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A review by brittaniethekid
Wild with All Regrets by Emma Deards
3.0
2.5 stars. Jaysus, that was depressing. RTC
Update 7/10/2023: The premise of this was perfect for me - ghost, angst, gay men, and a world war. However, the execution didn't quite live up to my expectations.
This book takes place in Ireland before and after the war and some during the Battle of Courtrai (1918) in Belgium. Lucas is an Irish man who grew up in the poorest parts of Dublin and meets Jamie, a middleclass son of a barrister. They become fast friends, mostly due to Jamie being a very friendly and talkative child, and keep their friendship throughout most of their lives after. They sign up to fight in WWI together and are lucky enough to be trained and stationed together, probably due to Jamie's father's influence. Also, because of how British military service levels work (rich privilege, etc.), Jamie is automatically Lucas' superior officer. However, Jamie doesn't take to the war well at all and has a mental breakdown. Lucas tries everything to help Jamie keep it together but, right before the war ends, something happens during a battle and Jamie dies. While Lucas doesn't completely breakdown, he still has horrible PTSD and spends the next 10 years living his life for Jamie's memory. But then, on the 10th anniversary of Jamie's death, Lucas sees Jamie's ghost.
Now the ghost rules here aren't really explained and they don't adhere to what I prefer for the "rules" of a haunting. Besides being incorporeal, Jamie seems to have all his old personality, memories, etc. and doesn't seem to need energy to be visible and vocal. Lucas had been hearing his name called for an unmentioned short amount of time before he finally sees Jamie but then one day he's just there. Because it's the anniversary? Who knows.
There also doesn't really seem to be an actual point to the book. Lucas' life is all about Jamie from the time they're reunited as young students until the end of this book for no other reason than he falls in love with Jamie. However, Jamie is very straight, to the point where he doesn't even notice his friends' affections despite living together and spending a lot of time outside of the apartment and all through the war. I find it hard to believe that Jamie wouldn't have noticed or suspected anything at all - maybe not that Lucas loved HIM but he would have gleaned that he preferred men at the least. When we get to the major revelation of the book and then the subsequent fallout 10 years later after the anniversary, the book kind of just ends. It's a majorly depressing end but also feels anticlimactic and pointless.
The book jumps around in the timeline but Deads does a good job of marking every chapter with the year so you don't get lost. And the writing is ok, but some of it sounded a little off to me since it's written by an Irish writer with Irish characters so keep that in mind.
Overall, it was an interesting premise but I think it needed to be sussed out a little more. There should have been maybe less of Lucas simply pining alone and more of their actual relationship; maybe switch between MC's POVs so we can get more motivation from the characters.
Update 7/10/2023: The premise of this was perfect for me - ghost, angst, gay men, and a world war. However, the execution didn't quite live up to my expectations.
This book takes place in Ireland before and after the war and some during the Battle of Courtrai (1918) in Belgium. Lucas is an Irish man who grew up in the poorest parts of Dublin and meets Jamie, a middleclass son of a barrister. They become fast friends, mostly due to Jamie being a very friendly and talkative child, and keep their friendship throughout most of their lives after. They sign up to fight in WWI together and are lucky enough to be trained and stationed together, probably due to Jamie's father's influence. Also, because of how British military service levels work (rich privilege, etc.), Jamie is automatically Lucas' superior officer. However, Jamie doesn't take to the war well at all and has a mental breakdown. Lucas tries everything to help Jamie keep it together but, right before the war ends, something happens during a battle and Jamie dies. While Lucas doesn't completely breakdown, he still has horrible PTSD and spends the next 10 years living his life for Jamie's memory. But then, on the 10th anniversary of Jamie's death, Lucas sees Jamie's ghost.
Now the ghost rules here aren't really explained and they don't adhere to what I prefer for the "rules" of a haunting. Besides being incorporeal, Jamie seems to have all his old personality, memories, etc. and doesn't seem to need energy to be visible and vocal. Lucas had been hearing his name called for an unmentioned short amount of time before he finally sees Jamie but then one day he's just there. Because it's the anniversary? Who knows.
There also doesn't really seem to be an actual point to the book. Lucas' life is all about Jamie from the time they're reunited as young students until the end of this book for no other reason than he falls in love with Jamie. However, Jamie is very straight, to the point where he doesn't even notice his friends' affections despite living together and spending a lot of time outside of the apartment and all through the war. I find it hard to believe that Jamie wouldn't have noticed or suspected anything at all - maybe not that Lucas loved HIM but he would have gleaned that he preferred men at the least. When we get to the major revelation of the book and then the subsequent fallout 10 years later after the anniversary, the book kind of just ends. It's a majorly depressing end but also feels anticlimactic and pointless.
The book jumps around in the timeline but Deads does a good job of marking every chapter with the year so you don't get lost. And the writing is ok, but some of it sounded a little off to me since it's written by an Irish writer with Irish characters so keep that in mind.
Overall, it was an interesting premise but I think it needed to be sussed out a little more. There should have been maybe less of Lucas simply pining alone and more of their actual relationship; maybe switch between MC's POVs so we can get more motivation from the characters.