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[Following is a volunteer review of "Looking Glass Friends" by E L Neve.]

Looking Glass Friends by E. L. Neve is a poetic romantic tale of two people – Neil and Ellie. Both are married but unsatisfied in their relationships with their respective partners. They cross paths at the bakery where Neil works, and though they can’t recall what the other looks like, they’ve each made an impact on each other. It’s the memory of Ellie that prevents Neil from killing himself, and Ellie decides she wants to share her favorite novel with Neil. They eventually exchange contact information, and though they swear that they will not fall in love, their e-mails begin to bring them closer in ways that they cannot resist.

The journey of Neil and Ellie’s blossoming relationship is eloquently written in a way that reminds me of classical romance novels. Neil is poor while Ellie comes from a lavish lifestyle. Likewise, aside from a few key instances, the storyline is not very plot driven. Instead, E. L. Neve focuses heavily on the characters. Much of the content is inner dialogue or observation. However, the lack of plot and dialogue between characters does not detract from the substance of the writing. Instead, Looking Glass Friends flows elegantly and seamlessly, drawing its readers in with every word.

Each character within E. L. Neve’s work feels authentic. They have their own identities, and although their developments may not be monumental, they are written in ways that are dynamic given the constraints of the work. It’s this authenticity that helps build such strong moral and philosophical questions in Looking Glass Friends. Are Neil and Ellie cheating on their spouses even though they have not shared any physically intimate moments together? Should Ellie stay with her husband for the sake of their son? What must occur between two people for them to fall in love? These are issues and questions that are relatable to many of us.

Fans of romance novels are the ones most likely to enjoy this novel. Even as someone who does not typically read the genre, however, I found myself invested because of the beauty of E. L. Neve’s writing and the character focus. Readers who prioritize plot over characterization may find the pace of the novel to be slow, while others may find the content to be cliché. Similarly, although there isn’t much explicit detail included, readers who are put off by sexual scenes or by scenes involving rape and sexual assault may not want to read Looking Glass Friends.

It is easy to see how Looking Glass Friends came to be an award-winning novel. The writing is beautiful, the characters are relatable, and the e-mails and letters exchanged between Neil and Ellie are based on real correspondences, a fact I found personally fascinating. The only issue that I have with Looking Glass Friends is with the punctuation. Although much of writing involves intent and interpretation, E. L. Neve’s use of commas and semi-colons is often questionable and tends to disrupt the flow of some of the content. It’s with this in mind that I give this otherwise breathtaking novel a 3 out of 4 stars.

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Looking Glass Friends
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Like Amber Nichole's review? Post a comment saying so!

I am not usually a huge fan of romance but I MIGHT give this one a try. Especially if it is as elegantly written as you say. Thank you.

I am a fan of classic romance novels, so I will put this on my To Read List. I liked your paragraph with the questions. Normally, I find that annoying, but yours seemed appropriate. It is too bad about the punctuation errors. It is a shame that an award-winning novel should be so poorly edited.

I read this one a while ago, and I felt much the same as you do about the book. I really loved the author's ability to develop the characters and make them believable. Great review!

Thank you so much for your review! It is so interesting to me how the heart knows what it wants before the mind does sometimes. This novel is a classic retelling of so many stories we have heard before, that we should all follow our hearts.

Thanks for this thoughtful review.

I really like the sound of a beautifully written book with relatable characters. From your description, this promises to be an interesting and thought-provoking romance novel. I enjoy books that are character-driven. I also like books that encourage you to think about wider thematic issues, such as the questions about love that you have raised in your review.

The fact that the author based the exchanges between the two main characters on real letters also adds to the appeal for me. It’s always good for a book to feel authentic.

I have added this book title to my “want to read” pile. I look forward to reading it.

Thanks again.

As a big romance fan, I think I'd like this book. I'm already intrigued about how the relationship between Neil and Ellie would develop. Thank you for a great review!