What do readers think of With or Without You by Caroline Leavitt? Write your own review.

I though this was a good story line and had interesting characters. Unfortunately, it needed far more depth to pull me in. While the characters were interesting, they seemed shallow. All three of the main characters have a lot of baggage and the author tried to resolve it all by the end. Honestly, the story felt like a "rush to market" rather than a long and thoughtful journey. It seemed like it was being written against a deadline, with little time for development. Overall, it was disappointing.

What can I say - I didn't care for this book. I only finished it so I could review it. There were some parts that held my interest, but not for long. Just less than half-way through, I was able to predict the remainder of the story arc, though not all the details.

I found the writing to be sloppy at times, just okay the rest of the time. Often scenes went on and on, saying or showing the same thing, just in different words. Much of the important action in the second half of the book was the result of convenient coincidences.

I'm sure that some (probably less critical than myself) people will enjoy the book, but …more I can't recommend it. (less)

I struggled a bit with reading this book. I had a difficult time relating to the characters and found them a bit weak. I had trouble liking any of them.

The tragedy of Stella's coma could have been more intensely written about. I just didn't feel real compassion for the event. I did like the twist that people that recover from comas can often end up being different, have different talents and different likes and unlikes. It allowed Stella to move off in another direction and experience life in new ways.

Stella, Simon and Libby each struggled with what they perceived as challenging childhoods and how those thoughts …more followed them into adulthood. I found this novel to be a coming of age for 40 somethings. I just had trouble relating to their issues.

Overall, a relatively easy read and kept me interested enough to finish but not a stellar read. The writing was clean and moved the storyline along at a decent pace. Might be a good discussion book for a book club. (less)

I had hoped that a story of woman coming out of a coma and dealing with a changed life and old relationships would be insightful or at least moving, but I was very disappointed. The three main characters are continually grappling with questions of "What should I do?" as if they were teenagers rather than 40 something adults. Their impulsive decisions alternately either lead to the "heat" of desire or the "nausea" of a mistake realized too late. I almost started to count how many times the words "heat" and "nausea" were used in this novel. Overall the book felt too much like a soap opera tale to me, and I could …more not connect with any of the characters. The ending is somewhat unresolved, but I found myself not caring about the resolution. Perhaps if you are looking for a very quick, unsubstantial beach read, this book may interest you. If not, pass for a story with well developed characters who make thought out decisions. (less)