Where Emilia found support from the witty Christopher Marlowe, Melina has a fashion-loving gay roommate; where Emilia faces the ravages of repeated outbreaks of plague, for Melina, Covid-19 occurs largely offstage; where Emilia has a passionate affair with the adoring Earl of Southampton, Melina’s lover is an awkward New York Times theater critic. It’s Emilia’s story, and Picoult lovingly brings her to life.

Pub Date: Aug. 20, 2024

ISBN: 9780593497210

Page Count: 544

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024

LITERARY FICTION | GENERAL FICTION | HISTORICAL FICTION

More by Jodi Picoult

by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan

by Jodi Picoult

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By Elin Hilderbrand

Book review, full book summary and synopsis for 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand, two remorseless cheaters meeting in the summer to cheat over three decades.

28 Summers opens with a woman, Mallory Blessing, who is dying of cancer. She asks her son, Link (short for Lincoln), to call someone. It turns out to be a man named Jake McCloud, the husband of a current presidential candidate.

Hilderbrand then goes back to retrace the relationship between Mallory and Jake across nearly three decades. Over these 28 summers, their secret romance takes place over long weekends in a Nantucket cottage.

(The Full Plot Summary is also available, below)

Full Plot Summary

In the Prologue in 2020, Mallory Blessing is dying of cancer, and leaves a note for her son Link to call someone. He does, and it turns out to be Jake McCloud, the husband of a current presidential candidate, who agrees to come immediately.

In Part I in 1993, Mallory is in her early twenties when she inherits some money and a cottage in Nantucket. She meets Jake when her newly-engaged brother, Cooper, brings him to the cottage for a mini-bachelor's weekend. Mallory and Jake share a romantic weekend together, but Mallory is reluctant to start a long-distance relationship. Jake soon gets back together with his on-and-off-again lawyer girlfriend, Ursula de Gournsey. Jake and Mallory continue to see each other for romantic weekends over several summers until Ursula's father dies. Jake marries Ursula and the weekends stop. But when their marriage hits a rocky spot, the weekends start up again, with Ursula believing it's an annual boys' weekend. Ursula is soon pregnant, and Mallory also ends up pregnant from a hook-up with a childhood friend of her brother's, Fray.

In Part II , Ursula has her baby, Elizabeth ("Bess"). (Ursula was also having an affair and the baby could potentially be her co-worker's, Anders. However, Anders dies on September 11.) Ursula rethinks her life priorities and decides to run for office. She's elected to the House of Representatives and later the Senate. Meanwhile, Mallory has her baby, Lincoln ("Link"). Mallory dates around, but her heart is stuck on Jake who she continues to see at the "same time, next year" for weekends in Nantucket. Cooper figures out what's going on when Ursula asks him about his non-existent boys' weekends with Jake, and Cooper decides to cut Jake out of his life.

In Part III , Mallory's parents die in a car accident. Ursula suspects Jake is having an affair with Mallory due to a post on a blog by Leland, Mallory's best friend. Ursula asks Cooper, but he lies. Mallory soon learns she has skin cancer. Around the time Link leaves for college, Mallory's vision starts to blur due to the cancer. Meanwhile, Ursula begins her presidential campaign, and she now knows about the affair because one of her donors (Bayer Burkhart) once dated Mallory and she told him. Ursula tells Mallory to stay away from Jake, and she agrees. However, a year later, Jake gets the call from Link (about the cancer). Jake immediately leaves for Nantucket, taking his daughter Bess along. Jake sings to Mallory on her deathbed.

The book ends with Link and Bess meeting, with Link offering to show Bess the way to the beach.

For more detail, see the full Section-by-Section Summary .

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Book Review

I started reading 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand when it first came out, but put it down for a while since I wasn’t all that into it. Still, I’ve been wanting to read (and finish) at least one of her books since I see them around all the time, so I went ahead and finished it this weekend.

Based on the 1978 movie “Same Time, Next Year”, 28 Summers is a romantic and nostalgic frolic across 28 summers over the course of Mallory and Jake’s nearly three decade romance. Each chapter is preceded by a quick reminder of the major events, trends and other cultural icons from that year, and each chapter is dotted with these references, luring you in with a reminder of days gone by.

Hilderbrand does a fantastic job of coming up with believable life journeys and charting interesting paths for each of its characters. She intertwines the story of their lives with current events and the idyllic setting, making it a great setup for some romance.

