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lexim's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Pregnancy, Abortion, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity, Death of parent, Body shaming, and Homophobia
jourdanicus's review
- 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
I don't remember where I heard this book recommended but I know I kept pushing back my library hold for it, and I'm glad I finally listened to it. So good!
I love a story told from the first person perspective of a woman main character, so that immediately put this book up my alley. Topics of abortion, feminism, friendship, complicated love are all catnip to me too.
The primary plot twist was so perfectly timed. I was so invested in the outcomes for the characters the entire time.
Just a perfect book for me personally, and my first 5⭐ read of 2024.
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Misogyny, Child abuse, and Eating disorder
mbgibson825's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Abortion, Body shaming, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
kjm19'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
The characters are interesting, quirky, and flawed. The way Caroline describes them is evocative and playful. She brings a level of nostalgia to their world - even though I cannot relate - it feels like I was there. The relationships are deep and convincing, every twist and turn in their lives is surprising yet believable at the same time. The flow of the narrative entwining the past with the present isn’t distracting, you are just totally immersed with her wordplay and descriptions.
The plot is all things political and societal, yet the same time totally personal. The effortless weaving of the wider context of their world with their personal lives paints such a vivid and convincing depiction of their young lives and the good and bad decisions that they make in their specific circumstances. The ending is also satisfying. Everything works!
It is clever and enchanting. I look forward to reading more of her work.
Graphic: Homophobia, Miscarriage, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Abortion, Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, and Outing
bootsmom3's review
- 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: Infertility, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Medical content, Misogyny, Abortion, Sexual content, Cursing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Cancer, and Vomit
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Body shaming, and Homophobia
elderwoodreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Infidelity
Moderate: Drug use, Infertility, Sexual content, and Abortion
Minor: Homophobia, Cancer, Vomit, Death of parent, and Medical content
carly_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
It detached me from any kind of inherited moral system. I stopped sizing others up in accordance with the values I had been taught: who was a loser, who was closeted, who was cheating on their wife. I learned the value of context, and of people.
When something good happens to you at that age, you can’t settle with the notion that it’s a one-off. You want it to be the beginning of a tradition. That’s how I felt about that night: I wanted it already to be a memory, a foundational one, a first evening of many similar evenings. I wanted future nostalgia, a rear-view, years-old fondness for something that had literally just happened.
There is a certain personality type that is addicted to the concept of its own intellect. They are the people who insist they saw the twist in the movie coming, who always thought that the divorced couple were unhappy, that the female celebrity seemed crazy.they are also the people who always knew you were gay, and they can’t resist talking about it.
It was easy, now that I understood passion properly, to see why you would move heaven and earth to secure it.
Happiness felt very far away, and like something only the innocent were entitled to.
Graphic: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
shelbygibbs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Miscarriage and Abortion
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Biphobia, Classism, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Addiction, Blood, Fatphobia, Drug use, Pregnancy, Grief, Vomit, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Body shaming
karo_g's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Abortion, Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, and Chronic illness
annoyedhumanoid's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
The jokes weren't funny, I took the money
My friends from home don't know what to say
I looked around in a blood-soaked gown
And I saw something they can't take away
'Cause there were pages turned with the bridges burned
Everything you lose is a step you take
So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it
You've got no reason to be afraid
[…]
You're on your own, kid
You always have been
i'm not sure if i didn't like the ending or if i just didn't want it to end.
i'm also conflicted on the narrative structure of being told through memory with reflections and commentary peppered in. it obviously allows for deeper, more mature insight, as well as effective foreshadowing, but oftentimes it was along the lines of "i was so stupid then" which like, show don't tell, and we're definitely sufficiently shown. which i don't think is a bad thing! but i know for others it is, and so this setup feels like a concession to the crowd that can't stand, for example, Sally Rooney novels because her twenty-something young women characters are annoying or self-involved or clueless (for example, from a review of Conversations with Friends: "One of the most pretentious and self absorbed gen-z/millenial 'I am a suffering artist who is better than anyone else' main characters. Something about the damaged female writer character that is really trying my patience these days"). i am a strong advocate for allowing women characters to be annoying and self-involved and clueless. that's not to say you have to enjoy reading about them, but i don't like media catered to people who believe otherwise; just count them out of your intended audience. so the narration winds up feeling to me like a lampshading cop-out.
big thought out of the way, yeah i loved this, a truly funny in-depth character study showing significant growth and change. i fell in love with Rachel and James (Devlin; Carey is fine). storygraph was spot-on with this recommendation, thanks babe <3
miscellaneous: i was happy to see Rachel become friends with other women by the end. being surrounded almost exclusively by men for that long cannot be good for one's mental health
Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, Blood, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infertility, Cancer, Chronic illness, Classism, Death of parent, Drug use, Gaslighting, Medical content, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Bullying
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Death, Excrement, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual harassment, Eating disorder, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Vomit