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    Love and Miss Communication
    Love and Miss Communication
    Love and Miss Communication
    Audiobook11 hours

    Love and Miss Communication

    Written by Elyssa Friedland

    Narrated by Marguerite Gavin

    3/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Evie Rosen has had enough. She's tired of the partners at her law firm e-mailing her at all hours of the night. The thought of another online date makes her break out in a cold sweat. She's over the clever hashtags and the endless selfies. So when her career hits a surprising roadblock and her heart is crushed by Facebook, Evie decides that it's time to put down her smartphone for good. (Beats stowing it in her underwear-she's done that, too!)

    And that's when she discovers a fresh start for real conversations, fewer distractions, and living in the moment, even if the moments are heartbreakingly difficult. Babies are born; marriages teeter; friendships are tested. Evie may find love and a new direction when she least expects it, but she also learns that just because you unplug your phone doesn't mean you can also unplug from life.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 1, 2015
    ISBN9781494586898
    Love and Miss Communication
    Author

    Elyssa Friedland

    Elyssa Friedland attended Yale University, where she served as managing editor of the Yale Daily News. She is a graduate of Columbia Law School and subsequently worked as an associate at a major firm. Prior to law school, Elyssa wrote for several publications, including Modern Bride, New York magazine, Columbia Journalism Review, CBS MarketWatch.com, Yale Alumni Magazine, and Your Prom. She grew up in New Jersey and currently lives in New York City with her husband and three young children.

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    Reviews for Love and Miss Communication

