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scmiller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Car accident, and Alcohol
seapotatohowisitalrtaken's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Drug use and Rape
gandalf_a's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Blood, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol
poetsofsweetpea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
peachypy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
madanxiety's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Very soon into the novel, I thought it would make a great film, and after finishing it, I think I would prefer it in film form. Again, this is because the novel felt too slow/long and hard to get through. As I read, I envisioned a whole cinematic style for it, kind of like Beetlejuice meets Sorry To Bother You meets Scott Pilgrim. I hope the movie adaptation leans into weirdness and surrealism. I also hope the movie isn't 100% White like Midsommar or Girls (which I bring up because I noticed Lena Dunham's stamp of approval on the cover halfway thru reading).
What I think was successful about the book for me was how I, too, felt like my brain had been goopified a bit lol. While listening to this audiobook, I had to rewind constantly to understand what was going on (which makes me think it might've also been a better read on paper vs. audiobook). Anyway, what I'm getting at is by the end of the book I was left thinking "what was all that??" and I think that's actually exactly what the protagonist is thinking too.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, and Toxic relationship
fionamatilda'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent
bronzeageholly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
4.0
Vivid characters? Yes!
Unreliable narrator? Yes!
Strange and unholy happenings in a friendship group? Yes! Yes!
The theme of loneliness in this book was heart aching and gripping, and shown in ways I’ve never come across before. It was a struggle to put it down to sleep!
I’m not sure I always understood (or even liked) our protagonist, but her unsettling and unrelenting university experience was now mine too, and I wasn’t going to let her go it alone.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Classism
whatlaceyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
caseyadamsstark's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
But hey, I did like this book. It's confusing as heck because of the trippy things that happen--the main character Smackie, an English grad student with a huge inferiority complex, is also a highly unreliable narrator. But her imagination kicks in big time as she bleeds out her tale of woe while trying to fit in with the rich girls on campus, who reach out to include her after several semesters of treating her like an other.
And she is an other--the horror elements are a fantastic and bizarre flip to a Stepford Wives ideal, but the love story, the real love story that makes Samantha the "other", is the reason to keep reading. You could argue that there are similarities to plenty of stories out there, such as Mean Girls or Heathers (movies are stories too), or the obvious nods to Alice in her Wonderland. But the telling of this bunny horror fairytale is weird and unique and original in a good way, too.
Check it out horror fans.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Classism