As a note of warning, this book leans liberal. There’s some talk of politics, largely due to the character of Ursula’s career as a politician. I didn’t think there was much politics in this book, but there is a little. If you’ve very sensitive about that sort of thing, perhaps it’ll be a skip for you.

Main Criticism of 28 Summers: The Cheating

The biggest determinant of whether you’ll like this book depends on how you feel about a) romantic novels in general and b) cheating in relationships. There’s so much cheating in this book.

If you think the idea of desire for someone that could push someone to cheat as being romantic, or if you just love the push and pull of will-they-or-won’t they relationships, then you will probably love this book.

For me, it was a big problem. There’s never a satisfying reason why Jake and Mallory don’t just give their relationship a real shot. In the beginning, Mallory expresses reluctance at engaging in a long-distance relationship. But that’s a pretty thin justification, since at some point over the years two unmarried people would more reasonably choose long-distance over being remorseless cheaters. Especially when Jake quits his job, there’s just no reason why he can’t just move to Nantucket. Later justifications are things like “Jake thinks his wife works too much” which is obviously a terrible justification.

I just couldn’t get past the permissive attitude about cheating and didn’t find it romantic at all. Secret love, my ass. Like, if there was some reason Jake couldn’t leave his girlfriend/wife, it would be more understandable. But “oh, she sometimes disappoints me” is not an acceptable reason. Perhaps I’m just too black and white when it comes to these things.

I think because of that, I found Jake and Mallory each so unlikable. I couldn’t believe Mallory was indignantly screaming about what a good person she was after learning that a guy she’d dated was married. Wasn’t she was cheating all the time with Jake anyway? Cheating’s okay, but only if you’re in on it, is that the rule? I also couldn’t deal with book telling me how “kind and sympathetic” Mallory was for offering some basic sympathy after seeing Jake’s pregnant and retching wife in the bathroom. Are you kidding me? She’s screwing that pregnant woman’s husband, don’t tell me how kind she is!

(I also thought the stuff she was “mad” at Leland for were ridiculous, too. Like, if you’re offended by some minor thing your best friend says, maybe try calmly talking to her about it instead of holding it against her for two decades? And, so what if Leland wants to eat a fancy meal or hang out with other friends, get over it.)

And Jake, oh my goodness. What a spineless, useless loser. Instead of supporting his successful wife (who is competing with men that have wives that support them), he “punishes” her for anything he doesn’t like by cheating on her. Every time she does something he doesn’t like, his response is to use it to justify his cheating.

For example, I couldn’t sympathize with Jake feeling indignant when his wife doesn’t remember his annual trip. It’s just repugnant considering he knows perfectly well he cheats on her (and has been doing so for years on end) during those trips. I don’t know where he gets off acting like he has any right to insist on that trip. And prioritizing it above things like his wife’s career is just nuts to me. That’s not romantic, he’s a jerk.

I just felt like I was in the twilight zone reading this novel where these two delusional people somehow think they’re the good guys with any type of moral standing in this story. I also found it self-centered and weird how Jake and Mallory were so willing to inconvenience their family for the sake of being alone that weekend. Am I somehow puritanical for thinking that unrepentant cheating is not romance? They aren’t star-crossed lovers, they’re just selfish people doing selfish things. I couldn’t care less if they ended up together, honestly.

Read it or Skip it?

I really went back and forth with this book. The Nantucket setting is so idyllic and easy to lose yourself in, and the nostalgia in each of the chapters is delightful. I also think Hildebrand does a great job coming up with interesting and believable paths for each of her characters to do down.

But ultimately, this is a romantic story and that was the part I just could not get behind. Each time I found myself getting engrossed in the romance, I felt myself feeling disgusted by these characters’ decisions and horribly selfish behavior. I kept waiting for the moment when they had some self-reflection, but it never came. The justification for the cheating is just a bunch of thinly veiled excuses throughout the book. There’s really no good reason. And the idea of a woman functionally keeping her heart locked away to spend one weekend a year with some loser who won’t leave his wife is pathetic and depressing.

And I hated, hated how the book kept trying to convince me that Jake’s wife was somehow deserving of this behavior because she works a lot. If you hate it, leave her! It just felt a little sexist, like Hildebrand was punishing this character for having a high-powered career.

As I said before, the biggest determinant of whether you’ll like this book depends on how you feel about cheating in relationships. If you think the cheating won’t bother you and you like romance novels, you will probably like this book.

I don’t know if I’d be open to reading another one of Hilderbrand’s books. I wanted to try at least one, and there’s definitely things I liked about her writing, but I think perhaps I have a different idea of what romance is than she does.

