Review: Don't Get Me Wrong by Marianne Kavanagh

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Kim and Harry are total opposites who happen to have the same favorite people in the world: Kim’s older sister, Eva, and her young son, Otis. Kim has never seen what her free-spirited big sister sees in a stuck-up banker like Harry and has spent her childhood trying to keep him out (must he always drive the most ostentatious cars and insist on charming everyone he meets?), while Harry’s favorite occupation is provoking Kim.

Both Harry and Kim are too stuck in their prejudices to care about what’s really going on beneath the surface of each other’s lives. They’ll never understand each other—until the worst of all tragedy strikes. Faced with the possibilities of losing the person they both love most, long-buried secrets come to a head in ways that will change both Harry and Kim forever.

As in her “hilarious, poignant, and profound” (Daily Mail) novel For Once in My Life, Marianne Kavanagh tackles the bonds of family, friendship, and love through sophisticated storytelling. Don’t Get Me Wrong is a witty and heartwarming book that will charm readers everywhere.

Paperback, 336 pages

Expected publication: August 25th 2015 by Atria/Emily Bestler Book

 

Terri's Thoughts

**I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher Atria via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  The expected publication date is August 25th 2015**

Can a book be equally good and frustrating?  I wasn't sure until I read this story.  Let me tell you it is completely possible.

I will start by venting my frustrations.  I have never been so frustrated by a character than I was with Kim.  So full of hatred for someone she never took the time to understand and so full of judgement when she should have been looking in the mirror.  Up on her high horse judging everyone's else lifestyle when she was making one mistake after the other and should have been looking to clean out her own backyard.  Her feelings regarding Harry were stemming from jealousy and nothing else as she had to share her sister with him.  The way she was always feeling sorry for herself when Eva leaned on Harry was quite sad to be honest. I wanted to slap her throughout the story.

Harry on the other hand captured my sympathy.  The way he was misunderstood and always trying to fit in.  As the reader we got his back story and since Kim was not privy to this perhaps was part of the reason she didn't give him a fair shake.  She should have however saw the unwavering devotion he had for Eva and Otis and accepted him solely based on this instead of questioning his intentions.

Within this conflict was a wonderful story about families and misunderstandings.  I could not wait to find out how everything would play out.  Although I was frustrated, it was the point of the whole story and I get it.  It doesn't mean that I had to like Kim however I somewhat understood given the complexities of the reality.  This was a good book.

In closing I want to share a passage from the story that really resonated with me.  As I watch my husband be a rock as he is dealing with the same situation as Eva with his father these words never felt more true for me. 

"She wanted to shout, It's not ok.  It's not ok at all.  It's evil and ugly and disgusting.  Why are you so calm?  Why are you just sitting there, accepting it?  You should be yelling and screaming and throwing things at the wall.  You should be raging and wailing and fighting."

Instead I will be loving and patient and try to be the rock for him.

 

About the Author

 

Marianne Kavanagh has worked on a number of UK magazines, including Woman, Tatler and the Telegraph’s Saturday magazine. She joined the launch team of Marie Claire, where she became deputy editor, before leaving to spend more time with her family. Since then, as a freelance editor and feature writer, Marianne has contributed to a wide variety of newspapers, magazines and websites, including the Telegraph, Mail, Guardian, Marie Claire, Easy Living, MyDaily and Red. She writes a weekly column, ‘Surviving Teenagers’, for the parenting site Parentdish. She lives in London.