    3/5

    50 ratings19 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I loved the author’s “Last Summer at the Golden Hotel” and “The Floating Feldmans” but this, her first novel, was weak, tedious, and stilted. If this was your first Elyssa Friedman novel, try some of her later works! She has VASTLY improved with experience.
    • 4/5
      I received this book for free through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.I really liked the premise of this book. Giving up the internet is a really tough thing to do in today's world. However, I felt that the execution of the story could have been better. It drags a bit in the first half/middle. I would have liked to seen more of how the internet withdrawals affected her. She didn't seem to have too much difficulty giving it up. The story was also a bit predictable. Despite all that, it's still a cute light read. I also liked the author's note at the end of the book.
    • 3/5
      Thank you LibraryThing for the advance reader's copy. I like the the idea of the story, turn your phone, tablet, computer, etc. off. I'm an old gal and remember how it was without all the electronics and not being available every second, no texts, tweets, emails, etc. I like the story but felt it lost steam the second half of the book. It was a light read. If you are looking for something light and quick, give it a try.
    • 3/5
      This book was a pretty typical "chick lit" offering. The characters were fairly shallow and the socially redeeming factor being "quitting the internet". Heaven knows there is way too much socializing on devices and too little meaningful person to person interaction. I couldn't really like Evie as a person, one reason being her biggest goal in life seemed to be "getting a successful husband". Everything else was secondary. The book did keep me reading, but I was quite happy when I finally finished it so I can now read something with more substance.
    • 3/5
      LOVE AND MISS COMMUNICATION is a pretty typical love story with the addition of information age complications. Evie Rosen has given up the internet after blaming it for her horrible dating experiences, the loss of her job, and her constant heartbreak and feelings of insecurity due to access to too much information. Once she ditches her computer, we follow Evie's attempts to navigate life and relationships while unconnected, unattached, and unemployed.LOVE AND MISS COMMUNICATION was a challenge at first. I felt that the first four chapters of the book were trying too desperately to sound smart, and that was really off-putting. The middle chapters of the book were a bit better. The writing was smoother, and I was able to connect better with Evie--although I still found her to be annoying rather than engaging a lot of the time.That said, I was immersed in the flow of the story, and then the last 4-5 chapters of the book happened. Evie went back into full-on annoying mode, and I was just reading to get through the rest of the book.I wish LOVE AND MISS COMMUNICATION had a bit more depth to it. There are times when Evie's musings are thought-provoking, and the life-without-the-internet plot could have done so much more than it did.I suspect some people will enjoy Evie's story more than I did, so I won't say that I don't recommend it at all. I would suggest that readers go in with expectations for a light and quick read.Thank you to LibraryThing and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.
    • 3/5
      I received this book through the Early Reviewer program in exchange for a review. Evie Rosen is a 30 4 year old, single woman. She thought her boyfriend of 2 years would change his mind about marriage but she just didn't realize it wouldn't be with her. This whole situation started her on a downhill slide. To try and get control of herself and her life she decides to quit using the internet. No email, facebook, twitter, google searches, nothing! I loved this premise. I regularly find myself getting irritated with all of the people who can't spend face to face time with others. Their phone or computer is always front and center. We have lost touch with spending quality time with one another. While I say I loved the premise I must also say that I had a hard time getting into this book. I really do not know the reason other than possibly it was the drawn out storyline. The story really began to get rolling, for me, past page 200. The second half of the book flew by quickly unlike the first half. I would suggest this for anyone wanting to disconnect from things digital. I also think it tells a wonderful story about the need to reconnect with one's self, family and friends and being truthful about why you do and say what you do. If you want a leisurely read that doesn't have many "wow" moments or zingers this is a pretty good story.
    • 3/5
      I received this book as part of the Early Reviewer program. This book had a fun premise. The idea of giving up internet and email is one I can't quite imagine myself. I wish the book had focussed a bit more on the challenges that would present. I know I can barely get out my front door without connecting to the internet for some reason or another. Once that premise is established, this was a typical romance kind of book. It was cute and enjoyable, but also predictable. It makes a good airplane read or beach read.
    • 4/5
      I received this book for free through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.I really liked the premise of this book. Giving up the internet is a really tough thing to do in today's world. However, I felt that the execution of the story could have been better. It drags a bit in the first half/middle. I would have liked to seen more of how the internet withdrawals affected her. She didn't seem to have too much difficulty giving it up. The story was also a bit predictable. Despite all that, it's still a cute light read. I also liked the author's note at the end of the book.
    • 2/5