See 28 Summers on Amazon.

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Share your thoughts cancel reply.

I don’t find a cheating relationship romantic or very interesting. Thanks for the heads up on this, but I think I will pass.

I could not agree more. I read it for the same reasons… it keeps popping up. But the cheating, I was so done with this. I first read her book “The Perfect Couple,” but I hated it too. A bit better because it’s got a who-dunnit twist, but the choppiness in storytelling is distracting.

ooo good to know, I had been considering reading that one, too. I’m still open to the possibility that I might like a different book of hers in the future, but we’ll see!

I was totally put off by the author’s liberal views on the Kavanaugh hearings. It’s ok to have to think he’s guilty but to write a book and use his likeness and most of his name and declare him guilty over and over in the book was very distasteful and I’ll never buy another book of hers after this. She made her point over and over that she thought he was guilty of rape. Shame on her editor.

I couldn’t agree more! The use of politics in this book is disgraceful. I read these books for the settings and the escape, I am certainly not interested in Elin Hildebrand’s political views. Her chapter on Cavendish was ludicrous. I have read my last book by Elin.

Yesssss!!! This review is 1000% how I feel about it! I don’t condone cheating ever and I was disgusted that these two adults didn’t just give their relationship a go. 4 hours into the audiobook & I am quitting.

The Identicals is an amazing book by Elin and The Blue Bistro! Definitely try those out! I think you will love them.

I absolutely loved this book. My favorite Hilderbrand book by far Loved the old 1978 movie as well.

I felt very similar. I was captured by the love they had for each other and how passionate they were but I had difficulty that Jake was cheating the whole time. I was waiting for them to finally be together and it never happened. I could not wrap my head around two people actually having this much patience and reservation every single year? No way!

For most of the book I was able to put aside the cheating (and hypocrisy about cheating) and just go with the flow, but at the end I was left absolutely saddened by the realization that Mallory’s actions had led to a lifetime of absolutely no one in her life really knowing who she was. She spent 28 years of her life hiding who she really was and who she really loved. Her parents never got to see this part of her. Her son never got to see this part of her. Her best friends never knew about her feelings. All of the deception left me feeling like her whole life was lost in lies. That’s not romantic, that’s sad.

I loved this book! I think for me the reasons were they were both good people. Yes they were wrong for cheating, but do we sit here and judge? No! Jake stayed with his marriage because he cared about family. Mallory cared about family. Also, this is a novel, not real life. The writing was excellent. I loved the 1978 movie and I would love to see a modern version too. I will be reading more books of Elin Hildebrand

49 pages • 1 hour read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Prologue-Part 1

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

Summary and Study Guide

28 Summers (2020) was written by American author Elin Hilderbrand. The novel is an example of early 21st-century women’s fiction. Hilderbrand is the author of 26 novels as of April 2021, including The Perfect Couple (2018) and Summer of '69 (2019), and has lived on Nantucket, where many of her books are set, since 1993.

This guide uses the hardcover first edition from Little, Brown and Company (2020).

Plot Summary

At the age of 24, Mallory Blessing , who lives in New York and aspires to work in the literary sphere, unexpectedly inherits a cottage on Nantucket Island from her aunt Greta. Since she is unhappy with her life in New York and has always had an emotional connection to the island, Mallory moves to Nantucket permanently. During her first summer there, she hosts a bachelor party for her brother Cooper and his friends Frazier and Jake. Mallory and Jake have spoken on the phone several times and are intrigued by the idea of meeting each other. Jake has just broken up with his long-time girlfriend, Ursula, and romantic sparks fly between Mallory and Jake during the bachelor party, during which various mishaps occur that lead to them being alone together. They give in to their mutual attraction and decide to meet on Nantucket each Labor Day weekend, since Mallory doesn’t want to pursue a formal relationship.

Mallory gets a permanent job at the local high school as an English teacher, and quickly becomes rooted in Nantucket’s lifestyle and community. Jake, meanwhile, reunites with Ursula—a lawyer who works a grueling schedule and is emotionally distant from Jake—and the two eventually get married. Nonetheless, Mallory and Jake meet for their secret rendezvous each year. Ursula continues to advance in her law career, and Cooper’s numerous marriages bring the three characters of the love triangle into contact with one another over the course of the next decade. Frazier and Mallory have a one-night stand at one of Cooper’s weddings, and the result is a son named Link. At the same wedding, Mallory finds out that Ursula is pregnant. Because of an affair she had, Ursula isn’t sure whether the baby is Jake’s or her lover’s, but Jake makes a wonderful father to the daughter to whom she gives birth, named Bess. Mallory realizes that her feelings for Jake are so strong that she will forgo romantic relationships with anyone else, choosing to simply enjoy their annual weekend together.

