I really loved the unique plot line, the academic (and Midwest!) setting, and especially Greta’s somewhat odd personality. I wasn't sure how I felt about her through most of the book, but ended up loving her by the end. A great story about learning to change and grow. A good read!

A million years late to this one, but ultimately it didn’t work for me anyway. I had a hard time caring about the characters and while I love a good grumpy person the main character here veered more to the mean side. Perhaps that would have changed if I’d finished it, but I didn’t care enough for it to do that.

I had high expectation for this book and unfortunately it did not deliver. I adored A man called Ove and The Rosie Project so I was hoping for something similar. Unfortunately this book did not deliver for me.
I did not the main character at all and I could not empathise with her plight. I also did not like Megan or Marta. The writing did not draw me in and I did not care about what would happen.
I did like the Star Trek references and the insect information. The scene on the plane with the caterpillar was adorable.

I love stories of crotchety old people, and the people who press to be in their lives. For fans of A Man Called Ove, The Butterfly Effect by Rachel Mans McKenny was an absolute delight.

Could not get into this one at all and couldn’t finish. Sorry!
Thanks to netgalley for the chance to read it. Will update if I come back and give it another go

The synopsis was a lot more interesting than the story actually was. I tried multiple times to get into this one but I just couldn't relate to it in any way. I may try again in the future but I think I just want to move on from this title.


*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this title*

DNF @ 11%
I have read both The rosie project and A man called Ove in the past. But this was just hard to get through. The character and story did not feel like anything of those books expect being on the autism spectrum. But, i could not get through anymore - our main character was not interesting, just boring.

Unfortunately reading several reviews of this book I am no longer interested in reading it for myself and will be unable to provide feedback at this time. Thank you for the opportunity.

Thank you to NetGalley and Alcove Press for my copy of The Butterfly Effect by Rachel Mans McKenny in exchange for an honest review. It published December 8, 2020.
If you’re a fan of books like Britt-Marie Was Here and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, then I think you’ll enjoy this one as well. Greta is a flawed main character, and I really enjoyed her point of view. I also love how this is about a sibling relationship.

DNF’d this one. Just could not get into the storyline. The synopsis and blurbs for this one had me thinking this would be a cute read, but it just fell flat for me. Will update this review if I decided to read in the future.

Absolutely horrible heroine - did not want to read about someone so rude, let alone cheer for her or even want to know what happened to her. Felt sad for the people/characters who had to deal with her because this was just another level of impossibly rude and making no excuses for it

This is a light hearted easy going book and I enjoyed it. The characters were likeable and I enjoyed following their story. I would have liked a little bit more drama but think that is just down to my own personal preference.

I started reading this book seven times and I just could not enjoy it. I read about 40% of the book and the characters were just not doing it for me. The love for insects can be adorable sometimes other times it was almost the whole personality of the character and even the book.

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one. I couldn't understand the MC, if she was meant to be either likeable or unlikeable, at least she should be interesting but I really got none of that. I was really looking forward to this book.

What can I say? I enjoyed this book in much the same way I enjoyed The Rosie Project and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. In fact, I finished it in two days which is no mean feat.

The Butterfly Effect by Rachel Mans McKenny was a lovely journey alongside Greta, our socially awkward, or perhaps socially distant, protagonist slowly discovering that having a couple of close relationships is important. I found it difficult to like Greta, prickly pear that she was, yet I was also strangely rooting for her. Perhaps it was because I understood how comforting it is to turn toward knowledge instead of confronting the sticky difficulties of social interaction. The rules in scientific analysis are so much easier to understand. However, no man is an island and we all have to make our own efforts to reach out to others.

Diversity meter:
Chronic illness

I felt very "seen" while reading this book. As an introvert, I constantly tell people I enjoy dogs much more than I enjoy humans, and that's the truth. Our MC in this story is like me, only she enjoys insects to humans. I suspect the MC is on the spectrum based on the writing, so I can see the comparisons made to other books. I also enjoyed the twin perspective; as a teacher of several sets of twins, I love reading about twins that end up being polar opposites even though they're raised together. Greta was hard to like through the book, but since I've also felt the way she does around people, I get it. I think the feelings/reactions were sometimes overdone, but overall I enjoyed the story.


I received an advance copy; all thoughts are my own.

This introvert really enjoyed reading this book. The storyline was intriguing and it kept me invested till the very end. Loved the characters, especially Greta, the main character.

Loved the quirky main character and her well developed character arc over the course of the book from unlikeable to redeemable. Really enjoyed learning more about butterflies!

I have been trying to get into this one for a couple of months now, and every time I pick it up, I only make it a chapter before I want to put it down again. I'm struggling to connect with Greta and her ways of treating those around her. I also find myself wanting to graze over the paragraphs involving butterflies. Since I DNF this, I won't share on Goodreads or Instagram, but thank you for allowing me to give this one a try.

I did not like the main character, Greta, however I was intrigued by her wrestling with her feelings towards the world and herself. She was self-centred, angry and insensitive. However she was committed to her twin brother and also her opposite - Danny, completely. She prefers insects, especially butterflies to humans and understandably so as her mother had walked away from their family when she was a teenager and her father died unexpectedly some years later.

Greta is given numerous opportunities to redeem herself with her friends and her twin's fiancé and yet to no avail. However she refuses to give her recently returned mother a second chance.

When she finally asks about the feelings of others and considers how she may support them, her life starts to transform and so does she.

Greta Oto is our new voices narrative from Iowa and though she gets herself into some rather awkward and even prickly situations you get to go on this wild ride of making herself back. From the rainforests of Costa Rica studying butterflies and back to her hometown in Iowa we continue with these stumbled relationships she has with her family, death, and people in general to make for a loveable character that we root for and hope that she releases she’s her own enemy.