      Who hasn't thought about getting rid of the cell phone, Facebook, internet and all other electronic forms of communication. Sounds good right?I had trouble getting into this book. I'm not really sure why but I suspect it was the characters, I just could not connect with any of them or I should say not enough to actually care. Toward the end when Evie turned into this whiny non likable person (even more than she was) I knew I was done with this book. What I thought would be a cute read really turned into something I would never ever read again. I received this from LibraryThing Early Reviewer for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      I took this book with me on vacation and it was the perfect summer read - light and fun. It had the added bonus of having an interesting premise - giving up being plugged into Facebook and email and all things online. Evie is a corporate lawyer who receives the unexpected gift-in-disguise of being fired from her job for excessive emailing. Added to this disappointment is her recent break-up with the guy she thought was "The One". An interesting cast of characters is involved in subplots throughout the book, including her grandmother Bette, who plays the Jewish grandmother pining away for Evie to finally settle down. Oy vay! I loved Evie's romantic interest and was rooting for them to make it. Overall it kept me entertained and made me ponder my own online addiction. Evie's choice to become an interior designer seemed a little too set up for me, but I liked how she discovered her hidden interests. Edward also seemed to be overly interested from the very beginning, which seemed a little unrealistic given that he was her grandmother's physician. All in all, I recommend this fun read and would enjoy more from this author.
    • 4/5
      . Evie who seems to have it all the job of her "dreams" an attorney for a white shoe firm in Manhattan with an office that has a view to die for. She is thinking that she is a shoe in for partner. She is working so hard that she can't seem be a foot away from her blackberry. But it turns out to be for the wrong reasons.Well, her technology hangup blows up in every way possible. She sees few pictures on FB that literally make her sick on her laptop. So that's the end of her laptop, literally. She decides to get rid of it. She is no longer available for JDate or any other dating sites. She can no longer stalk her old friends and especially her ex-boyfriend who she still pines for. She tells her friends that if they want to get in touch with her no texting, call her on the phone. That is the only way she is available. This is a sweet book to set out by the pool to read and not have to think to much, but going off the grid doesn't sound so bad after all.
    • 3/5
      What a fantastic premise, written in a smart voice, with fluid prose. What unflinching honesty about how our society's electronic addictions affect our lives. A quick, and mostly entertaining fluffy read, with a few nuggets of reality embedded. However, all of this is paired with a whiny, unlikeable protagonist, a flawed plot with holes big enough to drive a truck through. I wanted to like this book so much more than I did. I wanted to like Evie so much more than I did. But she was a terrible friend, before AND after she went offline. And I loved the premise. The idea of unplugging completely from life is tempting, and frightening, and fascinating. But the situations Evie gets herself in, her relationships with her "friends", the plot with her ex re-entrance into her life, all seemed too contrived and unrealistic to stomach. I'm sure many people are going to love this book. Perfect light beach read. But I wanted more. I wanted more exploration of the challenges of living offline in our modern society. I wanted more realism in her relationships (honestly, the most real part was when she was confused about her ex while trying to make a go with her current - that had some really nice aspects). I just wanted more.
    • 3/5
      I found this an interesting look at what happens when someone disconnects from the internet and social media. Evie learns how to be honest with herself and those around her, which she struggled to do when bombarded by the daily minutiae of the social media. Overall, this was a fun book with a side of social commentary, although I found the message slightly flawed.
    • 3/5
      Fun book, with the appropriate hooks, romantic loops, comic moments and been there feelings of the overly on, on-lined young professional who doesn't develop a working personal and social life until she gets essentially kicked off social media.For this reader, a bit of a guilty pleasure, plane, train or beach read. I'd give it a three star but I have to face myself in the literary mirror .
    • 4/5
      I received "Love and Miss Communication" by Elyssa Friedland through The LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. The concept was interesting as who has not wondered if perhaps we're too attached to the internet (thank you Al Gore)?This was basically chick-lit and an easy read, perfect for a day at the beach. It was funny at times, and just plain silly at others. All in all, a fun first novel which made me smile.
    • 3/5
      The synopsis of this book is what drew me in initially; disconnecting from the Internet entirely and searching for love as a single thirty-something in New York City? It sounded like the perfect modern-day fairytale. Generally, I did enjoy this book; it's a fresh, airy chick-lit that won't make you think too hard, perfect for a summer road trip or for the beach.It's clear Friedland is a talented writer in this genre; Love and Miss Communication is an impressive debut. However, a series of minor details struck me as obnoxious, and paired with the pretentious and unlikable main character, Evie, I found myself docking points here and there, and well, eventually everywhere.Evie, I think, is meant to be an endearing character. A career-driven recent breakup-ee surrounded by happily married friends, she's a protagonist we should sympathize with, root for. Unfortunately, it became very evident very quickly WHY Evie was single. I mean, she's gorgeous, smart, successful (I pulled these adjectives from the text, verbatim)—what's not to love?Her