Another 15 years pass. Ursula decides to leave the law field and enter politics after worrying about the world in which her daughter will grow up. She wins a congressional race, and eventually wins a senate seat. Jake has used a weekend with Cooper on Nantucket as a cover story for his meeting with Mallory, and eventually Cooper finds out about it. Horrified at the adulterous nature of Mallory and Jake’s affair, Cooper cuts off ties with Jake. Mallory has adapted well to being a single mother to Link but loses her parents in a tragic car accident. Over the course of the book, Mallory forms and continues relationships with various other characters, including Cooper, other island inhabitants, men that she dates, and her friend Leland—who ultimately reveals Mallory’s affair with Jake to Ursula.

Jake discovers a strange spot on Mallory’s back that turns out to be melanoma. Mallory is treated and doctors determine that the cancer hasn’t spread. Ursula decides to run for President. When she finds out about Mallory and Jake’s affair, she asks Mallory to give up seeing Jake so that scandal doesn’t taint her campaign. When Jake visits the island that year, Mallory insists that they can’t see each other anymore, and the two reluctantly part ways for what they assume will be the last time for several years, depending on Ursula’s political trajectory. As Link is graduating high school and leaving for college, Mallory starts experiencing vision problems and finds out that her cancer has come back, spread to her brain, and is terminal.

At Mallory’s request, Link contacts Jake to tell him about Mallory’s cancer, and Jake rushes to Nantucket to say goodbye to his lover. He brings Bess with him, and as Mallory and Jake enjoy a tender last goodbye, Link and Bess meet and are attracted to one another. Though Mallory and Jake were never able to be together publicly, the story implies that their children may embark on a love story of their own. 28 Summers explores themes of marriage, family, parenthood, infidelity, wrongdoing, love, and loss. 

Related Titles

By Elin Hilderbrand

Summer of '69

The Five-Star Weekend

The Hotel Nantucket

The Perfect Couple

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24 Book Review Questions to Ask Before Writing a Review

By: Author Laura

Posted on Published: 23rd February 2021  - Last updated: 29th February 2024

Categories Book Blogging , Books

Trying to write a book review but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, these book review questions for a book report will help you on your way!

Writing a book review or book report can feel overwhelming for one of two reasons. Either you have too much to say or nothing to say at all.

In either case, having some structure to your review and a roadmap of questions to answer can be helpful in focussing your thoughts so you can write a useful book review.

These book review questions are designed to get your brain thinking about some of the key issues and interesting points about your book in question.

You certainly don’t have to answer all of them and you don’t need to follow the order I have listed the book report questions below.

RELATED: How to Write a Good Review of a Bad Book

Book Review Questions: General Information

Before you delve into sharing your own opinions, you should share some general information about the book.

This can be to do with its plot, its genre, the setting and whether there is anything readers should be aware of before delving in.

These are good questions to ask about a book as a basic starting point and where you should always begin.

What is the book about?

What genre does this book fit into?

In what time and place is the book set?

Who is the intended audience of the book?

Is the book appropriate for that audience?

Should this book come with any content warnings?

Book Review Questions: Stylistic Points

An author could craft the most fascinating story in the world but if they can’t convey that story with an interesting or logical style then a book may well just fall flat.

Consider whether the author of the book you are reviewing has a particularly interesting style and what is it about their style that shaped the book and your opinion of it.

What style is the book written in?

What point of view is the book written from?

Does the author use any interesting techniques?

Book Review Questions: The Characters

Really compelling characters, whether you love them or hate them, can make a book really stand out. If they don’t feel real then a book can crumble pretty quickly.

Make sure to include some information about the main character (or characters) but there’s no need to mention every single person, there simply isn’t space!

Who are the key characters in the book?

Did the characters feel real?

Are the characters likeable?

Which character did you find most compelling?

Could you relate to the key characters?

Book Review Questions: Your Opinions

Of course, any good book review should contain what you, the reviewer, actually thought about it! These book review questions to ask yourself are some of the most important.

Did you discover a new favourite book or is this one you wish you had never picked up in the first place?

Try to share a balanced view so reader’s of your review can come to their own conclusions about whether this book is worth reading for them. Some points that you might not have liked might be another reader’s favourite trope!

What did you like about the book?

