Any review of Twenty-one Truths About Love is bound to touch on the structure of the book. The story is told through lists. Each month has a summary of expenses, "Dan's Laws of the Universe" addendums, catalogued entries on customers, things he hates or loves, things he's obsessing over, and so on.

This format introduces another way to read a novel. It doesn't read as smoothly as a traditional novel, but since it offers regular breaks, I found it a welcome feature because I don't always have long stretches of uninterrupted time; when I step away, it's easy to pick right back up. The premise is that Dan's wife wants to have a baby; he left teaching to open a bookstore, but it hasn't been doing as well as he's been telling her, so he's anxious about how they can survive if they add a child to the mix (additionally, he grows increasingly panicked over trying to keep the secret from her, but at some point we know it will come to a head).

I was reflecting on how I felt about the story. I love the list dynamic and applaud the effort, but how did I feel about it as a story? At first I was in the middle, but as I realized how real it became to me, how stressed I was with Dan keeping a secret from his wife, I acknowledged the author had effectively drawn me in through this clever medium.

(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

Twenty-one Truths About Love by Matthew Dicks is an entire book written in lists. Gimmicky? Yes, but it works. The book manages to convey an image of Daniel Mayrock and his family. I sometimes think I would like to hear his wife Jill's perspective, but that too is a testament to the fact that the entire situation – except for his money making scheme – feels real.

Read my complete review at http://www.memoriesfrombooks.com/2019/12/twenty-one-truths-about-love.html

Reviewed for #NetGalley.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book format was interesting. It was all lists. I didn't know if I could get into it or enjoy it, but I ended up really liking it.

Dan is a man with a secret...he is slowing losing money at the book shop that he owns but he cannot bring himself to tell her. He is also trying to live up to Jill's first husband who has passed away. He loves his wife and wants to be honest be he is scared of letting her down.

Jill is on a mission to have a baby - she is ready but Dan is not.

Dan is an obsessive list maker and in the midst of his bookstore failing, Jill becomes pregnant.

Will his marriage and family survive his failures?

This was a cute and quick read; I really enjoyed it!

First time I've read a book in list form.
Interesting and super fast read.
Main character is a compulsive list writer.
Story is simple.
Dan is a teacher turned bookstore owner with a wife, Jill, who was a widow.
She wants a baby.
Dan has a best friend, Bill.
Hard to like Dan, he is whiney but means well.
Some funny parts, some serious.
Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.
4 Stars

A wonderful book emotional moving the characters came alive.I will be recommending to my book loving friends.#netgalley#st.martinsbooks.

Musings on a book of lists:

1. I was really surprised that the book moved along with the story so well. The characters were fleshed out well via the list titles and descriptions. (although I did wonder just where Jill thought he was when playing bingo!)
2. That said, I thought that this format would be a lot quicker to read.
3. Dan. You have way too many employees for a still fledging business. A controllable expense is a better gamble than the Powerball.
4. The ending was very redemptive and heartwarming. Again, I was amazed at how much I connected with the characters in this format. However, it doesn't make up for all the penis talk, just proves that's how Dan's inner mind works.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is short and sweet, and deals with some heavy topics with a dose of humor. The entire format of the book is a series of lists, written by the main character. It sounded strange to me at first, but it actually works.

My only fault with the book is that I often related to Jill rather than her husband, the main character Dan. I believe it is part of the author’s intent to put Jill on a pedestal, but I fell into his trap as I am a woman near Jill’a age who has recently become a mother. Clearly Dan falls into the stupid man husband trap, but manages to remain likable.

The format of this book makes it a great palate cleanser to cure a book hangover. It’s funny and witty.

Dan has so much to worry about. He has changed jobs. As a matter of fact, he has quit his job and opened a book store. He is constantly worried about money and if his wife knows how broke they really are. He is worried about his wife’s first husband. Does Dan measure up to this guy…and on and on. Dan copes with these many worries by making lists….tons of lists.

This is a unique read, basically because of the format. The whole book is lists…Lists about his marriage, lists about his job, lists about lists. This did get a little old after a while, but it is quirky and funny enough to keep you reading. There really were so many places I laughed out loud. But, the format did throw me off a bit.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I didn't think I would love this book but I did. It's about a guy who writes lists about everything he thinks - similar to diary form. Just like the rest of us, his life is a bit messed up so it's interesting reading a fictional book about real issues - about how people worry about money, the people they love, their crazy family, asking for help and that it's ok not to have all the answers. I love that he uses Star Wars references, that he is crazy, that he owns a bookstore (i'm immediately going to my local bookstore after this) and that I can honestly truly relate to him. This book is certainly quirky and fun and lovely and warm and a bit weird but I would give it a 4.5 out of 5 (half a point because it just got a bit too weird, but hey I suppose so does life).

I was intrigued at first to see a book written entirely of lists. Something I’ve never seen before, and it was definitely interesting at first. I would have liked some traditional chapters though. Some of the lists had me laughing out loud, and others made me so angry! If there could have been a mix of lists/regular chapters, I think it would have worked out better.

