Member Reviews
I know this is supposed to be one of the 'it' books of the season, but the thing I liked best about it was finishing it (which I wouldn't have done if I hadn't been reviewing it!) There were way too many characters for my liking and I didn't really like or care about any of them. It always annoys me when an author uses similar names for different characters so I was constantly getting Mandy and Wendy mixed up - - until I reached a point where I just didn't care which was which. Of all the characters, Liam and Shy were the least insufferable - but they'll probably grow up to be as bad as their parents so there's that. The worst character of all was Elizabeth. Why on earth the author even included her, I have no idea.
I have to give the book two stars just for keeping me reading it to the bitter end hoping it would redeem itself.
I enjoyed the Gossip Girl novels in my youth—although I never got into the TV show—so I was intrigued by the prospect of a new novel by Cecily Von Siegesar.
Cobble Hill features an eclectic cast of neighbors, who meet and mingle in the titular Brooklyn neighborhood. Their shared narrative unfolds via a multitude of perspectives; quite frankly, I lost count of the number of POV characters, but there are four married couples and three children, most of whom have at least one POV scene.
One might think that it would be difficult to keep track of all these characters, but fortunately, they all have well-developed personalities and motivations, so they all stand out in their own ways. The author has infused these characters with quirky little details to help make them memorable.
As for the plot, not much happens. But also, a lot of things happen. Much like Seinfeld, the focus is on these amazing characters and how they interact with their environment and with each other. On the other hand, much like Gossip Girl, there are *some* juicy secrets, like the fact that one of the characters pretends to have MS in order to gain attention and sympathy from her husband, which left me anxiously waiting for the fallout from this duplicity. Yes, some of the events do beggar belief, but then again, truth is stranger than fiction.
I would absolutely recommend Cobble Hill. This book is engaging and fun, and held my interest amidst all the chaos going on in the real world. Von Siegesar has once again given us a glimpse into the world of a select group of New Yorkers. This time, we’re dealing with Gen-X Brooklynites rather than UES Millennials, but the commonalities are astounding. I would love to see Cobble Hill turned into a limited series on Netflix.
I received an ARC of this book from Atria Books/Netgalley.
I really wanted to like this book, but I just could not get into it. I didn’t find the characters very relatable or personable, and the storyline was not as compelling as I was hoping it would be. I found it hard to be invested in any of the characters’ lives because on one hand it felt like a lot of their problems were not really problems at all, and on the other hand their problems were so commonplace that it made it hard to find the characters themselves or their plights compelling.
DNF. I had a hard time focusing and following along. This book isn’t what I was expecting at all and seemed kind of bizarre.
Way too slow, and I didn't care about any of the characters. It felt like nothing at all happened, unfortunately. Stories that revolve around parenting are not for me.
"She was not a stupid person, but she had done a stupid thing." Location 2820, Chapter 18
This one line sums up well the lives and pursuits of one neighborhood in Cobble Hill.
The story is told through shifting multiple points of view centering on the lives of the people and family in this gentrifying neighborhood in New York City.
Everyone seems to be treading water in their jobs, relationships, and morals.
I did not like any of the characters. They had first world problems, solved them with first-world solutions, and did not recognize the world around them and how privileged they really were.
This was a character-driven story but the characters didn't really seem to go anywhere and by the end of the book it was a contest to see which one ended up number one on my insufferable list.
Although hands down it was Elizabeth, Tupper's wife.
Fans of Gossip Girl will enjoy this perhaps, but otherwise this is fine to take off of your TBR pile.
I struggled to get through this book, honestly. It just felt like a jumble of characters with a very thin plot that had no real resolution. The most likeable characters were some of the teenagers, which I suppose is not surprising given Cecily von Ziegesar's previous books. I think the most cringe-worthy parts were the randomly inserted terrible song lyrics. . I ended up skipping over them after the first few. Overall, I was disappointed.
Thank you @atriabooks and @netgalley for the gifted galley of Cobble Hill!
This one did not work for me. A lot happened and simultaneously nothing at all. This was hard to follow and to I’m still not quite sure what this book was supposed to convey.
I think this would fit anyone looking for a extreme character driven book, that wasn’t worried about a plot and just wanted to read something. I pushed through because I had the audiobook but otherwise would have DNF’d!
Cobble Hill is set in a neighborhood in Brooklyn where 4 families live. They don’t know each other, but their lives overlap in quirky and interesting ways. Peaches is a school nurse who has a crush on Stuart, a former rockstar whose son goes to her school. Stuart’s wife, Mandy, doesn’t want to get out of bed so she fakes having MS. Roy is a famous English writer who has moved to Cobble Hill with his family and is trying to write a new book. His wife Wendy has a fancy job at a high end magazine, but it isn’t what she dreamed it would be. Tupper is an inventor searching for his next big idea while his wife, Elizabeth, is an artist seeking fame.
I really enjoyed this one. I love books about dysfunctional families and plots that weave multiple families together.
