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virgilsinferno's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-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
4.5
juliemfchristmas's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hobbit_tomes's review
reflective
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat is the story of a Palestinian American woman (unnamed) as she struggles with her bisexuality, mental health, and her relationship with her mother, and how said relationship has affected her view of love.
In the story, we follow as our main character checks herself into a rehab center for love addiction, and it is here where she begins to confront and acknowledge her behavior in previous relationships. Most of all, she is forced to confront her feelings regarding her mother and how her mother treated her throughout her life, especially in regards to her sexuality. Throughout the story, we frequently flashback to moments of the main character’s memories of her time in Palestine, as well as her previous relationships in order to provide context for her struggles in the present.
I really enjoyed seeing our main character come to terms with her behavior and take responsibility for the unrealistic expectations she put on her partners and her relationships.
Im glad that we also got to see flashbacks of the mother’s childhood in Palestine and how she came to be the person she is as an adult and a parent. It reminds us that she is not an all evil villain, but rather a person who has had her own struggles in life and gives the reader context for why she acts the way she does.
One of the aspects I loved most about this story is how it touches on the alienation one feels when growing up in America as a person of color. The main character explains how she doesn’t feel fully accepted by her Palestinian heritage because she was not born and raised there and does not speak the language perfectly. She is not welcomed by her family members with the excitement and enthusiasm that her mother is and, feels as though they simply tolerate her presence. But, she also doesn’t feel fully accepted in America, despite living there her whole life. Being Palestinian in America means that she has been othered and excluded her entire life. It was very relatable and I appreciated the story touching on that sentiment.
All in all, I really enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it!
CW/TW: Addiction, Biphobia, Eating Disorder, Toxic Relationship, Sexual Content
In the story, we follow as our main character checks herself into a rehab center for love addiction, and it is here where she begins to confront and acknowledge her behavior in previous relationships. Most of all, she is forced to confront her feelings regarding her mother and how her mother treated her throughout her life, especially in regards to her sexuality. Throughout the story, we frequently flashback to moments of the main character’s memories of her time in Palestine, as well as her previous relationships in order to provide context for her struggles in the present.
I really enjoyed seeing our main character come to terms with her behavior and take responsibility for the unrealistic expectations she put on her partners and her relationships.
Im glad that we also got to see flashbacks of the mother’s childhood in Palestine and how she came to be the person she is as an adult and a parent. It reminds us that she is not an all evil villain, but rather a person who has had her own struggles in life and gives the reader context for why she acts the way she does.
One of the aspects I loved most about this story is how it touches on the alienation one feels when growing up in America as a person of color. The main character explains how she doesn’t feel fully accepted by her Palestinian heritage because she was not born and raised there and does not speak the language perfectly. She is not welcomed by her family members with the excitement and enthusiasm that her mother is and, feels as though they simply tolerate her presence. But, she also doesn’t feel fully accepted in America, despite living there her whole life. Being Palestinian in America means that she has been othered and excluded her entire life. It was very relatable and I appreciated the story touching on that sentiment.
All in all, I really enjoyed this story and would highly recommend it!
CW/TW: Addiction, Biphobia, Eating Disorder, Toxic Relationship, Sexual Content
bookswithboo's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
lettuceread's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
briereads's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
luckylex's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
3.5
awallhidayat's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
nad_books623's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.75
I overall I enjoyed the story but I did not like how it was organized and something felt like it was missing from the story.I do like how the mother daughter relationship was portrayed and the main characters inner turmoil I kept getting confused because, she didn't tell everything in order. Especially, with the people she had relationships with or that she was obsessing over was not in order in how they were brought up, which confused me. Also, I did not like how before, during, and after treatment had different types of pacing. During her treatment it seemed to flow, but after it seemed a little choppy because, of how the flow was before. At least in my brain it would make sense if the after was a part 2 or if the Midwest portion was written in a different flow. On the flip side the erratic writing style (at least in my brain) could also make sense to how overall the main character was all over her place. This is the first time I thought this, but I think the title of this novel perfectly capitulates the entire story and the main character as a person. Throughout the entire novel the main character struggles mainly with the relationship with her mother. She never felt like she was enough and tried to seek what was empty inside her with other people. It was an endless cycle that was hard for her to disrupt and had to consciously stop herself. Something I did notice is that Karim was not mentioned much and there was no explanation about why. For example, her father wasn't mentioned much, but it made sense with how their relationship was described. I did like how there was like a chapter within a chapter towards the end of each chapter. As someone who is bisexual I did like how the character's bisexuality was written and how biphobia was mentioned without it being too subtle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Abandonment, Addiction, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Mental illness, and Sexual content
Moderate: Xenophobia and Physical abuse
Minor: War, Religious bigotry, Classism, Death, and Misogyny
lidiainthebooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
2.75