Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

34 reviews

scrappyhooker's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcoholism

Minor: Death

sea_tea_books's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective slow-paced

3.0

The judgements — and misjudgments — about the people we briefly encounter, and an experiment into social engineering.

This story started off strong, yet eventually fell back into the tired tropes of miscommunication, assumptions, and missed connections. 

Audiobook-specific issue: the narrator didn't leave a pause between time jumps so two different timeframes blended into one. 

Quite the coincidental plot twist — why would Mary go to an art class that Julian was teaching and expect to have a chat while he's clearly preoccupied? Why wouldn't Mary have gone to the cottage she lived in all those years with Julian?

I deducted a star when

multiple characters suggested that Monica should pursue a relationship with a relapsing addict (Hazard) so she could be his pseudo-babysitter, responsible for keeping him in line and thereby absolving him of taking accountability for his choices.

3 ⭐

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Death

stormeno's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring 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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Addiction, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Outing, and Mental illness

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Death

books_withblooms's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring medium-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Grief, Alcoholism, Drug use, Death, Cursing, Cancer, Death of parent, and Drug abuse

rachelpacz's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction and Grief

Minor: Death, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, and Toxic relationship

toves_bokhylla's review against another edition

fast-paced

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

3.5

Tyckte om den på det stora hela, men blev frustrerad över slutet!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Outing

rockshaw22's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Drug abuse

Minor: Death

sealleonie's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Drug abuse

staceyinthesticks's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death, Mental illness, and Drug abuse

beccamarriner's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

As a concept I think the story had so much potential but I found it very hard to like a single character. Monica was the only one that grew on me but I felt like her character development was lost at the end.

her relationship with Hazard felt rushed and unnatural, especially because I feel like in the real world, a random postcard from a stranger is threatening, not worthy of being pinned to a wall. It meant that their chemistry was lacking and unbelievable for me.

Julian was also just a manipulative liar and had an ending that felt like a cop out as

he died for no reason and without facing the consequences of his actions to the full extent.

 The redeeming qualities for me were the side characters such as Benji, Baz and Betty (Mrs Wu) and I believe the Authenticity Project could’ve been so much better following their authentic selves and the journey of open sexuality in a traditional Chinese family rather than a mommy blogger who’s addicted to her phone. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction

Moderate: Pregnancy, Homophobia, and Grief

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death