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bigolscrewup's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I bought this book with so much hope, thinking it would be one of the underrated work in LGBTQ+ Fiction genre and I even told myself without reading the reviews, that the low reviews might be due to homophobes, but nope, it's a bad book
Hands down the worst book I've ever read in all my years. I can't figure out the point of this book and why it exists. I've only heard great things about Kristen Arnett, but reading this book, I couldn't find a single silver lining. Usually when I dislike a book, there are always some things I can point to and say "This! I loved this particular moment". But with this book, there's nothing. I had been wishing to read this book for nearly two years and I wish I had just never read it.
Literally every character was unlikable and even though it took me only three days to read this book, it felt longer. And the writing in the end of chapters, where the author explores how other characters who interact with Sammie and Monika feels is just weak and feels out of place in this book. It didn't serve anything, I can already see that Sammie is rude, unlikable, delusional, unreliable, probably depressed but wouldn't acknowledge it or do anything about it.
Also, I don't know if this is how the author thinks or it's just Sammie's voice, the prejudice against men in this book is just too much. There are so many bad men in this world, literal monsters, like the person we see at the start of the story, but it's dangerous to prejudice an entire gender for the actions of few. It would be like someone saying All White Women are racists just because they met a few racist white women in their life. I don't even know whether it was intentional from the character or the author because as I mentioned above, literally every character is unlikable, so it didn't make much of a difference in the end.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Stalking, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
sadig27'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Infertility, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Grief, Medical content, Alcohol, Medical trauma, and Child death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Vomit, and Panic attacks/disorders
shoohoob's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Stalking, Lesbophobia, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Child abuse, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Mental illness
lpdx's review against another edition
Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
knkoch'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
3.0
I suppose this felt like a very accurate portrayal of difficult people, and of selfish, irresponsible personalities. I can’t say I truly enjoyed the reckless ride, although it was certainly a gripping story. I wavered between empathy and distaste for the characters, similar to my discomfort with White Ivy. I’m curious to see if I can find any interviews where Kristen Arnett talks about her goals for this book. If you’re into very dark, twisted literary fiction, this one’s for you!
Graphic: Alcohol, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Not trying to tick all the boxes, but this touches on quite a few difficult subjects.meghan4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Blood, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Cursing, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
jahncie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Domestic abuse
jes312's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Blood, and Sexual content
Moderate: Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Child abuse, and Cursing
Minor: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Vomit
undeniableemg'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Rape, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Animal death, Mental illness, and Pedophilia
anxiousbookclub'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Miscarriage, Alcoholism, Cursing, Drug use, Child abuse, Animal death, and Blood