Uplifting if thinly plotted ... It’s an arresting premise, but for much of the novel Pennebaker seems unsure how to capitalize on it ... A later section set in Key West...is more successful ... The novel tests the reader’s patience, but those who go the distance will be rewarded.
An earnest, mildly offbeat girl-meets-city tale ... Pennebaker is a savvy observer of a restaurant’s peculiar workplace dynamic ... But the novel’s metaphysical elements feel like a mild layer of strangeness applied to a story of everyday 20-something concerns ... Sally Rooney gives such questions depth by virtue of philosophical savvy and a willingness to drill deep into her characters’ flaws. Here, the conflicts don’t feel nearly as high-stakes, and the reliance on a ghost story feels more like a narrative gimmick than a window into Alison’s soul.