What did you dislike about the book?

What could have been improved?

How did the book make you feel?

How does the book compare to other similar books?

Book Review Questions: Conclusion

Make sure to wrap up your book review with some final reflections about who should read this book, what you learnt from it and what other books it is similar to.

If a reader sees that a book is similar to one they have already read and loved then that’s a great indication that they’ll love this one too.

Would you recommend this book?

What did you learn from reading this?

What sort of reader would like this book?

What other books did this one remind you of?

What star rating would you give this book?

That concludes my list of book questions to ask yourself kick your brain in gear and get you thinking about all the most interesting points of the book you’ve just read.

Do you have any more relevant book review questions to add to the list?

Let me know in the comments below!

Follow me on Instagram and Goodreads for regular book updates!

If you liked this post, check out these: How to Write a Negative Book Review How to Start a Book Blog 36 Easy Book Blog Post Ideas

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Saturday 10th of December 2022

Book report question: What made this book unique from other books you have read?

Thursday 25th of February 2021

This is so so useful.

Tuesday 23rd of February 2021

Very key points here. That first part, where I talk about the synopsis, the intended audience, the genre, that is my biggest struggle.

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Book summary and reviews of 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

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by Elin Hilderbrand

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About this book

Book summary.

By the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Summer of '69 : Their secret love affair has lasted for decades -- but this could be the summer that changes everything.

When Mallory Blessing's son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he's not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It's the late spring of 2020 and Jake's wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election. There must be a mistake, Link thinks. How do Mallory and Jake know each other? Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt, and she agrees to host her brother's bachelor party. Cooper's friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere -- through marriage, children, and Ursula's stratospheric political rise -- until Mallory learns she's dying. Based on the classic film Same Time Next Year (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love.

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Reader reviews.

"Come for the sailing, the sunsets, and the sweet romance, stay for the cold gin and tonics, the lobster dinners, and truly unparalleled picnics...Hilderbrand sets the gold standard in escapist fiction." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Hilderbrand steers this tightly written novel with ease and skill, introducing each chapter with the year's current topics...Because Jake and Mallory meet only one weekend a year, their relationship is rendered, a perpetual holiday. Less a story about a secretive affair and more a tale of sweet nostalgia and fate, this title will be popular with a wide audience." - Library Journal (starred review)

Author Information

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Elin Hilderbrand Author Biography

Elin Hilderbrand is the author of twenty-eight novels, including The Hotel Nantucket . She is a proud 1991 graduate of Johns Hopkins University where she majored in Writing Seminars. In her senior year at Hopkins, Elin had her first short story, "Misdirection," accepted for publication in Seventeen Magazine . After a short stint working in publishing and teaching in New York City, she moved to Nantucket permanently in 1994. She attended the University of Iowa writers workshop and earned her MFA in 1998, and published her first novel, The Beach Club , in the summer of 2000. Her 2019 novel, Summer of "69 SUMMER OF '69 was her first novel to debut at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. She is the mother of three children and loves riding the Peloton, cooking, and going to the beach. She...

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12 Best Book Club Questions for Any Book

Updated: Aug 30, 2024

Zoe Epstein

Welcome back to our How to Book Club series ! Today, we're cracking open the secret to a lively literary gathering: great book club discussion questions.

Some folks like to wing it, letting conversation flow wherever it may. But for those of us who swear by Alexander Graham Bell's wisdom that 'preparation is the key to success,' a little forethought can go a long way.

Want to avoid those awkward silences that feel longer than War and Peace? Looking to spark discussions that are more electrifying than Mary Shelley's Frankenstein? Then you've come to the right place! A well-crafted list of discussion questions can transform your book club from a quiet reading corner into a buzzing hub of literary debate.

So let's dive in and discover how to keep those pages turning and tongues wagging! And when you're ready to take your book club to the next level, organize your next meeting and manage your club membership with  Bookclubs.com  or the  Bookclubs app . From  scheduling meetings  and  polling members , to tracking books and facilitating discussion with  ready-made book club questions , we have all the tools you need to focus on the joy of reading together.

Looking for a book club questions for a specific book? 

A great place to start is Bookclubs' Book Club Discussion Guide center , which has book-specific questions for hundreds of titles.  Check back often as we add book club questions for new book club books every week!  Some are written by Bookclubs staff, while others come from the books’ publishers.  

General book club questions for any book! 

If you can’t find a guide for the book your club is reading, we’ve put together this helpful list of general book club questions.  These generic questions work well for almost any book, whether you’re reading fiction or non-fiction.  