Happy pub day to this cutie! A new book by Gossip Girl's creator? You had me at "xoxo." I overall enjoyed this book! I think it would be fabulous tv series or movie - there were so many characters. Everyone was up to something. I have a few laugh out loud moments, which are always great. Where the book lost me was I didn't fully come to terms with what it was actually about. Were we just following this neighborhood's story, the individual characters's stories? All in all, I still think it was a good book and would still recommend.
When I moved to NYC in my early twenties, I was obsessed with the tv show Gossip Girl because I had read all the books. I wanted to be Blair Waldorf! (I had the headbands to prove it!) So I was so excited to read Cobble Hill by Cecily Von Ziegesar.
Cobble Hill is an affluent neighborhood in Brooklyn that’s known for well off families. This book splits its time between 4 families. I have to say I found it a little underwhelming. I liked the story and the characters, but there just wasn’t enough plot. I kept waiting for something to happen and it never did. There are also a lot of different characters and it was confusing to keep them all straight. I always love stories about NYC and so I did like the location. I love a glimpse to other people’s lives and it did satisfy that curiosity.
3.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
I really really wanted to like this one. But it just didn’t do it for me. The characters were fun and unique but I just felt like nothing really happened and so much potential was wasted. All in all, this wasn’t for me. Thank you netgalley and atria for sending this book in exchange for an honest review.
Cobble Hill is the name of the Brooklyn neighborhood where this book takes place. The cast of characters for this story vary from a school nurse, to a retired rockstar, to an English author. While I didn’t find myself connecting with any of the characters specifically I did enjoy their stories and how they all ended up interweaving together. The beginning of the book was a bit confusing to keep up with since there are many different characters feature in this one. The multiple POVs contributed to the confusion as well and I think made it more difficult for me to connect with the characters. Overall I I liked the story, but wasn’t completely in love with it. This one gets ⭐️⭐️⭐️
I liked this book but didn't love it. I agree with other reviewers that at times there were so many characters with different overlapping storylines going on that it was tough to keep them straight. This is a more lighthearted romp through the neighborhood but lacked a significant arc that tied everything together for me.
Cute, chatty, light-hearted romp through a Brooklyn neighborhood’s travails over the course of a year. None of the activity is too weighty nor serious; there is neither a pandemic nor election to trouble this world comprised of the near-wealthy and artistic hopefuls. The book moves quickly and the cast of characters is entertaining. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
Truthfully- I finished this book but I wish I hadn’t. I found it to be ridiculous and a waste of time. The characters are not likable, just a bunch of insipid bores. There’s not plot, or direction in the book. It just kind of ambles along. This is a collection of flawed people and their lives. Great idea, but fails in the execution. My thanks to the publisher for the advance reader in exchange for my honest review.
This book was a DNF for me. When I was younger I LOVED the Gossip Girl series and would save my babysitting money so I could buy the next book as soon as it came out. This book however didn't do it for me. I had a hard time keep all of the characters straight and it was SO slow and boring at times. I felt bad having to put it down because I wanted to like it, but there are so many other books out there for me to you.
Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I'm a GG fan (books and show) so I jumped at this adult novel written by CVZ. While this was categorized under romance, it's more of women's fiction IMO. There were way too many characters (it felt like a Nick Hornby book, he's someone I used to like, but now it's just too convoluted). Anyway, having to keep track of all the characters did not make this read enjoyable at all. I didn't finish the book because it took too much effort for something I wasn't enjoying.
In this eclectic Brooklyn neighborhood, you will read about a year in the lives of four families. First up, there is Stuart, who is an aging rocker, who married one of his groupies, Mandy. Mandy, in an attempt to get Stuart's attention, invented a chronic illness for herself. They have a small son, Ted, who goes to the local private school where Peaches is a nurse (even though she doesn't have a nursing degree). She is bored with her marriage to Greg, and wishes her teenage son Liam was more laid-back and fun, and not so nerdy. Liam has huge crush on the new girl, Shy. Shy and her family are British. Her mom works for a magazine and her dad, Roy is a famous author. Roy has become close friends with their neighbor, Tupper, who is an inventor. Tupper is married to a very infamous artist named Elizabeth.
I loved this book. I thought I would have a hard time keeping everyone straight, but I didn't. This was one of those books I didn't want to put down because I had to find out what was going to happen next. It was like reading a neighborhood version of US Weekly or National Enquirer. The storylines were outrageous, but that is what made them so captivating. I loved all of the characters, and it left me wanting more. I highly recommend this fun, quirky book.
Cobble Hill is the Gossip Girl for adults! This story was interesting and definitely made me want to hop on the subway and go visit the Brooklyn neighborhood. It also reminded me of Emma Straub's writing, another Brooklyn based author. Some of the characters/stories seemed way over the top for me but still believable, perhaps I've lived in NY too long! I think Brooklynites and New Yorkers will enjoy this more so than the average reader not familiar with the neighborhood itself. I would recommend this regardless and encourage readers to add it to their TBR. Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review.