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haileyhardcover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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Oooh we’re gonna get honest and dark with this review, folks… buckle up or back out now!
I’ve been suicidal (always passively, and sometimes actively) since I was 6-years-old. That’s not a typo. I can very clearly remember sitting in my childhood bedroom, legs dangling off of the edge of my red bunk bed, and thinking “I’m going to kill myself.” I’ve managed to trick myself into staying alive for the last 30 years, but I can’t say it’s been easy and I’ve made a lot of choices I wish I could take back - closed a lot of doors I wish I had walked through, run through others that I should have slammed shut. In the really dark moments the thing I regret most is not just ending things when I was 6 or 16 or 26. A whole book of regrets.
The concept of The Midnight Library really appealed to me. On the edge of death, Nora is given the opportunity to address her greatest regrets and sample the lives she could have had if she’d made different choices, in the hopes of find one where she could be happy - one where she would want to keep living. Spoiler Alert:
Maybe it’s wrong for me to hate the optimistic ending, but I do. If an anti-suicide message was the goal (and of course it was, because who is out here writing pro-suicide novels?) I truly would’ve preferred the gut punch ending of Nora realizing her root life was the best one for her and still dying anyway. A “learn from this character’s mistake” kind of approach. You made your death bed, now die in it.
Disappointing ending aside, it’s not a bad book, but it’s not great either. I can’t say I particularly liked any of the characters, it’s difficult to stay grounded in a story that’s primarily spent jumping between different lives, and there were plot points that were just fully abandoned (like Hugo and the other “sliders”… why even bother with that?) but it’s an enjoyable enough concept, easy to binge, and most of the chapters are very short, which I love. I doubt I would pick this book up again, but it was a decent way to occupy my brain for a couple of days.
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, and Animal death
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Cancer, Car accident, Drug abuse, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
xgabrielle_hx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Medical content, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship
margolovie89's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Grief, Abandonment, Blood, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Suicide, and Mental illness
mangofraiche's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Death, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Death of parent, and Self harm
paula357's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Addiction, and Animal death
Minor: Cancer
ssurber98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Sexual assault, Mental illness, Addiction, Death, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Self harm, and Panic attacks/disorders
meaganb914's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Mental illness and Suicide attempt
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Terminal illness, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Death of parent, Car accident, Cancer, and Animal death
lagray27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal death and Death of parent
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, and Addiction
whateves99's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal death
Moderate: Alcohol, Vomit, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
lukeaitch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Vomit