OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Déjà vu" by Juan Manuel Rodríguez Caamaño.]

“Loving can become a chronic disease,” and what was once a beautiful memory can quickly turn into a malignancy. What happens to an intense love when tainted by the betrayal of romantic infidelity? Does it poison the relationship and ruin it? Or do the devotion and passion of true love run so deeply that they defeat the infection? But what if the power of science could turn the bad memories into dust and forever blow them away? Would you choose to overcome a heartbreak through a treatment that erased the pain and allowed you to move forward?

In Déjà vu, by Juan Manuel Rodríguez Caamaño, we wander through a passionate story filled with love and hate. We get a glimpse of how these two conflicting feelings can interweave in one’s soul as well as the psychological and emotional toll they can take. Through the author’s story, we follow the profound love between a man and a woman who seemed the ideal couple. Rodríguez introduces us to these two lovebirds, Eduardo and Becca, who have been in a relationship since childhood. However, the core of this long-term, romantic coupling is shaken by what appears to be Becca’s infidelity. Eduardo fixates on her transgression and is unable to cope with the thought of losing the love of his life. An experimental treatment that could eliminate his terrible suffering sounds like the right solution to continue his existence. Will he decide to erase the pain related to his beloved soulmate?

I was particularly intrigued by the possibility of erasing painful memories that prevent you from moving on in life. I wish the author would have spent more time developing this aspect of the novel in order to make it a bit clearer. The notion of clearing your mind from unbearable memories seemed promising, and I was disappointed that it was portrayed in such a shallow manner. I found the novel’s character development to be vague with the details too insufficient to form a solid storyline. In some instances, the dialogue between the characters takes place without a clear introduction of the speakers. This lack of clarity created unnecessary difficulty in identifying the characters and establishing the scene. In particular, the narrator’s fluctuation between Eduardo and Becca caused me considerable confusion. These narrative shortcomings reduced my rating by one star.

Despite the novel’s literary flaws, this romance caught my attention and drew me into the concept of a love that you feel only once in a lifetime. I would recommend this novel to fans who enjoy sweet love stories laced with bitter spices. Rodríguez’s work might connect best with those who have experienced a Déjà vu feeling in their love life. Several expletives are used, so if you are offended by profanity, this novel may not be for you. There are some moderate erotic scenes but without any graphic content.

I encountered some issues with the book’s editing. The grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure seemed to get lost in the translation, given that this piece was originally written in Spanish. Unfortunately, another star faded because of these errors. I recognized the kind of love the author illustrates, when the chemistry between two people is deeply connected at a physical, emotional, and mental level. The flaws and weaknesses become part of the whole, and perfection seems possible. The author’s willingness to explore the depths of romantic passion was admirable. Regretfully, I rated Déjà vu 2 out of 4 stars.

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Déjà vu
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This romantic love story has a good concept. The possibility of erasing bitter memories with the hope of moving forward. Sorry about the shallow character development and I hope the author takes your corrections to heart and work more on the book. Thanks for the compelling review.

Since this is a translated book, I feel like the grammatical errors can be forgiven. Of course, it sounds like a good round of editing will be needed to make it better and more readable. I love the concept of this story. It is interesting. Like you, I wish the author would have gone into more detail about how this is done. It would have added something really great to the story. Even though you only gave it 2 out of 4 stars, I love a good love story and will give this a read. Thanks for the great review!

Stories of romance and betrayal don’t appeal me much. The plot seems alright to me. But I would not read translated books riddled with grammatical errors. Nice review.

The title grabbed me here. I'm curious to know if the title is given justice with the story. Thanks for the informative review!

I guess the errors are understandable given that the book is a translation. That doesn't, however, make it easier to understand. Hopefully the author can get a good editor. Thanks.

spluficvictory wrote: ↑30 Oct 2019, 06:03 This romantic love story has a good concept. The possibility of erasing bitter memories with the hope of moving forward. Sorry about the shallow character development and I hope the author takes your corrections to heart and work more on the book. Thanks for the compelling review.

Despite the book's weaknesses, the core of this book truly captive me, and I believe it's a worthwhile read if the concept attracts you. I appreciate your comment, spluficvictory!

tristenb wrote: ↑30 Oct 2019, 09:37 Since this is a translated book, I feel like the grammatical errors can be forgiven. Of course, it sounds like a good round of editing will be needed to make it better and more readable. I love the concept of this story. It is interesting. Like you, I wish the author would have gone into more detail about how this is done. It would have added something really great to the story. Even though you only gave it 2 out of 4 stars, I love a good love story and will give this a read. Thanks for the great review!

Thanks, tristen! Indeed, the editorial aspects are understandable, only sometimes it kind of steal from the intensity of the story. However, if you ignore the errors, most probably you'll end up with a delightful reading experience.

MrunalT wrote: ↑30 Oct 2019, 10:33 Stories of romance and betrayal don’t appeal me much. The plot seems alright to me. But I would not read translated books riddled with grammatical errors. Nice review.

I hear you. Thank you for your honesty, MrunalT!

Ekta Swarnkar wrote: ↑30 Oct 2019, 11:15 The title grabbed me here. I'm curious to know if the title is given justice with the story. Thanks for the informative review!

This was also my first impulse when I selected the book to review it. Without giving any spoilers, I hope you'll enjoy it. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Ekta!

kandscreeley wrote: ↑30 Oct 2019, 19:57 I guess the errors are understandable given that the book is a translation. That doesn't, however, make it easier to understand. Hopefully the author can get a good editor. Thanks.

Thanks for stopping by, kandscreeley! A polished version would certainly increase the number of readers.

Nice reveiw. I like the way you show the reader where your stars go leading uo to a rating. I often struggle with how to rate the work I am reading and then hiw to explain my rating. I may borrow this from you in the future if I may? It is so disapointing to me when the story does not glowingly potray a brilliant theme, which sounds like what happened in De ja vue Thank you for your captivating reveiw.

Bambiears wrote: ↑03 Nov 2019, 05:14 Nice reveiw. I like the way you show the reader where your stars go leading uo to a rating. I often struggle with how to rate the work I am reading and then hiw to explain my rating. I may borrow this from you in the future if I may? It is so disapointing to me when the story does not glowingly potray a brilliant theme, which sounds like what happened in De ja vue Thank you for your captivating reveiw.

Thank you for all your kind words, Bambiers! I know the feeling. It's a continuous, but pleasant struggle with each review I write. A personalized template might help you in the rating process.

InStoree wrote: ↑05 Nov 2019, 11:38

Bambiears wrote: ↑03 Nov 2019, 05:14 Nice reveiw. I like the way you show the reader where your stars go leading uo to a rating. I often struggle with how to rate the work I am reading and then hiw to explain my rating. I may borrow this from you in the future if I may? It is so disapointing to me when the story does not glowingly potray a brilliant theme, which sounds like what happened in De ja vue Thank you for your captivating reveiw.

Thank you for all your kind words, Bambiers! I know the feeling. It's a continuous, but pleasant struggle with each review I write. A personalized template might help you in the rating process.

Oh dear me. My comment was so misspelled. I am sorry. sometimes you don't catch it till to late. Thank you for the pointer will surley look into it.

Very well done review. It does remind me vaguely of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but that's a good thing because it's an interesting concept that can be explored in as many ways as their are relationships. It's a pity it wasn't sufficiently developed, though.