The Butterfly Effect by Rachel Mans McKenny a discovery of a four-star read. I had hoped this would be amazing, as it looked like it was going that way, and it was very good, but it did miss something, I don’t know if I missed something but I didn’t get Greta Oto on all levels I wondered if I missed something, or we were supposed to pick up on some sort if disability, or she was secretly a hottie who appears like a nerd, I just felt like I missed something, the rest of the story was so well done, I just felt a little lost with that. I did feel for Greta and Daniel though, as myself and my brother are far apart but I know I would drop anything for him, and the story had that feeling for me most of the time, I needed to know what was going to happen next. I would recommend this story and do recommend that you pick it up as its mostly an amazing story and I will definitely be picking up more from this author.

I received this Advance Review Copy from Netgalley and Alcove Press in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and Alcove Press!!

Review

The Butterfly Effect by Rachel Mans McKenny is a story of a passionate Entomologist who loves Butterflies over humans. She is such an anti-social and never lets people near her. She is forced to return home from her research in Costa Rica because of her twin brother’s health issues whereas her heart yearns to be back at Costa Rica doing her research. So that’s how the story of The Butterfly Effect commence.

The idea and the basic plot-line of the story was really good and solid but the way in which the author had proceeded with the story was extremely poor and problematic. First of the all, character development of the protagonist Greta was agonizingly irritating. Even though her being an anti-social, the author could’ve given her some compassionate and innocent shade to her, at least on her personal space or thoughts. Basically Greta’s character was extremely selfish, judgmental and egoistic. All she cared about was her PhD and research, she didn’t even love her twin selflessly. Her behavior was very emotionally brutal towards others.

The author could’ve made her slightly likable so that the readers would be able to relate and empathize with her but that’s not to be. Because of this poor character development nothing in the book felt good or likable. Except for the lead character Greta, every other character in the book felt reasonable and good enough to be read about. But obviously they all lacked depth and that’s not a very good thing.

Secondly, the book was filled with a lot of scientific terminologies – the physiology of butterflies and ants. We get that the protagonist is an entomologist and she is crazy about it but the leaning on those parts way too much felt supernumerary. These unnecessary details could’ve been thoughtlessly avoided and as resultant the book would’ve been much more readable and enjoyable.

Even the narrative style and the writing style of the author wasn’t that good. So, basically reading this book was excruciatingly painful. There was no depth and there was no emotional connect, there was no proper justification in the book. And there was this Ex-boyfriend character of Greta, called Brandon, this character seemed completely useless. In fact his character had a lot of potential to play this plot changing capacity but he wasn’t used properly by the author yet again.

Though the book was fat and big, it failed to exhibit why Greta was behaving the way she was, why she hated her mother, why she was repulsive of human relationship and things like that at greater extent. It was all said way too hastily. The book spoke about all the trivial and unnecessary things in detail whereas failed to talk about the most crucial of things.

On the whole, the plot-line of the book was really nice and it had the potential to make a very good story if at all the author had included some depth and emotional content to it. The bad writing style and bad processing of the story made the book quite excruciating and unreadable.

My Views

I read the blurb and looked at this beautiful cover filled with lot of butterflies and I was immediately drawn towards this book. I thought it was going to be an interesting read but I so did not like it.

For a book to work for me, I should be able to relate to the characters and situations and be emotionally connected to it but this didn’t happen with this book. And that’s the first reason why I didn’t like this book.

I was completely disappointed with everything about this book except for the basic plot-line. I really thought I would love it but my bad!!

My rating for this book would be 1.5 out of 5 stars

This book didn’t work for me, that doesn’t mean you wouldn’t like it. Read the blurb and if you are interested, give it a chance.

Happy Reading Folks!!

~ Meenu

I was sucked into The Butterfly Effect by Rachel Mans McKenny from the start. While some books take a while to draw you in, with this one I was fully immerse in the story on page one and loved it! McKenny writes such real, three dimensional characters. While Greta could be prickly at times, I really wanted to see her succeed and enjoyed seeing where McKenny would lead the story. Unlike other romcoms, The Butterfly Effect dives into family relationships and illness with grace and grit. I think this would make a wonderful book club book. It is fun, witty, sharp and insightful and full of meat that would make for a great discussion. I can't wait to read more from McKenny and hope she's already working on her next book!

This was a cute story. A little bit of romance, family drama and humor mixed together. I especially liked the relationship between Greta and her twin brother, Danny.
I also liked how the author explored the characters relationship with their mother.l; I think it added a nice flair to the story.

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre,  however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for  opening up my mind to something totally different. Characters were so well developed that I felt as though I knew them. I love when a book draws you into the story and it feels like you are living it with them.

What an interesting story! I liked how Greta tries to treat the real world the way she treats science; with logic and with reasoning. Her love for butterflies was truly interesting to read about! However, the love story does seem to be a little unrealistic, because it felt like throughout most of the story, she was in love with Brandon, but then out of nowhere she started to gather feelings for Max. But, other than that, all the other issues of not being able to trust, struggling with brain injuries, and attending therapies, were all very well written. I will recommend this booK!

This book was super good. It was super original and I flew through it. It didn't feel like anything I've read in the past. Can't wait to read more from the author!!

This book really was Eleanor Oliphant meets The Cactus. It introduces you to a character that is not your typical person which is good because it lets you experience the story from the view or someone different and also because it acknowledges these difference. The main character of course seemed rigid but that’s what made her endearing.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Unfortunately, it was not as great of a match as I had hoped. The description was interesting and pulled me in but after two attempts to read it I just couldn't find the interest. I wasn't connecting to the characters and couldn't quite hang on long enough to see how it ended. I am also not loosing sleep not knowing if Greta ever got back to Costa Rica. I'm sure there are others who can relate and appreciate all of the Star Trek references, I'm just not among them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. I was immediately impressed with the amount of scientific detail and research the author clearly took into learning about butterflies and insects. This is worth the read although I didn’t love or relate to the main character I did still find parts of it enjoyable.

