Reviews with content warning for Fire/Fire injury - Solitaire

I loved this. Probably says something about me but oh well.
I felt really connected to our main character deeply and loved her depiction and how heavy her stress and morbidity weigh on her as the book progresses. I related to her a little too much in terms of how she socializes with other people and how she reacts to societal expectations that she can’t understand or doesn’t bother enforcing.
I loved how as the story progressed and you saw her steady decline into almost madness but in fact was a deep depression that many people didn’t know how to handle, if they noticed anything off at all to begin with.
I think this is a great representation of how mental health looks different for each person, between Charlie, Micheal and Tori we see how it can manifest and express itself in different ways.
I loved Tori and how she didn’t respond to general rules of attraction in the sense that she didn’t care for physical attraction and was more liking for that “real” as she said connection that she finds impossible to find in modern society because no one actually cares.
I like how while there was romance it wasn’t the main focus ever- the main focus was on building a true connection platonically and seeing each other at their worst and still deciding to stand by them when life is both at its best and when it gets rough.
While I won’t put up with Pride and Prejudice and Micheal Bublé slander this will be one book constantly in my repertoire as a comfort read.

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pinked's review against another edition

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3.5

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morgsreads's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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sal_the_cat's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced

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

4.5

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bekacrook's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

3.0

Interesting story with complex characters but I just wanted a bit more. At times it felt a little repetitive and the lead up towards certain events felt very obvious.

I did think that Tori was a very distinctive character, she was pessimistic and a little surly but ultimately kind where she could be. She felt like a complete character, made from her experiences as well as her just natural inclination and personality. Her outlook was sometimes hard to listen to though as it was bleak the majority of the time.

Michael was also intriguing and I liked his initial contrast to Tori but how their commonality was shown as time went on and they got to know each other better. He wasn't what he was shown to be on the surface but I liked most of his interactions with Tori.

The Solitaire plotline was an interesting idea, it had moments of surprise but ultimately was quite obvious who was involved and why.

I will say that this book had really good mental health representation. At times, it wasn't even named but was just shown effectively through the characters actions and their thoughts even if they hadn't recognised it in themselves yet. I think it felt honest and integral to the characters without being their only personality traits.

It definitely differs from Heartstopper but it was nice to get to know Tori better.

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tetedump's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

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

3.25

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j9wan's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

Not what I was expecting, but very gripping and easy to read.

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samugranjo's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Teenage me would have loved this book. I still enjoyed it a lot. Its weak part is mostly the ending, and the writing is not a masterpiece. But the characters feel real and raw and incredibly lovable amidst their flaws.

Now, in honour of Tori's blog fever I am gonna finish this review with some emotionally vunerability.
I am going through a depressive episode and it was nice to have something that meant enough for me to go around a bookstore looking for the physical copy, while not stopping the audiobook because I just had to know what happened next. I see myself in Michael in a way younger me would not, and relate to Charlie in ways my younger self was not ready to admit.
Also, the relationship between Michael and Tori was something I wish I had read at a younger age, when I lacked the vocabulary to understand why no matter how many people i dated nothing clicked. I can't take back the choices made along the way trying to yield the assexual feelings away, but I can appreciate how far I have come.
I don't think my mental health will ever stop being something I struggle with, but I also know that things are constantly changing. Just as the bad times keep coming back, so do the goods, and sometimes all you can do is reach out to a friend and just exist. Without any pressures to be happy but also without forgetting that you won't fight depression away from standing in the same place.

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