It's Not Shakespeare by Amy Lane

Well, I liked this book but frankly, I didn't really enjoy it. I know it doesn't make any sense, it's just that on the one hand, I really liked the idea, the concept of a professor, a literature professor (!) dating an Hispanic mechanic with no real education, and yet, I didn't really "connect" with both MC. There was something that was putting me off both of them (on their own, I did like them together). I struggled to finish this one, even though it's quite short. 



James, our MC and also our sole POV was a total "anti-hero", this isn't a bad thing necessarily, I mean, it makes him human, sweet, more "real" in a sense. Yet he felt "too pathetic". The life he was living, the way he saw the world around him was depressing to say the least and the interaction with his dog actually made it worse.. Though I LOVE dogs, and I have a strange connection to mine as well, the fact that it was literally ALL he had going for him was just, so, well, SAD. I was really happy for him he met Rafi, I was happy that Rafi showed him life COULD be different and actually MORE, and yet in a way that's still who he is, the kind of guy who expects nothing out of life. 

Rafi was an interesting guy, but I couldn't STAND the way he spoke. Yeah it made the story more genuine, and yet it was impossible to read him and truly enjoy the dialogue, at least for me personally.  half the time I wasn't even sure I got what he was saying..  He was kind of "street wise" which made his connection to James more reasonable or even possible and yet they were still VERY strange together. 

I did like the family interaction of both Rafi and James, and I really enjoyed the connection both of them had with Sophie (James's student and Rafi's best friend). 

So while usually I'm blown away by Ami, this was only an okay read. I totally feel as though "I didn't get it" and if I would have it would have been a different experience for me.  

Additional Details: Kindle Ebook, 164 pages, 2-3 November 2015 / On GoodReads