Scan barcode
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Drug use, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Death of parent
Minor: Police brutality and Gun violence
dearbhlanoonan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Infidelity, Drug use, Violence, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, and Car accident
Minor: Abortion
thekeyescollection's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Abandonment, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Drug use, Infidelity, and Sexual content
liviamello'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
3.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use and Infidelity
Minor: Car accident
meeklovestoread'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
4.5
I love how everything unfolded as you go through the story and how the flashbacks from the past reflect the events of the present. Speaking, I'm not gonna lie I LOVED reading Mick and June's story (all things considered) and it broke my heart to read the events that transpired. Me, personally, I would've never forgiven him for any of that. Mick Riva is literally the scum of the Earth. Nina was the star of this book and it was nice to see her character develop from putting others first to putting herself first. Overall, a great and entertaining story!
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Death, and Infidelity
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Violence, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing, Physical abuse, and Gun violence
hannah_beth_charles'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
2.75
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Infidelity
samburkhouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Alcoholism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Vomit, Gun violence, Body shaming, Car accident, and Medical content
mariakureads'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
2.5
It's ok. I'm not going to like all the books I read but honestly as the book wore on, I didn't like a single character and couldn't connect with any honestly to care enough about what happened to them as the book switched back n forth between past and present tense, especially Mick. A deadbeat dad, if I ever read one.
Mick is entitled and the cliché rich rock star that leaves his wife and kids that when he decided he wants to come back, is too late to be any kind of father figure and he's not wanted or needed. These kids grew up without him just fine as Nina, the oldest of the bunch, stood up and became the parent that she didn't want to be in order to make ends meet.
I feel for Nina, I do, but there were so many times that her character was just so meh and allowed herself to be touched and fondled all because she didn't want to "cause a scene" that I gave up on her growing a spine and when she does, kudos because she does, it's towards the last 20 mins of the audiobook and I was done.
But the thing that bothered me the most of this entire book, and I do mean the entire book, is Reid's choice of using the phrase "he said" or "she said" throughout the entire book! OMG there are other ways to go about phrasing this and have read it and heard it in other books. I seriously got annoyed about how many times throughout the book the phrase appears that honestly I could have turned it into a drinking game. It got annoying quick and nothing against Julia Whelan, who narrates this because she was great, but seriously it was grating.
Graphic: Abandonment and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity, Alcoholism, Drug use, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
sudatot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Infidelity, Death of parent, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Alcoholism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, Drug use, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
abbeyroad1410's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
First of all, the characterization of every member of the Riva family was amazing. Readers could track how and why their personalities developed as they did. Nina was forced to drop her boundaries to care for her siblings; Jay was a brash kid and remained so but had a self-consciousness from trauma; Hud was different from his siblings; Kit was self-discovering and had a chip on her shoulder from experiencing unfortunate events from such a young age. Not to mention, you see June go from a dreamer to someone coping with the realities of life. I am a sucker for characters that grow and make sense.
Second of all, I love that this book never condoned cheating even when you saw why the characters may choose that direction. In fact, it emphasized the victimization of those cheated on. One of my pet peeves is when a book tries to claim that because two characters love each other, it was okay for them to betray their partner. I think this novel does a great job of showing three very different circumstances of cheating and how it impacts those around those having an affair.
Third of all, I love a book that flashes back and forth. The tracking back and forth flashes really helps keep my attention and captivate me. I think it is nice to give my mind a little extra task. I also like that he helps you directly track characters decisions between time periods to see how their decisions are influenced by the past.
If I had a critique of this book, it would be that it introduced too many characters. I understand that in some ways, this was needed to show the chaos of the party and just how many people were there and how many activities were taking place. The many different perspectives also drew my attention to what the f- moments like bars of cocaine being passed out like snacks. I do think some of these scenes could have been conveyed without SO many points of view, however.
Overall, I loved this book, and I am tempted to pick up another book by Taylor Jenkins Reid on my next Barnes and Noble trip.
Graphic: Infidelity and Alcoholism
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, and Sexism