Today Will Be Different
Fiction
Little, Brown
October 4, 2016
Advanced Reader Copy
272
Publisher via BEA
A brilliant novel from the author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette, about a day in the life of Eleanor Flood, forced to abandon her small ambitions and awake to a strange, new future. Eleanor knows she's a mess. But today, she will tackle the little things. She will shower and get dressed. She will have her poetry and yoga lessons after dropping off her son, Timby. She won't swear. She will initiate sex with her husband, Joe. But before she can put her modest plan into action-life happens. Today, it turns out, is the day Timby has decided to fake sick to weasel his way into his mother's company. It's also the day Joe has chosen to tell his office-but not Eleanor-that he's on vacation. Just when it seems like things can't go more awry, an encounter with a former colleague produces a graphic memoir whose dramatic tale threatens to reveal a buried family secret. TODAY WILL BE DIFFERENT is a hilarious, heart-filled story about reinvention, sisterhood, and how sometimes it takes facing up to our former selves to truly begin living.
My review:
I can usually tell when a book just isn't working for me when I'm not motivated to pick it up in my spare time. Such was the case with this one. I loved the author's first book (Where'd You Go, Bernadette) because of its quirky, funny, engaging storyline. While there were some snippets of that in this one (the Costco scene was probably my favorite), I felt it was overall kind of a lackluster story. I wasn't particularly fond of the main character Eleanor. Once again, I really didn't dislike her, just found her to be kind of meh. I did enjoy her son Timby, but unfortunately that didn't sway me enough to care about what ultimately happens to the family by the end of the day. I had high hopes for this one that were kind of dashed. Who doesn't want to start each day with a list of things you'd like to do differently to better yourself and those around you? I did finish this one, hoping for some humor or something to spark my interest, but ultimately the story just wasn't compelling enough to drive me to that finish.
Lots of great reviews for this one, so check those out before making a decision. This may have been a classic case of "it's not you, it's me". I won't let this cloud my decision for any future books by Semple. An author can't hit it out of the park with me every time.
I loved Where'd You Go Bernadette but haven't been motivated to read more of the author's books. I think maybe because Bernadette was so distinctive? I have been thinking about picking up another book by her but I'm thinking this one isn't the one to start with. Thanks for sharing!
This one did still have some of the distinctiveness of Bernadette, but I just wasn't as invested in the main character, so that made it a tedious read.
This is so sad. I loved Bernadette and every single blogger I follow who has read her latest has not had good things to say about it. I'm not sure what good reviews you're finding (I've yet to see one but don't read many traditional media reviews, mostly stick to bloggers), but based on the reaction in the blogging circle I follow, it sounds like it could actually be the book (and not the reader!).
I agree, most of the bloggers I've read have not been very complimentary. I think if you go on Goodreads it has some love (3.4 rating), and 47% 5 stars on Amazon (although I listen to Goodreads reviewers much more than Amazon). Definitely a disappointment for me 🙁