I was initially intrigued by the idea of a book being written all in lists. I like quirky books and characters. I will say that again. This is a book written entirely in lists. Take a moment and think about that. I know.

The author was creative to format a book like this. It worked but I think the book would have been better with some narrative to break up the format. There were times that I just wanted to get the book done because I was getting burnt out on lists. Hence my desire for some narrative to break up the lists I give this a 3.5 stars

Overall, I do think this is a good book. The author made me laugh at times with his humor. I did find Dan and Jill funny and could understand his point of view. in Dan's list of Twenty-One Truths about Love did have great wisdom and insight.

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Matthew Dicks for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review of Twenty-One Truths About Love. All my thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

I didn’t really know what to expect when I started this. I had heard that the whole book was a bunch of lists. Didn’t quite know how that was going to work but it really did. These aren’t just lists but more like observations within lists. And they are funny as hell. Completely relatable. Dan is a frustrated writer who has opened a bookstore. A failing bookstore. The funniest observations about customers, the behind the scenes, his expectations of what it would be like compared to the reality is on point. For example he has his “original vision of a bookstore owner” with things like dining with authors and talking about books with smart people compared to his reality which includes teenage girls vaping in the store.

Dan used to be a teacher. It is where he met his wife Jill. As a former teacher, the teaching reflections had me in stitches. Dan didn’t like teaching, his kids didn’t like him, the other teachers didn’t like him and Jill is the ultimate perfect teacher. Jill was married before but her husband died. Dan’s neuroses over comparing himself to the prior husband whether it’s his personality, physique or his bedroom antics. Jill wants to get pregnant. She believes Dan is on board. Of course he has many concerns that he willingly shares with us including how to avoiding getting her pregnant. Dan also hides his failing finances with Jill. He lies and doesn’t let her in on what state things are in. These “lists” are like an inner dialogue of Dan’s fears, insecurities, hopes and dreams. Very similar to my own inner dialogue - hmmm should I be concerned?

Jill does get pregnant. For as cynical as Dan can be, he really is in love with Jill and wants to provide for her. He doesn’t want to be a failure. He has to find ways of cleaning up his life.

I thought it was a clever, insightful, and hilarious book. The format didn’t bother me at all. It lends itself to putting down and picking it up even if you have a few minutes. I didn’t read it all in one shot so I’m not sure what that experience would be like. I always looked forward to reading it. If you need a laugh at life, choose this one!

12 reasons to read TWENTY-ONE TRUTHS ABOUT LOVE by Matthew Dicks:
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1. It’s totally unique. A rare quality these days.
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2. It’s written as a series of lists, journal style.
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3. You first think the lists format will make it difficult to read, but you quickly figure out that’s not the case.
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4. It’s funny.
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5. It’s clever.
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6. It’s sweet.
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7. It’s heartbreaking at times.
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8. It’s a fast read.
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9. It’s about Daniel, a struggling bookshop owner who loves his wife, has a baby on the way, and has to devise a secret plan to solve his financial troubles. Daniel is funny and so is his secret plan.
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10. I love a good list. Daniel makes good lists.
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11. Funny lists are the best kind. Clever lists are even better.
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12. I gave this clever, funny book 4/5 stars.
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Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the advanced copy in return for my honest review.

So, like I said previously, if you love lists, you'll love this book because it's written entirely in lists! I'm really glad I got the chance to read it because I think it's such an interesting way to tell a story. I literally felt like I understood the characters way more than I ever have in any other book. Reading his lists just catapulted me into his brain and into his heart way deeper than any other book has. I consider that such a unique experience that I'm glad I didn't miss out on. It wasn't my favorite story to read and I think it's because it was a tad disjointed due to reading it in short segments. I wouldn't pick it up again to read, but I'm glad I got the opportunity to do so.

This book is extraordinary. While the format is unique, it's absolutely wonderful and you will be drawn in immediately and not be able to put it down. I don't think that was just me.

It's like you're part of this book, you feel what the characters feel, you hope for them, you root for them, you cry for them.

I can't recommend this enough and want everyone to read it!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC.

Dan loves Jill. Of that he is certain. Everything else he seems to doubt. A therapist once told him to make lists, and while the therapist didn’t last, the list-making did, so he carries with him a notebook where he makes lists. These lists reveal his worries about his recent job change, when he went from being a teacher with a salary and benefits to take over a local independent bookstore that is struggling for customers.

Dan also has a lot of concerns about his marriage. Jill was married previously, and he worries about how he compares. Jill wants to have kids, but Dan worries about money and about if he’ll be a good father. He really worries about everything, from Jill’s unwillingness to put the laundry away to why he doesn’t have more friends.

As the months go by, and their financial picture worsens, Dan just creates more lists of bad ideas instead of being honest with his wife about his worries and their money problems. He keeps getting in deeper and deeper, until he has to take action. But when the action he finally takes turn out to be wrong, so very wrong, will he be able to make things right again for his employees, his friend, his family, and himself?

