Romance

Read this last year and forgot to review it. Another good story by Liane, not quite as good as THE HUSBAND'S SECRET, BIG LITTLE LIES, or WHAT ALICE FORGOT, but still good! ( )

A character-based book involving a hypnotherapist called Ellen, her new love interest, Patrick, and Patrick's former girlfriend who has been stalking him. Patrick also has a young son, Jack, and lost his wife tragically when Jack was a baby.

I was expecting more twists and turns, having previously only read 'Big Little Lies' by this author, but this novel was more straightforward. There are a few dramatic incidents, but overall it's a pleasant, unstressful novel that examines different kinds of love, and the ways people react to bereavement and break-ups.

The writing is excellent, the main characters believable, and I found it very difficult to put down. Definitely recommended.

Longer review here: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/2023/11/the-hypnotists-love-story-by-liane.... ( )

I'm so torn on this book!

The Hypnotist's Love Story is a marvelous stand alone by the author of Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty. This book is full of deceit, stalkers, a very strange love story, and life lessons. Oh, and did I mention a little hypnotherapy? It's kind of obvious, since it is in the title, but it's one of the biggest parts of this novel!

I found this book to be an interesting mix of chick lit, drama and contemporary fiction. There were times I was laughing, there were times when I was cringing, and at the end I felt like I was missing something. I wanted just a little more of Ellen and Patrick's story instead of the abrupt ending. There was so much strange insanity in this book (Patrick having a stalker, Ellen being a hypnotherapist, Patrick's former wife Colleen, Saskia's past...) that I was left feeling slightly empty. All of these story lines were epic, but none of them had the big follow through I was hoping for (especially in a book as long as this one!).

Ellen starts dating Patrick and their relationship moves very fast. Soon enough, she learns that Patrick's ex-girlfriend Saskia is stalking him and that he is a widower. He idolized Colleen and the son, Jack, that they shared together. Ellen gets the feeling she doesn't live up to Colleen and she seems to be intrigued by this stalker. All throughout the book we follow some of Ellen's hypnotizing shenanigans and meet some of the clients. Of course, that doesn't go too well either.

This book has the best concepts - all of that paragraph makes me really excited! To me, I just wanted more follow through. Why does Saskia feel the need to stalk? Why does Patrick feel like the type of guy Ellen should have just dumped? How did Ellen become a hypnotherapist? Why was hypnotherapy working on certain clients?

All of that being said, this book was still a real treat. If you love drama and a splash of romance, this book would be perfect for your shelf. Not every book can be utterly perfect in a reader's eye and I do expect a lot (I grew up watching soap operas, so I kind of expect the real dramatics). Liane also has a wonderful writing style that makes the book fluid and easy to read (and man, having a 400 page book as an easy read is a real feat, so don't underestimate this woman!). I will one hundred percent be reading more books by Liane Moriarty. Her ideas are incredible, her writing style is flawless and she writes realistic, believable characters REALLY well!

Three out of five stars!

P.S. "Knit, don't stalk" is the most solid life advice I've ever read from a book. It is also now my favourite line I've ever read and I'm going to live by it. ( )

“The suffragettes didn't starve themselves for the vote, so that you girls could starve yourselves for a man.”
― Liane Moriarty, The Hypnotist's Love Story

This book is different I must say. I have never read anything about a Hypnotist before.

This is the story of Ellen, a mischievous and free spirited hypnotist. This is the tale of her relationship with her boyfriend Patrick and the book is also about the field of hypnotherapy itself. There are several stories going on here. People who do not believe in this concept are trying to put Ellen out of business and simultaneously Ellen's kind and ordinary new boyfriend Patrick is being stalked by his all adoring ex.

I wish I could have loved this book. Although it was fun and I did enjoy some aspects of it, the book moved at an extremely slow pace and there were times I was a little bored. I did like the Hypnotist and she was much fun to read about. This is a case where I liked the leading character but the book itself did not grab me. The Hypnotist herself is gutsy and a heck of alot of fun but I did think it was overly long and there were one to many sub plots for me.

I think it is perfect summer beach reading. In spite of the fact that I personally did not love it, if one is in the mood for a light and beachy type of read, this would be perfect. ( )