personality, for starters. I can't imagine wanting to be acquainted with someone as envious and spiteful as her, let alone marry. While she is a funny, often klutzy, self-deprecating sort of gal, she's not nearly as scathing or socially aware enough to get away with her immaturity. Her observations and outlooks on life/dating are bratty, catty, and often borderline offensive... specifically, I feel Friedland crosses the line when she brings unnecessary details about race and class into question. For instance, every time someone is described as "hotter" than Evie or promiscuous, it's an Asian chick. All the manicurists or servers are described as "ethnic," and Evie's ex's new girlfriend is "a Turkish whore." She often expresses insane jealousy over her friends' perfect marriages, and even worse, acts upon these insecurities frequently. Some friend, right? There is one instance where she literally swoons over a guy because of his university credentials, which she calls "pedigree." PEDIGREE. (It becomes obvious that a primary reason she is single is that she won't even look twice at a guy who hasn't graduated from an Ivy League. It's really that simple).I was able to count 6 more examples or stereotyping/objectification just by skimming through the book. Is there really a need to bring details of minority race/class into such trivial matters like these? I understand it may just be an enormous lapse in judgment but even if just a faux pas, it got on my nerves big-time. I'm not accusing the author of being racist or snobby, but do all the examples make Evie sound like your stereotypical privileged whiney white girl? Absolutely.If you can get past all that, as well as Evie's unnecessarily competitive and stuck-up personality (and the fact that she doesn't ever grow or evolve into a better person), you'll have better luck appreciating the romance plot which, while unextraordinary, certainly wasn't poorly written, considering this is a light-hearted, feel-good novel. Evie's technology ban isn't as deeply explored as I expected it to be, but it does serve as a prominent theme throughout, so it sets the storyline apart from other contemporary reads.Happily-ever-after fans will love the ending, regardless of how predictable or unrealistic it may be.Pros: Laugh-worthy situations Evie gets herself into // Smart, sharp voice // Fluid, easy-to-read style // Hilariously accurate observations on modern dating and social mediaCons: Predictable // Romance portion seems unrealistic, more of the insta-love often found in chick-lit than actual romance // Evie is a self-absorbed and completely unlikable character // Repeated offensive/inferior references to racial and socioeconomic minorities that really ticked me offVerdict: Overall a light, fluffy read that doesn't require too much thought or emotional investment, Love and Miss Communication provides extremely funny and relatable anecdotes about modern society from the perspective of a single city woman in the 21st century. While I had a huge issue with Evie's static, high and mighty character, I generally did enjoy this humor- and heart-filled story about breaking out of your comfort zone and finding love—along with finding yourself. Elyssa Friedland provides insightful observations on technology and the pressures of social media in this debut, but leaves a lot to be desired in terms of plot complexity and character development.Rating: 6 out of 10 hearts (3 stars): Decent for a first read, but I'm not going back; this book is decidedly average (whatever that means!).Source: Complimentary copy provided by publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Wunderkind PR!).
    • 3/5
      Have you ever wanted to completely disconnect? No cell phone, computer, or iPad. No email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Could you do it for an hour? A day? A week? How about a whole year? Evie Rosen is completely dependent on being available 24/7 not only because she is trying to make partner at the law firm, but also for her social life. After not making partner and being fired for sending thousands of personal emails during business hours and then messing up a date after "googling" the wrong guy, Evie decides to give up the internet. She uses an old cell phone and no longer checks her Email, Facebook feed, or uses Google. Her friends think she is crazy and slowly she begins to wonder the same thing. How can anyone live without the internet for a whole year and still connect with friends and find a new job?The concept for this book is interesting and even a little convicting. How often do I reach for my phone when I am bored, when I need to check the radar, look up an old friend, or use "google" as an encyclopedia? We all do it. It's become part of our life. But, living vicariously through Evie, you think about giving it up yourself. Sure you would miss out on seeing your friend's 100th photo of their new baby or miss that coupon to your favorite clothing store. But does any of that really matter?Evie begins to realize that yes, some of her relationships will change because she "unplugged", but those friendships that matter grow deeper and are more fulfilling. Her down-time is filled with walks in the park, visits to her grandma and finding out she has a knack for decorating. Even though this book starts slow and Evie's insecurity becomes repetitive, her character does come around. She has an endearing grandma and a few friends that keep the story interesting. Readers will be rooting for Evie and the new future she is creating. The romance piece is predictable, but it's who you want Evie to end up with so the reader is happy. Overall, this book will encourage you to enjoy the time you spend with those you love, not the devices in your hands. It will show you that you don't always have to be connected to connect with others. And it reminds you that the internet can be a helpful tool, as long as you can balance your time on it. LOVE AND MISS COMMUNICATION is a current, witty, and modern love story. Side note: I love the cover. The colors are bright and eye-catching. The cover relates to the concept of the book. Plus, it's fun!Favorite quote from the book: "These people who take up space in our lives, they don't just vanish entirely. They leave scars."