Twenty-one Truths About Love is a novel told completely in lists in Dan’s journal. His lists expose a surprising amount of insecurity, warmth, thoughtlessness, stubbornness, charm, wit, love, and pettiness. Dan’s lists about his life draw readers in to his inner world, where he is scared and feels alone, and stretches out to those he cares about.

I struggled to get into this book at first. Author Matthew Dicks is a little honest with these lists, and I have to admit feeling some of my own selfishness and pettiness through those early chapters (and no one likes to feel that vulnerable so early in a book!). But I stuck with it, and I’m so amazingly glad that I did because it just opens like a flower, slowly but gracefully, as you move through the weeks and months with this very human narrator. Mostly, this book just vibrates with love and hope and happiness as the pages go by. It’s a beautiful read for when you need something especially heart-warming to remind you of the great possibilities for growth that lie within us all.

Galleys for Twenty-one Truths About Love were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.

All you list making crazy people like myself have got to read this book. I make lists about everything. So when I heard there was someone as obsessed as I am who wrote a book of nothing but lists I had to get my hands on it. I thought this book was simply hilarious. It's been awhile since I've had a book just make me laugh out loud. This really is an original and unique idea for a book. I didn't know how it would work, but Matthew Dicks manages to pull it off (for the most part, hence the 4 star vs 5 star rating). I will admit there were a few points that the lists got a tad on my nerves and seemed to dragged on. But overall I really did enjoy it.

"Why I'm always writing sh$# down
- my memory is sh$#
Real reasons for lists
- putting things in lists puts them out of my head and let's me sleep"

It's like Matthew Dicks crawled into my head!! I'm really not the only crazy person out there!!!

If I could write a list for Dan here is what I'd say:
Reasons why women don't pee at football games:
1. The bathrooms really are disgusting
2. The line is always too long
3. We really might miss those very important 10 yards.

Things I absolutely agree with:
1. List making is so therapeutic
2. Little Debbie Snacks are the bomb, don't deny yourself
3. Selfie sticks really should be banned. They are stupid.

It's quirky, surprising, funny, sweet, highly inappropriate at times, at other times moving, insightful and different. Get ready to laugh and enjoy yourself.

My thanks to Matthew Dicks, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars
<b>Twenty-One Truths About Love</b> is a novel told exclusively in a series of lists. Quite the twist on the epistolary format, it gives a unique structure to the novel. As I approached this book I must admit that I was nervous that this had the potential to come off as a gimmick. But when I delved into Matthew Dicks's novel I was taken in by Dan's humble nature and the vulnerability that Dicks allows him to show as he navigates his way through his fears and failings.

The Story: Daniel Mayrock is a man who has given up his teaching career to open up a bookstore. He quickly realizes that he is running through money faster than he is making it. He attempts to find a way around his dilemma (albeit by questionable means) without alerting his wife to their situation.

The result: <b>Twenty-One Truths About Love</b> is a touching and humorous tale about a man who loves his wife and discovers himself.

<i>Special Thanks to NetGalley, Beatrice Jason at St. Martin's Press and Matthew Dicks for access to this book.</i>

BOOK REVIEW⠀
BOOK: Twenty-One Truths About Love
AUTHOR: Matthew Dicks
@matthewdicks

When I first picked up this book, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I am kind of a speed reader. But then I realized this was the perfect book for me, because I am a compulsive list maker. And once you give it a chance, the story is told with perfect sense and style. I laughed and read bits out loud. Because this story is all about the basic truths we all struggle with - finances, love, work, and ourselves.

This might be one of my favorite books from 2019, and I recommend it to anyone who feels like they are having a hard time in life and need a pick me up, while still realizing important lessons about themselves.

Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
1. Daniel Mayrock loves his wife Jill…more than anything.
2. Dan quit his job and opened a bookshop.
3. Jill is ready to have a baby.
4. Dan is scared; the bookshop isn’t doing well. Financial crisis is imminent.
5. Dan hasn’t told Jill about their financial trouble. He’s ashamed.
6. Then Jill gets pregnant.

This heartfelt story is about the lengths one man will go to and the risks he will take to save his family. But Dan doesn’t just want to save his failing bookstore and his family’s finances—he wants to become someone.

1. Dan wants to do something special.
2. He’s a man who is tired of feeling ordinary.
3. He’s sick of feeling like a failure.
4. Of living in the shadow of his wife’s deceased first husband.

Dan is also an obsessive list maker, and his story unfolds entirely in his lists, which are brimming with Dan’s hilarious sense of humor, unique world-view, and deeply personal thoughts. When read in full, his lists paint a picture of a man struggling to be a man, a man who has reached a point where he’s willing to do anything for the love (and soon-to-be new love) of his life.

I received this book for review purposes from NetGalley. ⠀

I really tried to like this book but I cannot read a book written entirely in lists. I’m not a fan of the writing style.

I’m also not a fan of the narrator (main character) as he is very whiny. His poor child.

I’m not leaving reviews on Amazon, my blog or any other outlet as I don’t want to prevent others from trying his book. It is not the author’s fault I didn’t like this book.