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lillyrose97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Grief, Miscarriage, Self harm, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Blood, Death, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Death of parent, and Sexual content
mepresley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This is Blythe's story, and the story of her mother, Cecilia, and Cecilia's mother, Etta. Etta, who was
Blythe has ambivalent feelings about becoming a mother because she does not want to be like her mother, or her mother's mother. She wants to be better but is afraid that she won't be, that she doesn't know how. When Violet is born, Blythe does not feel that immediate bond between mother and child.
The story is told out of chronological order, shifting between Blythe's memories, one short chapter focused on Etta's POV, and seven on Cecilia's childhood, the latter two presented in italics.
Blythe's story contains
I found Blythe to be a very sympathetic character, and--aside from Blythe's "adopted" mom, Leda Ellington, and Gemma--
The extremely clever
Other than my personal preference for chapters that aren't so uniformly short, the only thing that I think would have made this novel better is if there was more doubt about Blythe's sanity/ perspective and Violet as potential psychopath. The only doubt that exists is in Blythe's head, mostly due to the natural denial of a mother and Fox's gaslighting; it's very, very clear that Violet is guilty, which takes some of the wind out of the sails of her eventual window confession. Also, I do really wish that had gotten the details about what happened to Jet & what the aftermath of that looked like, but I fully recognize that the ending Audrain chose is more powerful than the details I longer to get, and that my very desire for those details is testament to Audrain's storytelling / my investment in her narrative.
Graphic: Abortion, Mental illness, Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Infidelity and Death of parent
Minor: Self harm
claire_reardon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Pregnancy, Abandonment, Bullying, Death, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Infidelity, Suicide, Child death, Grief, Abortion, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship
sighsborg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Not quite sure how I feel about this book.
Graphic: Self harm, Child abuse, Abandonment, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Body horror, Vomit, and Sexual content
Moderate: Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Abortion, and Sexism
jennyshelby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
A mother's heart breaks a million ways in her lifetime.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, Death, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexism and Violence
efroststates's review against another edition
1.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Self harm, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Child death, Suicide, Violence, Death, and Abortion
jodimclean's review against another edition
Graphic: Child abuse, Pregnancy, and Mental illness
* May especially be triggering for anyone who has struggled with postpartum depression.airr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Self harm, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Death, Car accident, and Abandonment
lutz_emily'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Self harm, Mental illness, Grief, Child death, Gaslighting, Violence, and Abandonment
marpaige's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Death, Suicide, and Sexual content