    • 3/5
      "No more stalking people on Google.No more Facebooking exes.No more reading twits on Twitter.No more posting pictures and waiting for “likes.”No more refreshing Gmail every thirty seconds.No more hashtagging meaningless combinations of words.No more Instagramming every instant.No more Foursquaring her whereabouts.No more bidding on eBay for the thrill of competition.No more pretend job hunting on Monster.No more blogs. (She was slandered on one, for God’s sake!)No more watching two-year-olds boogie to Beyoncé on YouTube.No more playing Scrabble against house-bound Aspergians.No more Candy Crush, that time-sucking psychedelic mess of sugar balls. And, best of all, no more OkCupid, JDate, eHarmony, and Match.”A modern story about life and love in the digital age, when Evie Rosen's addiction to email derails her promising law career and a Facebook post breaks her heart, she impulsively decides to disconnect from the world wide web and reclaim her life.I didn't particularly relate to Evie, whose behaviour more closely resembles that of my eighteen year old daughter than a woman, who at nearly thirty five, is closer to my age. She is, for the most part, self involved and superficial, and that is something that is very slow to change over the course of the novel. She's horribly neglectful of her friendships, complaining because of missed e-vites and texts, but never makes much of an attempt to reach out. She pines over her ex-boyfriend, and whines endlessly about being single, without ever examining her own behaviour or attitude.I did like the way in which Friedland developed Evie's relationship with Dr Gold. He proves to be a great guy, though not perfect, and also a really patient man, given Evie's neuroses.The most charming aspect of the novel involved Evie's relationship with her grandmother, a stereotypical Jewish Bubbe desperate to see Evie get married and have children.Even though this is chick-lit, I thought there were missed opportunities to really explore what its like to be 'unplugged' in this day and age. Evie isn't really challenged to live in the real world while 'unplugged', her generous severance payment gives her a lot of freedom, not that she really does much with it.I am left with mixed feelings about Love and Miss Communication, the premise is great but Evie wasn't a character I could root for and I felt the story was somewhat underdeveloped.
    • 4/5
      Screens are ubiquitous. Technology has taken over every corner of most of our lives. Every one of our fingers and thumbs are flying as we text and email our days away. We are so plugged in that you can't go anywhere without seeing people on smart phones or computers, glued to the screen as actual life flies on past without our noticing. And because smart phones and computers with their apps and their enticing websites have become such an important part of our lives, giving them up is almost completely inconceivable. My family spends the best part of the summer in a place where we cannot play on screens: there is no internet connection available in the cottage, cell phones get one bar (if that), and the three television stations come in poorly through static and snow like we're living in the 1960s. Even there though we are not entirely unplugged because we can go into town and plug in (we know all the public hotspots) if we need or want to. But there's definitely something to be said for living without and experiencing real life going on all around you. In Elyssa Friedland's fun novel, Love and Miss Communication, main character Evie Rosen gives up all screens for a year and her life changes immeasurably. Evie's life isn't entirely the way she'd like it but it's better than it is about to become. She's convinced that she's about to become partner in her law firm but she and her long time boyfriend broke up when she gave him the ultimatum that she wanted to get married like all of her close friends. A nice and promising blind date goes quickly south when Evie admits to having Googled her date. When she finally gets called in front of the partners at the office, it isn't to offer her the partnership she's worked so long and hard for, it's to fire her for her excessive emailing and web surfing on company time, a problem the extent to which she had no idea she had. Then she finds out through her excessive Facebook stalking that her commitment-phobic ex has gone and gotten married. It all of a sudden seems to her that he wasn't against marriage, just against marriage with her. Insta-connection and technology are ruining her life so she comes up with the idea of going off of them, completely. How does life unfold when you aren't glued to a screen? Evie needs to find out and to reconnect with her own core self. When Evie disconnects, her character comes into sharper focus and in some ways that's good and in others, it's bad. Her envy of her friends' marriages and children becomes pretty crystal clear although it doesn't show her in the best light. And being unplugged makes her look at the way in which she might have been her own worst enemy in her relationship, choosing to stay with a man who had made his wishes known up front and sabotaging her own dreams for certainty and the easy contentment of being able to click the box on Facebook that says "In a relationship." Being unplugged in today's world means often being out of the loop and Evie discovers this as well, showing her that, once her self-imposed year is up, moderation is a reasonable plan and that forsaking technology entirely is doing her no favors either. As Friedland shows, technology can over take everything else in our world, making it impossible for us to experience the joy of just living in the moment, but if used carefully, it can also enhance life and keep us connected in ways that aren't so harmful as well. Evie may not be entirely changed by the end, still anxiously waiting for that expected proposal, but this is a light, fun, and timely look at our lives today, on screen and off.