Reviews tagging 'Death'

Boys Don't Cry by Fíona Scarlett

12 reviews

siebensommer's review against another edition

dark reflective

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

I can’t shake off the grime, the drilling thought of knowing that absolutely everyone was right about me all along. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Terminal illness, Blood, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual content

meeklovestoread's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I really wanted to like this book, especially considering how alluring the title was. Speaking of the title, I'd like to state that this title is quite misleading on what this book was about. Initially, I thought this book was going to explore the depths of how toxic masculinity affects the youth and how its conditioning has shaped previous generations. Although the author does displays events that depict toxic masculinity she never dives into how those principles and actions affect the main characters at all. Putting the misleading title aside, this book was actually a story about how gang culture shaped a family and its community as well as depicting the battles one faces when faced with a terminal illness.

I understand how many found this story emotional and a phenomenal piece on Dublin and the effects of gang culture and how classism plays a role. However, I felt like the issues this book was tackling were very surface-level. Joe didn't seem like a flushed-out enough character in my opinion and I don't we got enough insight into his grieving for his brother. Also, I was expecting more emotional interactions with the two brothers considering the blurb portrayed them to be very close. 

I'd also like to point out that I'm not familiar with Dublin culture so many of the phrases used were very unfamiliar to me and I just didn't vibe with the way that this book was written. And the ending of this book felt very underwhelming and inconclusive

What happened to his dad? Also, I'm confused about the shooting. Did he shoot his friend?

  I was very confused throughout a few parts of this book. Overall, the book just felt pretty surface-level and just didn't live up to what its potential in my opinion.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Grief

Moderate: Cursing, Violence, Gun violence, Drug abuse, and Drug use

Minor: Classism, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, and Domestic abuse

ashalinggg's review against another edition

emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence and Violence

Moderate: Death

becky_smith's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was, for me, a book that reflected the everyday sadness and the everyday light within tragedy. This family undergoes several tragedies, all in the space of about two years, but the narrative allows for a look into how these events effect individuals, rather than a sweeping statement about tragedy as a whole entity. The exploration around class added an extra element that felt apt, as it again allowed for the development of characters that don't fit exactly into one neat box.

Joe becomes a drug dealer, a thing that ripped his family apart, but he does so out of love.

Overall, this book was a joy to read, and I felt connected to the characters, both their struggle and their triumph. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Death and Death of parent

roemfr's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Cancer, Violence, Death, Cursing, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

aquaria127's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Medical content, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, and Violence

ashleighvdk's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Medical content

Minor: Murder, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, and Gaslighting

travelseatsreads's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Boys Don't Cry is the stunning debut novel from Fiona Scarlett. It tells the story of Joe and Finn, two young brothers living in the flats in inner city Dublin and follows their struggles as they learn to live with a father who is heavily involved in the local crime gang, a mother who is trying to hold it all together and a shocking cancer diagnosis that has devastating effects.

This heartbreakingly beautiful and tender story is told with alternating chapters from each of the boys perspectives. This was so affective as it allows the reader to see the varied themes (poverty, crime, domestic violence, cancer & grief) through each of the boys eyes.

The writing is tender yet captivating. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down and had to finish it in one sitting. Fiona beautifully portrays the unbreakable bond between Joe and Finn and just how besotted they are with each other.

I also really enjoyed the female characters within this book, each one appeared to be trying to cope with the hand they had been dealt and made often hard choices to try to better themselves and those around them.

This is a gorgeous story, brimming with equal amounts of love and sorrow that will stay with me for a long time to come. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, and Violence

raemie's review against another edition

emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, and Domestic abuse

skirteen's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit

Moderate: Blood, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail