Exciting Times – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Exciting Times

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

book2020

76%

WISE Score

3.6

Amazon

Think Sally Rooney but with more grammar jokes and a colder heart—it’s Hong Kong, heartbreak, and high-finance cynicism.

Exciting Times

book

2020

76%

WISE Score

3.6

Amazon

Think Sally Rooney but with more grammar jokes and a colder heart—it’s Hong Kong, heartbreak, and high-finance cynicism.

3.6

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3.6

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Screenwise Verdict

Exciting Times is a 'vibe' book. It’s sharp, it’s dry, and it’s very Irish in its refusal to be sentimental.

If you enjoyed 'Normal People' but wished it had more biting social commentary and fewer grand romantic gestures, this is your next read. It’s not 'fun' in a traditional sense, but it’s incredibly observant about how we use language to hide who we really are.

Just don't leave it on the coffee table for your middle-schooler; they won't get the jokes about the subjunctive mood, but they will definitely see things they aren't ready for.

Age Fit

This is strictly for adults and maybe the most 'mature' of high school seniors. It deals with the specific, messy quarter-life crisis of a 22-year-old in a way that will fly right over a younger kid's head and bore them to tears anyway.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

It's not aiming for 'warm and fuzzy.' The tone is clinically detached and cynical, focusing on transactional relationships and the power imbalances of wealth and class. It’s honest, but definitely not 'cozy.'

Imaginative

The creativity lies in the prose and the way the protagonist uses her job as an English teacher to dissect her own life through grammar and syntax. It’s a clever, linguistic way to tell a love story.

Safe

Safe for adults, but not for kids to stumble upon. It contains frank depictions of sexuality, complex adult relationship dynamics, and a very 'adult' level of existential angst and social maneuvering.

Enriching

For the right reader, it's a masterclass in social observation. It dives deep into post-colonial dynamics in Hong Kong, the nuances of queer identity, and how money quietly dictates human connection.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Whip-smart prose that treats the English language like a puzzle to be solved.
A brutally honest look at how wealth and privilege (or the lack of it) mess with your head.
Refreshing and messy queer representation that avoids the usual 'coming out' tropes.
Perfect for anyone who finds traditional romance novels a bit too sugary.

⚠

What to Watch For

The protagonist is intentionally difficult to like at times; she's defensive and emotionally guarded.
Explicit sexual content and adult relationship themes are central to the plot.
The pacing is slow and internal—if you want an action-packed plot, this isn't it.

Conversation Starters

"Why does Ava use her knowledge of English grammar to distance herself from people?"
"How does Julian’s wealth change the 'rules' of his relationship with Ava?"
"Is it possible to have a truly equal relationship when one person has all the financial power?"
"What does the book say about the experience of being an expat in a city like Hong Kong?"

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