Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews

56 reviews

moniipeters's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Homophobia, Racism, Violence, Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Deadnaming, Deportation, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, and Rape

ka_cam's review

dark emotional fast-paced

• 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

4.0

A solid queer immigrant self destructive sadgirl tale of your 20s and the turbulence of growing into yourself and into community. Sneha wasn’t always very likable but was always understandable, which I appreciate! Sometimes the writing felt a little stilted or not quite finished off at the end, all in all a good read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Deportation, Sexual assault, Racism, Outing, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, Addiction, Pedophilia, and Alcoholism

emilybacher's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad slow-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Incest, and Pedophilia

Moderate: Police brutality and Alcoholism

isareader's review

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

As many others voiced in the reviews, the beginning of this book was the most difficult for me  to enjoy — I found the protagonist a little immature and her views and irrational outbursts hard to understand… but maybe this is just a reflection of what it is like to be young… 

The most impressive and heart-warming part of the book to me is the importance of platonic love and close friendship. The love the friends have for the protagonist is so dearly touching, and to me, more enjoyable than the romance aspect in the book. 

My biggest critique and issue with the book was how many serious topics (see content warnings) are attempted to be covered in the book and seem too glossed over to me, especially the struggle with mental health and political struggles. Though perhaps this is also just a hard-hitting reality.

Overall, an impressive & quite beautifully-written first novel of Matthews with an overall theme of longing and a representation of so many characters that we don’t often read about. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Sexual content

Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual assault

Minor: Transphobia, Hate crime, and Homophobia

reizh's review against another edition

funny hopeful medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, and Alcoholism

sakisreads's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

• 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

3.0

This was slightly disappointing to me. BookTok sold me quite a lot on this so I had high hopes and they weren’t necessarily met 🥲

In saying that though, there were some real tender moments where I truly felt for Sneha. She’s obviously brought so much trauma to the forefront

e.g. her father’s deportation, her inability to ‘come out’ to her parents, her uncle’s sexual abuse towards her

so it’s completely understandable that she does the things that she does. Also, I got quite frustrated at Marina and Thom throughout the story, when they dropped her whenever they felt it was convenient. Friendships, I have also found through personal experience, are so volatile that sometimes it can be hard to keep up 🫠

Someone said this was one to read when you felt a bit lost in your 20’s and it definitely fits that genre. I’m hopeful to read other things by Sarah Thankam Mathews that’ll work better for me though 🥰 Thank you!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Dysphoria, Racism, Death, Incest, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Deportation

rachelmichelson's review

challenging dark inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.75

This took me awhile, but I'm glad I stuck with it. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Xenophobia

alexture's review against another edition

It didn't rock my world but it was nice enough. glad the protagonist worked on her casual transphobia.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism and Alcoholism

Moderate: Police brutality and Transphobia

Poverty and what comes with it, including health issues & eating disorders.

devinmzt's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse

Moderate: Child abuse, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault

sxndaze's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

3.5

The second half of the book is what really captured me. The writing is gorgeous and really draws you in. Reading about Sneha’s experiences and the micro aggressions and the struggles and racism is all too relatable as someone who is starting out in the world. But it’s hard to get past the transphobia and fatphobia and centering of whiteness. I don’t care for Marina. But the found family aspect is lovely.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Racism, Alcoholism, Deportation, and Fatphobia

Moderate: Drug use, Grief, Sexual assault, and Misogyny