Sam@WLABB
Written on Oct 11, 2018
This book is called The Seven Torments of Amy and Craig, but to me, this was really Craig's story. It was the story of his first love and subsequent heartbreak, but it also chronicled a rather cataclysmic year in his life, which I guess, was his coming-of-age.
That being said, I LOVED Craig. Right from the start, I knew I was going to adore him. He was witty and wry and he made me laugh. I ached for him every time Amy broke up with him, and scolded him every time he went back to her. My heart broke for him when his family hit a rough patch, and I was proud of his personal growth throughout the story. Good job, Don Zolidis! You wrote a great character, who totally endeared himself to me.
Amy was a little tougher for me to like. The story was told solely from Craig's perspective, therefore, I really had no inkling as to why Amy kept breaking up with Craig. We slowly learn bits and pieces of her life throughout the book, but don't really get the full story until almost the end of the book. That last bit helped me reconcile my feelings about Amy and understand her a lot more, and maybe it was sort of brilliant to make me wait.
There were lots of great supporting characters in this book as well. Amongst my favorites, were Craig's D&D squad. They each had some quirks, and the group as a whole, had a great dynamic. They really rallied around Craig, when he hit some low points during his various "torments". Craig may not have had as many friends as his sister, but he had some quality friends.
I also loved Craig's dad. He goes through a lot in this book, and we see his and Craig's relationship undergo some major changes. This was one of the first times that Craig saw his dad as a fallible human. He saw his father bear his emotions and actually share his feelings. These reveals were huge, and really took Craig and his dad's relationship in a meaningful direction.
Zolidis did a fantastic job taking me through the ups and downs of this relationship. I thought laying it out in a non-linear way worked well, but my favorite thing was the way Craig told the story. I like when the characters talk to me. It's a format that works well for me with films, TV shows, and books. It conveyed this intimacy that fit the confessional nature of this story, which was very memoire-esque.
This book was mostly funny. Zolidis expertly wove the heavier bits in with lots of humor, which was probably why so many tears flowed at the end. That seventh torment was the toughest for me. I just reread the ending, and of course, I am crying. There is a part that was really sad, but the rest was more bittersweet. I liked how Amy and Craig's lives had progressed, and was happy about that, but being a hopeless romantic, I wanted an HEA.
Overall: A charming and humorous look at first love and moving on.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
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