Take a look through, pick out a few questions that you think will work best with your book, and never worry about running out of things to talk about at book club again!

If you're in search of even more questions, check out our ultimate list of book club discussion questions for fiction and nonfiction, with 124 book club questions broken out by genre .  

• Would you recommend this book to someone?  Why or why not (or with what caveats)?  What kind of reader would most enjoy this book?
• Did you find the author’s writing style easy to read or hard to read? Why? How long did it take you to get into the book?
• Who was your favorite character? What character did you identify with the most?  Were there any characters that you disliked? Why?
• Did any part of this book strike a particular emotion in you? Which part and what emotion did the book make you feel?
• How much did you know about this book before picking it up? What surprised you the most about the book?
• Was there any part of the plot or aspects of the characters that frustrated or upset you? If so, why?
• How thought-provoking did you find the book?  Did the book change your opinion about anything, or did you learn something new from it? If so, what? 
• Did you highlight or bookmark any passages from the book? Did you have a favorite quote or quotes? If so, share which and why?
• From your point of view, what were the central themes of the book? How well do you think the author did at exploring them?
• Compare this book to other books you have read by the same author, or other books you have read covering the same or similar themes.  How are they the same or different?
• How would you adapt this book into a movie? Who would you cast in the leading roles?

Finally, here at Bookclubs, we like to end all of our book club meetings with this question:

• Rate this book on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest.  Why did you give the book the rating you did?  Did any part of this book club discussion change your rating from what it would have been directly after finishing the book? 

Then use the Bookclubs app or website to record your rating and share a review of the book !

Download free printable book club discussion questions

Keep your book club discussion questions at your fingertips with our book club questions pdf , making it easy for you to plan and lead insightful discussions about the books you read. With the printable book club questions readily available, you can focus on fostering meaningful conversations with your book club members, instead of worrying about coming up with questions on the spot.

Looking for more on how to run a book club discussion?

We share all our best tips and tricks for running a book club discussion here , including how to prepare, how to structure and facilitate the discussion, and how to deal with some common meeting and discussion challenges.

Keep your book club organized 

Coming prepared with good discussion questions is only the first step to a great book club conversation.  Bookclubs also has all the club organizing tools you’ll need to keep your book club running smoothly. 

• Automated Meeting Scheduling & Reminders: The meeting syncs with your calendar and all members receive a notification so whether you’re meeting virtually or in-person, you’re keeping book club on the calendar!
• Interactive Polls : Avoid those lengthy email chains with our interactive polls for book selection, choosing your next meeting time, and more.
• Message Boards & 1:1 Direct Messages: Share your latest book banter with direct messaging features and club message boards.
• Digital Shelving: Keep track of what your club (or you) has read and wants to read next. See in an instant what your club is reading this month, view your past reads in one place, and recommend books to each other – so you always have options for what to read next!
• Track Your Reading Goals: Set a goal for the number of books you'll read over the course of the year, the number of book club meetings you'll attend, or jot down and memorialize any other reading-related intentions you might have. Check back over the course of the year to see your progress, and we'll even send you reminders and motivation if you're falling behind. 
• Grow Your Club: Looking to connect with readers outside your personal circle? Open your club to the public and find new members in your hometown or across the globe.

Say hello to a better book club experience today and create your free account to get started.

Do you have any other must-ask general book club discussion questions?  Share them in the comments below!  

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28 Questions: A love story for our times and for all time Hardcover – January 20, 2022

'An intensely beautiful cleverly layered story of young queer love. An intense but entertaining read. Highly recommend.’ Juno Roche

• Print length 480 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Scribner UK
• Publication date January 20, 2022
• Dimensions 5.32 x 1.28 x 8.5 inches
• ISBN-10 1398501093
• ISBN-13 978-1398501096
• See all details

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scribner UK (January 20, 2022)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1398501093
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1398501096
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.32 x 1.28 x 8.5 inches
• #16,570 in LGBTQ+ Genre Fiction (Books)
• #55,376 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
• #165,463 in Literary Fiction (Books)

About the author

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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Review: 28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand

28 Summers by Elin Hilderbrand is a decent novel with a great setting. 

Despite the fact this is her 25th novel, this is actually the first Elin Hilderbrand book I’ve read! I really loved the Nantucket setting and you really feel like you’re right there with the characters. I would love to be at the beach right now so it definitely was a nice escapism summer read . I did think the story was a bit long at 433 pages. It also had a lot of storylines going on that I thought could have been reduced a bit. 