Greta is a scientist working on her PHD. She is doing research on butterflies in Costa Rica when she gets a call that immediately has her returning home. Her twin brother, Daniel, is in the hospital and his fiance Meg is helping take care of him. Greta finds it difficult to get along with Meg as she temporarily stays at their home and can't wait to find a workplace so she can earn money and get out of this living arrangement. Reluctantly, she takes a job with her ex-boyfriend who also works with butterflies. Things take a slightly worse turn when her brother gets more sick and her estranged mother shows up out of the blue. This social awkward and logical introvert must deal with the issues at hand in her life as well as the relationships with those around her.

It was very difficult for me to like Greta. Her introvert and socially awkward personality was not so much of a problem as her attitude towards others and I just couldn't find anything in her character that would make me want to root for her. The description of this book sounded great. It was looked at as a girl version of A Man Called Ove (which was a wonderful read btw) but it fell lower than that expectation for me. What a bummer 🙁
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I liked The Butterfly Effect because the positive to liking and understanding insects more than people is rather intriguing. What you see is what you get when a butterfly lands on your finger; if he wants to be someplace else, he simply flies away. So there's no 'does he/doesn't he' relationship going on.

I also liked that Greta was not initially likable. Also, there's the whole twin thing. I find the relationship between twins fascinating in an almost sacred way.

Well-written and entertaining, I highly recommend this book.

This book had me at "a feminist version of A Man Called Ove." I love a book about a loveably grumpy character who finds fulfillment, and this book didn't disappoint.

I enjoyed this book, the story of Greta who is a scientist currently doing a PhD . She was in Costa Rica undertaking research in a rainforest, but was called back because her twin brother had had a brain haemorrhage . This threw her plans into disarray, though she did find the way to complete alternative research.
It has to be said that Greta is an antisocial person and both she and her brother had an unconventional childhood. Their father has passed away and their mother is estranged, though she is back in her brother Danny's life again. Greta narrates the book and seems unable to see a situation from any other viewpoint than her own. It sounds as though she is egotistical, but during the book she comes to more self-awareness and to terms with some of her past which gives her more insight in relationships with others. An interesting read, certainly, though I found myself sometimes thinking "why did you do that ?"
I wanted to read something different and this book certainly fitted the brief .Not the easiest read, but worth the effort
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Greta, the main character, was a bit of a challenge to relate to but overall, an interesting, sweet story.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I found this book extremely difficult to get in to. There was nothing that made me want to read more of it. The characters didn’t seem realistic or personable and there was no connection for me. Towards the end of the book the story became a bit more interesting but overall this book did nothing for me. I appreciate the opportunity to read it. Thank you Netgalley.

The Butterfly Effect
A Novel
by Rachel Mans McKenny
Alcove Press
General Fiction (Adult) | Romance | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 08 Dec 2020 | Archive Date 10 Nov 2020

I could not relate to Greta, the main character. This was not a good match for me and I did not enjoy reading it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Alcove Press for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Maybe someone else will like it better.
3 star

As a huge chick-lit read, I am well-aware of the "quirky heroine" trope. However, this debut novel, has a lead that is so unlikeable, it just pulled me out of the book completely. Greta is SO rude and horrid to those around her, I kept thinking "does she had a mental disorder?" I understood the plot - she had to give up her Phd project and funding in Costa Rica to come home for her dangerously ill twin, and she had issues with his fiancée and her estranged mother & ex, but she was so offensive to everyone - doctors and nurses, support groups - I just lost interest at the half-way point and did not care if she ever finished her project or got her HEA. I would suggest the author and editing team try to add some "humanity" and "humility" to this character before release date. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I did not relate to the main character, Greta, and that is a good thing. Greta has issues. Lots and lots of issues. She is socially awkward with severe parental abandonment issues. Greta is blunt and accurately compares herself to the Star Trek Borg when it comes to relating to others. Greta is in school working on her doctorate which is about insects. Just as she is heading to Costa Rica she receives a call about her brother, her twin, who has suffered from an aneurism and is hospitalized. The story then revolves around her relationship and feelings about her brother, family, his fiance, and to a lesser extent her ex-boyfriend, Brandon, and her friend and fellow student Max. She now works for Brandon who already has a Ph.D. and is the one who started her love of all things butterfly. He is now in a committed relationship with someone else. The book was very well written. This is not a light-hearted feel-good story. It is kind of heavy and angsty which is not a criticism. Life is not perfect and we are all flawed. It hurts to see the pain Greta is feeling. Sometimes I want to read fantasy fiction that is all HEA and instalove and that is not this story. This story is real and gritty and describes real people and realistic circumstances but does end on a positive note with real character growth which I really enjoyed. All in all, I think this book was just shy of 4 stars but it was more than a three due to how well written and solid the storyline was so I rounded up. Another benefit to this story is you will learn a lot more about butterflies and insects than you did before so enjoy.

ARC received by Netgalley for an honest review.

I like books about quirky or strange heroines, so this must be for me, right? But no, I must admit I had a lot of issues with this heroine. She was totally unlikable to me for the biggest part of the story, even when I do understand what the author was trying to do.

Greta is a scientist and total opposite of her twin, Daniel. When Daniel lands in the hospital Greta flies home from her job in Costa Rica and to finish her study in insects (Phd) she has to work with her ex boyfriend again. Overall Greta was quite horrible to everyone around her and insulting.
The story does end on a higher note and I did understand her a little more. But it was not the romantic story I kind of expected.