A “sharp and funny romantic tale” (O, the Oprah Magazine) from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies and Nine Perfect Strangers.Ellen O’Farrell is a professional hypnotherapist who works out of the eccentric beachfront home she inherited from her grandparents. It’s a nice life, except for her tumultuous relationship history. She’s stoic about it, but at this point, Ellen … She’s stoic about it, but at this point, Ellen wouldn’t mind a lasting one. When she meets Patrick, she’s optimistic. He’s attractive, single, employed, and best of all, he seems to like her back. Then comes that dreaded moment: He thinks they should have a talk.
Braced for the worst, Ellen is pleasantly surprised. It turns out that Patrick’s ex-girlfriend is stalking him. Ellen thinks, Actually, that’s kind of interesting. She’s dating someone worth stalking. She’s intrigued by the woman’s motives. In fact, she’d even love to meet her.
Ellen doesn’t know it, but she already has.
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This was a fun book! I particularly enjoyed the stalker and also all the detail about what hypnosis entails. When I meditate, I often think about the interplay with hypnosis and her image of warm liquid gold pouring over you. I also thought some of his more immature moments were very realistic.
This book involves a female stalker, the man she is stalking and his new girlfriend. I loved the way each character’s point of view brings something different to the table, and helps the reader realize the many ways there are to understand any given situation. This book made me think for several days after I finished it.
Not one of her best. Thought it just dragged on but I did finish it.
Quite a twisted tale. You felt it was going to end tragically.
Wasn’t sure if I would like this book since I’m not a big fan of romances. But it was more about how the characters changed and the characters were so well-written that you were really rooting for them. I also found the whole hypnotist part of things very interesting. Made me see that in a different light. It was also unexpectedly funny. Very enjoyable read – perfect for beach reading this summer.
The characters were pretty interesting. The stalker ex girlfriend and the new hypnotist girlfriend. The author does an excellent job of keeping you wanting to turn the pages. You keep expecting something big to happen. I mean I guess it kinda did. I think more could have been done to boost the satisfaction at the end. I left the book feeling mildly let down and the book just felt long.
2.5
Easy read. Not my favorite of her books but good for a beach or plane ride.
Fabulous writer – anything by her is wonderful!
Not nearly as good as Moriarty’s other books.
A bit too formulated but topical.
I usually LOVE books by Moriarty, but I found that this one dragged.
I have enjoyed all the Liane Moriarity books I ‘ve read. She uses language and imagery that speaks to me. This wasn’t my favorite but I do highly recommend it.
This book was very good. It was a nice change from reading history and autobiography’s. A few nice twists but very good-
I thought a lot about this book after I finished it earlier this afternoon what the writer was attending for the reader to understand and what I the reader took away from reading this book that it ended up with me making a pro’s and con’s list. *Contains some spoilers*
Pro’s:
°The story was unusual with having two narrators 1st being the Hypnotist(Ellen) who is in a relationship with the person being stalk(Patrick) and the 2nd being the stalker(Saskia).
°I enjoyed reading the love story between Patrick and Ellen.
°I also enjoyed learning about hypnotherapy and what a hypnotist does.
°Some of the characters where interesting and made me want to know more about them.
°Saskia getting help, I never felt while reading this that she was a lost cause so her getting help made me feel like she could eventually get better.
°I like how Saskia’s therapist wouldn’t let her try to justify what she had been doing and was helping her try to see how what she was doing was making Patrick feel.
°Patrick feeling like he could live again, he still worries but it lessons a little by the end.
Those are some of the pro’s I can think of for now for the con’s.
Con’s:
°I didn’t like how Ellen didn’t take the fact that her new boyfriend Patrick was being stalked seriously. She was more interested in understanding Saskia’s motives and being empathic towards her that it wasn’t until the end when she’s watching a program about a woman who was stalked that she realize the error of what she did. Which is that she didn’t show Patrick the same level of understanding and empathy as she did for Saskia.
°Ellen wasn’t the only one who did that though so did Patrick’s family. The dinner table scene really annoyed me your son/brother has been stalked by his ex girlfriend for the past 3 years and your victim blaming him. For not letting her continue to see his son and not waiting longer to end the relationship with her until after she was in a better place after her mother’s unfortunate death.
Now on one hand I get it it wasn’t the best time for him to end the relationship a month after Saskia’s mom’s passing. But on the other hand to continue the relationship knowing that you no longer love that person is just as wrong. Let me explain I feel that it’s cruel to lead a person on, letting them get even more invested and believing that what you feel for them will last when you know it won’t.
°I didn’t like Saskia nor did I sympathize with her character I kept waiting to feel sympathetic towards her for how devastated she felt over the end of her relationship with Patrick. But I just couldn’t bring myself to because with every turn of the page I could see how much pain she was causing Patrick and how badly she sucking the life out of him to the point in which he felt like he had no control over his life anymore.
°When Saskia is talking about choices and how she didn’t want to believe she had a choice,I swear the quote from the movie ‘Closer’ popped in my head the quote goes like this, “There’s a moment, there’s always a moment, “I can do this, I can give into this, or I can resist it”, and I don’t know when your moment was, but I bet you there was one” this is how I felt about her character every time she decided to keep following, calling, emailing, coming by/into Patrick and Ellen’s house and when she tried to justify her actions/behavior and act like Patrick was in the wrong for reacting the way he did.
°I also wish nearly everyone hadn’t treated the whole stalking thing like it wasn’t serious. Stalking is a serious matter and no matter the reason no one deserves to be stalked.
°I wish that this story was also even partly told from Patrick’s POV and not just Ellen and Saskia. I feel like having only his ex and current girlfriend’s pov slightly painted him in a unfair light. That only the last half of the book helped you understand him and why he felt like he shouldn’t place a restraining order against his ex, even though he wanted her out of his life and for her to stop and let him go. It’s almost like he felt like he deserved what she was doing to him because how he treated her when he ended the relationship and after he ended it.
S story about a common issue that usually effects women
Just when you thought you knew where this was going,,,,you don’t! The characters evolve as the book goes on and you hated to put it down. All characters, even the minor ones, very well written. You felt you knew all of them and were drawn into their family.
Love all her books. Unique and entertaining.
Slow moving story , but with lots of twists and turns!
Excellent, great character development!!
Just not literary enough for me, I guess.