The synopsis 

When Mallory Blessing’s son, Link, receives deathbed instructions from his mother to call a number on a slip of paper in her desk drawer, he’s not sure what to expect. But he certainly does not expect Jake McCloud to answer. It’s the late spring of 2020 and Jake’s wife, Ursula DeGournsey, is the frontrunner in the upcoming Presidential election.

There must be a mistake, Link thinks. How do Mallory and Jake know each other?

Flash back to the sweet summer of 1993: Mallory has just inherited a beachfront cottage on Nantucket from her aunt, and she agrees to host her brother’s bachelor party. Cooper’s friend from college, Jake McCloud, attends, and Jake and Mallory form a bond that will persevere — through marriage, children, and Ursula’s stratospheric political rise — until Mallory learns she’s dying.

Based on the classic film Same Time Next Year (which Mallory and Jake watch every summer), 28 Summers explores the agony and romance of a one-weekend-per-year affair and the dramatic ways this relationship complicates and enriches their lives, and the lives of the people they love.

Affair storylines

I have to say that affair storylines are very tricky and it’s typically hard to get the audience on their side. Back in the day, it seemed every single one of Emily Giffin’s novels involved an affair and it usually felt a little icky—especially Something Borrowed . I think Elin handled it better than those older novels but I still wasn’t on board with it completely. I just kept thinking, why don’t Mallory and Jake just get together? Especially in the beginning, they had an opportunity. Honestly, that just kept running through my head and I didn’t feel the excuses were enough (Jake’s been with Ursula forever; Mallory will never leave Nantucket). 

Mallory is good overall but some of her decision-making is very cringe, which might be the point. Jake is nice but flawed. It kind of felt like Jake got to have it all—successful wife with a side piece pinning for him in Nantucket. And Mallory, geez, this relationship ruined any chances of her finding someone else. I just wanted more from their relationship for this to make sense—the summers felt repetitive and not in a cute way.

I guess their relationship was meant to be one-and-done every year kind of thing. Maybe the magic would have worn off if they would have been together longer. We just don’t know because they never gave it a try. 

Storylines galore 

I really do like Elin’s writing. I just though there were a bit too many storylines going on in this one. You have the main affair story, which sometimes takes a backseat to the other characters. We follow Ursula’s career trajectory, which to be honest, I wasn’t that engaged with her character. I really don’t understand why Ursula and Jake are together. The author tries to make a loose tie about why but I didn’t buy it. I will say, I have seen people complain about the politics but that didn’t bother me but it did feel random at times.

We also follow Mallory’s brother Cooper unsuccessful love life. I just didn’t really care about Cooper. Then you throw in some parent dynamics and Mallory’s odd best friend relationship. This novel does cover almost 30 years so that’s a lot to pack in but I found my interest losing a bit when it deviated from the main storyline. 

In  28 Summers , the setting is the star, but do feel there are a lot of issues. However, if you’re looking for a story that has a picture perfect setting, you’ll like this one. For book clubs, check out my questions here . 

You May Also Like

janice emick

Saturday 19th of December 2020

Is there a list of all the book titles mentioned in 28 summers? I listen on audio and often don't have the ability to write a title down, while driving or working. thanks in advance.

Laura @ Books, Interrupted

Sunday 17th of January 2021

I'm wondering if there is a list too! Although I am liking this book enough that I may purchase a copy to reread and figure out the books mentioned!

They Dream In Gold

Mai sennaar. zando/sjp, $28 (432p) isbn 978-1-63893-110-2.

Reviewed on: 08/29/2024

Genre: Fiction

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Book Review Questions You Need To Ask Yourself

I don’t think there is s right way or wrong way to write a book review. I do believe that book review questions prepared before you start writing it helps guide you to write the best review you can.

Up until recently, I would spend hours trying the write the perfect review. Sometimes I would delete a review that I spent hours writing only to start over. Now I have a list of book review questions to help guide me through the process of writing that perfect book review.

The book review questions or guide formula is super easy to follow, and it only takes me about twenty to thirty minutes to write out! So, let’s get straight to it.

Make sure you have your favorite book lover cup ready for your favorite drink. Mine is usually vodka, tea, or water. It depends on my mood.

Book Review Question #1

It’s easy to forget which books we’ve read afterward, that’s why I recommend keeping a log of your books right after you finish reading. You can see at first glance what you’ve read. You’re able to notice if you are missing any books in a series and the order of said series.

List the books you’ve read by title, author, genre and rating.

