Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Lonely Hearts Hotel

i am not sure if i liked this book. the whole time i was reading it, i couldn't tell if i was actually enjoying. there would be times where i would be really getting into it and then something weird/unnecessary would happen and i would put it down. the intense descriptions of abuse were so not it for me, i dont think it is super necessary to include and actually found that the descriptions were almost glamourising it. (i am not against stories about abuse, i think they are important topics that should be covered in media, but i disagree with glamorisation).

the storyline itself was really interesting, and although could have been better written, i did want to know what happened and was invested in Rose and Pierrot succeeding in what they set out to achieve.

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ashbea's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

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sarah_toast's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

0.25

Whoever compared this to starless sea and night circus were wrong.

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emmaemooney's review against another edition

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Nothing will ever beat reading a Heather O’Neill book for the first time (When We Lost Our Heads), but this certainly returned much of that feeling. Her writing is so incredibly imaginative and tragic and cinematic. It’s unlike anything else I’ve ever read and I adore it all. Many reviews say that “it’s not for everyone,” but don’t let that dissuade you. I think O’Neill’s style is just so unique within the 21st century fiction landscape that people are not used to it. I also disagree with critiques of the sex and rape scenes as gratuitous. They are integral to the plot and character development and in writing them alongside life’s beautiful and imaginative aspects, O’Neill paints a superb picture of humanity. By far my favorite novelist.

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