Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley

10 reviews

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 ⭐

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Addiction, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Death of parent, Abandonment, and Death

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!

---

Content Warnings

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

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

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

---

Content Warnings

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

anton13's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense 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

5.0

The different characters bring a whole new dynamic to the story and the plots and turn are sure to surprise you, wether you’re a curious teen with an eye for books or a book oriented mom I’m sure you’re gonna enjoy it. Even the characters that aren’t main people have interesting stories. I really recommend it. It’s easy to read on a high school level id say. The writer outdid herself

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Abandonment, Mental illness, and Death

Minor: Self harm

charminggoats's review

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Alcohol, Addiction, Death, and Dementia

Moderate: Animal death

melancholymegs's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring slow-paced

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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Death of parent, Mental illness, and Grief

Minor: Sexual content, Outing, Body shaming, Homophobia, Cursing, and Cancer

rainybunny's review

medium-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol

stacy837's review against another edition

lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.5

author unnecessarily kills off a main character at the end

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction and Alcohol

annir's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

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

Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Death of parent, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Outing, and Pregnancy

therobinjoyce's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.75

I loved the multiple POVs that we got to follow and how diverse in age, gender, nationality, sexuality and background each character was. Watching the relationships grow between them all and the found family emerge throughout the pages of the book was just wonderful and Clare Pooley’s writing style just tickled me sometimes, really adding life and soul into these characters.

I will say, I wasn’t a fan of Julian even from the start, but the whole cast together was just lovely. I especially adored Monica, Hazard, and Betty Wu. Alice’s story really struck me on a personal note and just made the whole experience that much more touching.

I would definitely recommend this read to anyone who loves a cosy contemporary fiction.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Death, and Addiction

Moderate: Death of parent, Terminal illness, Cancer, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Cursing, Sexism, and Mental illness

Minor: Homophobia