Review of Looking Glass Friends

[Angelica Arens]

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

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2 out of 4 stars

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Looking Glass Friends by E.L. Neve starts off from the perspective of Neil, a depressed man who is unhappy with his marriage and life in general. Neil contemplates suicide to escape his unfulfilling and monotonous life. Neil works at a bakery where he meets an intriguing woman named Ellie. After receiving her used copy of Atlas Shrugged, Neil and Ellie form a friendship through emails. The two friends bond over their unhappiness in their marriages and their mutual love for books. The emails quickly turn into nightly phone calls. The pair must navigate their feelings for each other and the complications that their friendship brings to their own respective families. Looking Glass Friends looks at how a person could find themselves settling in a relationship and breaks down the complicated nature of a soul mate.

Looking Glass Friends was professionally written and was a nice book to have on audible. The author did a wonderful job on creating the characters. Through her descriptions, I found myself having strong emotional responses to many of the events that occur.

The subject of this book was off-putting to me. Neil was written in such a way that I found it impossible to have positive feelings towards him. He was miserable in his marriage to Faye, but instead of speaking with her or trying to find resolution, Neil begins an emotional affair with Ellie. Ellie is an awful person too. Ellie jumped into the friendship with Neil while neglecting her marriage as well as her son. The book is filled with toxic and borderline abusive behavior. I was also put off by the use of Ayn Rand quotes as justification for the actions between Ellie and Neil. The quotes always come off as pretentious, and do not make the points that the characters think they are.

I would give Looking Glass Friends a 2 out of 4 stars. The book is written well, but the subject matter is distasteful. The book tries extremely hard to justify the behaviors of Ellie and Neil, but glosses over the pain that their actions inflict on their partners.

As a romance novel I would not recommend this book. I do not see the appeal of reading about infidelity and emotional abuse. I was unable to see past the betrayal to see any true romance. While I did not enjoy the book, there may be a place for it in a book club because of the types of discussions that could come from the events.

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Looking Glass Friends
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