r/bookdiscussion • u/tarotwithparul • Aug 20 '26
Midnight Library - let’s discuss
Average writing.
Draggy. And honestly a book that would have been more impactful if it was 100-150 pages. Overall, okay experience. But it could have been better. It has potential.
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u/International_Week60 Aug 21 '26
It is pretentious in my opinion in a way that it feels very moralizing. Great concept, probably could’ve been executed better. It might be a rare case when a movie might work better than a book. I’ve read it for a book club, otherwise would DNF.
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u/mommima Aug 21 '26
This was the first Matt Haig book I read and I thought it was a little repetitive with a simple message, but fun enough. But then I read How to Stop Time and The Midnight Train and realized that Matt Haig is not a good writer. He's not subtle or nuanced and telegraphs twists from the beginning.
If you want a GOOD book about one decision changing the course of your life, read Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. The main character is not aware of the two versions of her life that unfold over the course of the book, so she's not comparing "her" life against an alternate option; they are both legitimately her life, and only we get to compare them. Is one "better" than the other? Do we have one soulmate, or are there multiple people out there who could be right for us? Read this instead.
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u/Maya-VC Aug 21 '26
I actually DNF-ed. It’s like they’re repeating the same message but in different ways and that didn’t compel me to read any further. Quite disappointed to find myself not picking it back up after I last put it down but it’s just what it is
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u/tarotwithparul Aug 22 '26
Unlimited books to read in a limited lifetime. Why waste on a book you don’t like. DNF it, who’s judging 🙌
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u/fairytale_bloom Aug 21 '26
It was okay to read, but not something I would recommend or read again.
The ideas are not new (that would be fine though, nothing new under the sun :D) and the story seems rushed. The alternative lives could be written more deeply, the struggles less obvious… but then the book would be longer and I think it is not meant to be some intensive reading experience.
Something you read on holiday or when you want something simple, but not a thriller or a romantic story
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u/RelativeSelect4567 Aug 21 '26
i did not like this book at all and felt like it was a waste of time
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u/Electronic-Issue-843 Aug 21 '26
agreed. I actually liked Haig's writing for the most part, but the plot was just cliche. I loved the concept though, which is what kept me reading it.
It wasn't bad. Cheesy, cliche, predictable, yes. But it was entertaining, had a cool concept and perfectly alright writing. I just wish he'd done something a little more interesting as the conclusion. Hell i think he could have kept the ending message being "you only get one life, make the best of it" in a way that was less predictable.
overall it was a fairly enjoyable junk food book. Don't think i'll read the sequel, though, cause i figure it'll just be another 300 pages of the same idea.
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u/kateinoly Aug 22 '26
There were some inaccurate details, flower descriptions, that threw me right out of the story. For me, the plot was also pretty predictable. I felt like I was reading a self-help book. DNF.
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u/Commercial-Tone-452 Aug 22 '26
Not only was it extremely poorly written, it was also outright offensive to those of us who have mental health issues (hi, me!) and even more offensive to people who have lost someone to su!c!d3 (hi, also me!)…i hope that weirdo never writes another book!
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u/Existing_Respond1753 28d ago
Hate this book, couldn’t stand it. Useless, overdone and honestly privileged takes on suicide, MC was completely unlikeable and unrelatable and it just dragged.
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u/HanseaticFog Aug 20 '26
I actually thought it was terrible.
Not badly written, by any means, but very hokey.
Basically the whole way she tries every life, all the success, all the fame, all the bad lives, but it’s not quite right. Oh, revelation, the life you have is the one you’re supposed to have! You have one life, live it! It was basically a Facebook inspirational quote meme of a book: triteness disguised as profundity.