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mariasilva's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
solaria's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
3.0
I really liked the book at the start. It was super interesting and I enjoyed the constant flipping back and forth between the old Marin and new Marin. From the middle onwards though, my interest and enjoyment dwindled. I'm not sure why particularly, but it just felt......dull? It lacked something that kept me interested. I found some plot elements a bit cliche and others not really making sense.
The book certainly knows how to tackle grief and the aftermath of it, but I felt like from the moment Marin and Mabel went to the groundskeepers house during the snowstorm, the plot kind of fell apart. The reveal of Marin's grandfathers secrets felt a bit...underwhelming. And I just didn't think having a big "plot twist" like that was necessary for the book. I'm not sure really, what my thoughts are. It certainly isn't a bad book by any means, and I enjoyed the start thoroughly. I have mixed thoughts.
The book certainly knows how to tackle grief and the aftermath of it, but I felt like from the moment Marin and Mabel went to the groundskeepers house during the snowstorm, the plot kind of fell apart. The reveal of Marin's grandfathers secrets felt a bit...underwhelming. And I just didn't think having a big "plot twist" like that was necessary for the book. I'm not sure really, what my thoughts are. It certainly isn't a bad book by any means, and I enjoyed the start thoroughly. I have mixed thoughts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent
crunchycrystals's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Fire/Fire injury
mmccombs's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
I’m surprised I didn’t like this more? The writing is absolutely stunning, LaCour really has a gift for distilling emotions in wonderfully descriptive ways. But I couldn’t really connect with these characters and didn’t think the structure of it did the story much service (I’m also just not a huge fan of flashbacks so it could just be a me problem). I wanted to like it more but I just thought it was okay! Deeply emotional, but okay! (Also, just providing a warning that a slur for the Inuit pops up in this book, just in case you need it!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Terminal illness
semogecarg's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
==2nd Read==
Okay I cried this time.
==1st Read==
I enjoyed this book. I really did. but I think my expectations were really high and that may have affected things. I've seen people cry over this book and I kept waiting for that emotional punch and it never came. I kind of came out thinking "well what was the point?" and that was upsetting. but the prose was beautiful and raw and it was emotional but I think the fact that I was expecting it to ABSOLUTELY DESTROY ME took away what it did deliver.
Okay I cried this time.
==1st Read==
I enjoyed this book. I really did. but I think my expectations were really high and that may have affected things. I've seen people cry over this book and I kept waiting for that emotional punch and it never came. I kind of came out thinking "well what was the point?" and that was upsetting. but the prose was beautiful and raw and it was emotional but I think the fact that I was expecting it to ABSOLUTELY DESTROY ME took away what it did deliver.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Mental illness
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Alcohol, and Classism
shoohoob's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
I was not expecting this book to affect me like it did. So so beautifully written, and I loved it.
This book is an exploration of grief and longing in a way I haven’t read before. I could understand Marin’s actions, and I could really feel what she was feeling: the loss, the longing, the confusion, the grief. I think this book is going to stay with me for a long time.
I also loved that there was an exploration of sapphic relationship, but it wasn’t the focus of the story. Despite Mabel and Marin working through what happened between them, it wasn’t the focus of the story. I think Mabel understood what Marin needed in these moments, and it was so important to read.
This book is an exploration of grief and longing in a way I haven’t read before. I could understand Marin’s actions, and I could really feel what she was feeling: the loss, the longing, the confusion, the grief. I think this book is going to stay with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Cancer and Mental illness
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
5.0
This book is probably one of the easiest 5 stars I've ever given. This was written so poetically and beautifully that I found myself tabbing so many of the pages and highlighting *so* many lines. I think it captures mental illness, grief, first love (and loss of it) so perfectly in just over 200 pages. The relationship between the Marin and Mabel is complex and heartbreaking. Every character, from Marin to the woman who works in the pottery shop is distinct and jumps off the page. I also really loved the literary references that were peppered throughout the narrative. Everything about this, from the writing to the relationships to the sapphic and mental health representation makes this a modern classic in my eyes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer and Blood
Minor: Confinement, Incest, Suicide, Medical content, and Outing
lcveyoutosaturn's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
nykolereads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death