Reviews with content warning for Infidelity - Olisi jotain kerrottavaa

Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

Olisi jotain kerrottavaa by Celeste Ng

208 reviews

tyreadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

⟡Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng⟡

★★★★ 4/5 stars

(Thanks to @prhaudio for the free audiobook!)

⟡ Read if you like :

•Contemporary fiction

•very character driven stories

•Asian American representation

•sibling relationships

•family dramas

•thought provoking reads

⟡ My Thoughts

This book has been on my TBR shelf forever. I have loved her other books Little Fires Everywhere & Our Missing Hearts, so I was excited to complete Ng’s backlist.

We see a father who’s spent his life desperately trying to fit in, a mother whose only wish was to break from the mold. Both holding their middle daughter to the highest standards. James wishes for his daughter is to be popular & accepted, meanwhile Marilyn wants Lydia to fulfil her own lost dream of becoming a doctor. Her 2 other siblings feel lost inside their family & in their sister’s shadow. Unbeknownst to them all, Lydia feels crushed under the weight of all these expectations. Unfulfilled ambitions, alienation, & seeming small disappointments.

Ultimately, Everything I Never Told You is an empathetically-told story of a struggling family trying to make sense of a tragedy. I'm not even sure how to describe how this book made me feel. It’s a quiet story, soft but powerful. It's real & raw & emotional. It’s a reminder of just how important it is to feel like you belong somewhere & that someone out there hears you. I know from personal experience that losing someone suddenly comes with so many complicated feelings.

This is a short but heavy read, a story that I know will stay with me. I hesitate to say I recommend it, but I definitely appreciated its message.

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mpbookreviews's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

This book made me cry the storytelling was so heartbreaking and emotional. 5 stars.

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sundayfever's review against another edition

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

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

5.0

Reflective read that could only have been written by an Asian person, because it captures so well the intense pressure parents put on their children lol. Lots to digest on mixed race marriages, feels of inferiority, family trauma, and gender. Felt like the queer part of the story wasn't developed enough and was just included as a throwaway.

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mle11's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad

4.75

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shaleen64's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

4.0

A beautiful, but saddening, portrayal of family life and dynamics. This book covers issues relating to racism, parental expectations, societal expectations and the harm that can come from everything we fail to communicate. A beautifully written book, well suited to readers who like fully developed and relatable characters.

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angievansprang's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Oof. This was a heavy read. The content is very dark and I found the family dynamics hard to read about as I just felt so awful for the kids. Really goes to show the trickle-down effects of parents not dealing with their own issues and then putting said issues on their children. VERY sad read but extremely beautiful writing. I’m excited to read more by Celeste Ng.

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