Often you can compare an author’s work to their latest book. Your ratings are all there to view at once. This gives you the ability to let readers know if the authors’ work has improved over time. You can compare star rating within a series, which will add even more depth to your review. Readers love to know whether they should invest in a long book series before they pick up a book. They want your thoughts.

When you are looking at your star ratings, you can decide if you want readers to learn about your 1 star or 5-star reads. It’s all up to you. I like to use this to give variety to my reviews.

Let’s say the last two books I read were both 3-star reviews but I want to give readers a 5-star book review. I’m able to look back to my list and find a 5-star review on my blog.

Or, if I feel like sharing my favorite author’s book, I can take a glance at my list and write a whole review letting readers know that said author is all about.

Book Review Question #2

Start planning your review as you’re reading a book. This is so important when you are reading a physical copy of a book and not on an e-reader . On an e-reader , you’re able to highlight paragraphs and leave notes so you can go back and use later.

Start filling out your book review sheet as soon as you pick up a book.

Keeping track of your start and stop date is essential to a good book review. We all know that we read books we love a lot quicker than others. If you have a book you started one day and finished the very next day, I’ll be money it must have been a good one.

Tell the reader in your review. Let them know that this book was so good that you couldn’t put it down.

Make note of your thoughts as you are reading. When something stands out to you, good or bad, write it down. Write down a couple of sentences and I guarantee you will be able to turn those sentences into paragraphs.

Write down your favorite quotes or the page number to use in your review. Readers love a good quote. It gives substance to your review. It’s human nature to feel inspired or connected to quotes. Those alone will help the reader connect to the same emotions you felt while reading the book.

The beauty of quotes in a review is also that you can produce at least one paragraph that leads up to or follows this portion of the book.

You should jolt down at least three questions that you thought of when reading. Once you start writing your review, you can answer a said question or express how much you would love to ask the questions to the author. You’ll have another paragraph or two from your questions alone.

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Book Review Questions #3

Pretend like you are a book club for one. I know it sounds silly but I’ll explain how beneficial it will be. You won’t be considered crazy for answering your own questions either.

Ask yourself questions that you would want to discuss with other people.

When you are writing a review you are having a conversation with the reader. Think of them as your best friend in your book club. Ask yourself what would my friend want to, then answer it.

The most frequently asked question in a book club is, “What do you like most about the book?” Your reader wants to know that. There is so much you can say without giving anything away. It could be the writing style, the funny conversations, the setting, the style of clothes, etc.

Pick 3 to 5 questions from the list provided in the free book reviews guide and turn them into paragraphs.

One of my favorite questions is, “What were some of the important themes?” That question alone could fill an entire review. Readers want to know what the author was trying to convey without giving the story away.

Answer the question according to the book you’re reviewing. If you are reviewing a romance novel, go beyond the love story. Focus on the personal accomplishments of the main characters.

Once you have gathered all the information you need from your book review guide, put everything in order. Start at the beginning of the book and work your way to the end as best as possible without spoiling it for the reader.

I sometimes write reviews with spoilers but I always warn readers first. Those are normally the times where I’m so fired up about a book that I just have to rant, good or bad. I’m known for being pretty messy but the majority of my reviews are positive.

I hope the book review questions or guide help you push out your reviews. Let me know in the comments any tips or tricks you use to write reviews. I love find new ways to do things.

Once you’ve downloaded you book review questions or guide, tell me what you think. I want to see if it works for you too.

Don’t be afraid to add in a few personal details that connected you to the book. It humanizes the reviewer. I like to think of reviewing a book like talking to a friend and friends share personal stories to connect and bond with one another. Connecting with other book lovers is the best thing I get out of reviewing and blogging.

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Hey there! I'm Danielle! I just a girl who loves books. I love books so much that I talk about the stories like they are real. Who knows? Maybe, they are real to me. I do love the book world, it's way better than reality. . .sometimes. . .because. . .I'm also a proud mama bear, wife, and mother!

3 thoughts on “ Book Review Questions You Need To Ask Yourself ”

I don’t do book reviews but this was a great read nonetheless. I keep track of my read list by marking them on Goodreads once I’m done, but I sure could use a journal of some sort to remind me why I liked or hated a particular book (because let’s face it, a lot of it disappears from memory, and only the main gist remains). Thanks for this, Danielle!

I’m so happy you liked the article. I have a digital planner coming very soon and you’ll love this one. It’s a bit more masculine as well 🙂

• Pingback: Free Reading Digital Planner | Pretty Mess Reading

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