My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Simply amazing.
When I first heard about this story over a year ago, I fell over myself with excitement. I am a huge fan of the 80s, especially the music, and the major draw to All the Better Part of Me for me was the New Wave influences. Each chapter title is a song title from the 80s, and the songs fit perfectly with the narrative.
So I went into reading All the Better Part of Me with extremely high expectations. I wasn’t disappointed in the least.
Have you ever read a book that made you feel giddy, whether it be a particular character, the plot, or the writing? That’s how I felt from the moment I got to know Sinter. Sinter is hands down one of my favorite characters ever, and Ringle’s writing gives him such a great voice. He’s got a huge heart that influences everything he does. He’s endearing, even when he makes mistakes. He’s the kind of person who, if you met in real life, you’d hold on tight and never let go. Because everyone needs a Sinter in their life.
A decent portion of Sinter’s interactions with other characters is done via text message. These interactions are engaging and perfectly convey the development of his relationships with the other people. Ringle gives life to what can sometimes come across as staid, impersonal communication on page.
Ringle takes stale plot twists and gives them new life. I don’t think this would have worked with any character other than Sinter. He is thrown more than one curve ball over the course of this book, and his actions are genuine and sometimes heartbreaking.
An amazing soundtrack, a captivating MC, and an engrossing plot combine to make this one of the best books I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.