Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Parce que c'était nous

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Parce que c'était nous by Mhairi McFarlane

5 reviews

a_gendu's review against another edition

funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I've read 3 other books by this author that were published less than 5 years ago, and I loved all of them. This book was published over a decade ago, so the writing and real lack of character development just wasn't there. There were also some parts of this book that made me do a double take, like Ivor fake coming out. That could've been...not included. There were other like out of touch stuff in here, so I wasn't a big fan of that.

One thing I like about Mhairi McFarlane's books is the slow burn. I do have to say that in the middle of the book, it felt like we were divulging into a different plot with the texts and that drama with the cheating being exposed.

Now, the real reason I didn't like this book is the cheating aspect. I read a handful of reviews that say there's no cheating going on between Rachel and Ben, and I wholeheartedly disagree. Rachel hears about Caroline seeing Ben, so she finds a way to casually run into him. They get a drink, and she discovers that he's married. Does that stop her? No. When Rachel first sees Olivia, Ben's wife, she just judges her and makes comments about her petite body. This 'pick-me' energy is prevalent in the flashbacks when Rachel makes disparaging comments about all of his girlfriends. I've seen TikTok skits where the guy has a pick-me best friend, and this gave me the same level of frustration. Rachel was still in love with Ben, and it just is messed up for her to still basically pursue him. And the confession of her still loving him when he talks about his wife moving to London. 😭 The real kicker is he accuses her of undermining his marriage, and then days or so later, he follows her and confesses his love after his wife and him decide on a divorce. He realized he still loved her after all these years? I feel so bad for Olivia. Frankly, they deserve each other.

Overall, I don't appreciate misogyny coming from the FMC. Not a fan of cheating of any kind of in books. I think the next time I read a book of McFarlane's, it'll be something a little more recent.

Content Warnings