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efratmaor's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
The author is able to bring us into the characters' relationships, into their creative and work processes.
And all with love and intricate nuances.
Graphic: Sexual violence and Medical content
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gun violence, Homophobia, Car accident, Grief, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Vomit, Blood, Cancer, Hate crime, Miscarriage, and Sexual harassment
eskinner97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
I want to begin this review by discussing the cover and the title. I do believe that the cover and title of this book played a huge part in my reluctance to want to read it. Not only was I put off by these at the beginning, but I also found the overall description of the book to be dry and unappealing. The cover, while I understand the reasoning behind its graphics, I am not a fan, even after reading the book. I feel as if there is just so much going on and find it to be distracting. Concerning the title, I was originally very put off by the choice. However, as I reached the end of the book, I began to understand the choice, and surprisingly gained an appreciation for it. I will not reveal any spoilers, but I will say that the reason behind the title was a revelation to me and brought tears to my eyes as I made the discovery.
Now that I have gotten my first impressions off my chest, I want to discuss more of the storyline and the writing. Regarding the storyline, I found that once I got over my reluctance to begin the book and started reading, I began to enjoy the story. I started to enjoy not only the story but found things in each character that I could relate to, appreciate, and understand. If it were for the storyline only, my rating of this book would be higher. I honestly would have probably considered rating it a five if I could be blind to the issues that I found throughout the novel as I read. Due to my original thoughts of the novel, I find myself being embarrassed about the fact, that the storyline in my mind was well done. But this wouldn’t be an honest review if I withheld this, would it? Honestly, I found that throughout the story I experienced so many emotions, and found myself immersed in the story, and wanting it to continue. I found myself falling in love with it and saw my overall thoughts and rating improve.
But, as you can see, my rating was influenced by more than the storyline. My rating, as all ratings should be, is based on the storyline as well as how the author delivered the story. While I like the storyline, I was not a fan of how the author wrote, and how some of the messages were delivered. For example, how it followed multiple perspectives, I feel was a distraction to the reader. Instead of giving perspectives their own chapters, their own light, in other words, the perspectives were intertwined with one another inside chapters, inside paragraphs, etc. I felt that with the power that the story could have had, I think if the perspectives were given their own room to grow and develop, it would have been less of a distraction and more of an aid to the novel as a whole.
The other thing that bothered me about the writing may just be a personal preference. Call me old-fashioned if you need to, but I thought that the language, drug use, and sex throughout were unnecessary and hindered the novel. These were the reasons that caused me to rate the novel lower. Again, this could just be a personal preference, but I had very strong opinions about how prevalent these were throughout the story.
For more reviews and discussions, listen to my podcast The Honest Book Reviewers with Nate and Emma.
https://open.spotify.com/show/3H3ugH4xlzvjMXuUo1Lyvh?si=ewdzfkUnSVKyDmAvHMHIPQ
Minor: Abortion, Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol
lpdx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Pregnancy, Vomit, Blood, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Murder, Sexism, Suicide, Death of parent, Drug use, Abandonment, Cancer, Chronic illness, Grief, Gun violence, Car accident, Death, and Medical content
kbronso26's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Death, Chronic illness, Medical content, Cancer, Grief, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Cultural appropriation, Car accident, Abortion, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail
the_milof's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Car accident, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Minor: Ableism, Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Drug use, Grief, Sexism, Gun violence, Murder, Medical trauma, and Sexual content
mayih00's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Grief, Homophobia, and Death
Minor: Drug use and Suicide
joa_price's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Suicide, Abortion, Drug use, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Mental illness
charliiella's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Gun violence, Drug use, Abortion, and Car accident
jillaay_h's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Medical trauma, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Racism, Blood, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
kyletro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Sexual violence, Medical trauma, and Drug use
Minor: Vomit and Sexual harassment