Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

Stora vackra liv by Emily Henry

35 reviews

paulabekkerus's review against another edition

4.75

emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting

annacurnow's review against another edition

4.5

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Classism

ecmo1's review against another edition

3.25

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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About half of this is devoted to the memories of Margaret, an elderly hermit and former paparazzi headliner from a line of uber rich, messy people. Alice and Hayden are journalists who Margaret sets up as potential memoir writers for her story, competing for the chance to author the book. Of course, they fall in love (the other 50% of the story). I thought this was fine, but there were some side character dropped plots and pacing issues that could’ve made it all hang together a little better. It could’ve also used a little more showing and a little less telling, especially in Hayden’s part of the story. There’s a lot of random (past) trauma. Overall, not my favorite or least favorite Emily Henry book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Grief

Moderate: Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment

Minor: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Pregnancy

akswhy's review against another edition

3.25

emotional hopeful lighthearted tense fast-paced

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

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This book is just The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo but straight and written by Emily Henry. That's not to say it's a bad book, it's just unoriginal. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Car accident, Alcohol

Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Drug use, Dementia, Grief, Pregnancy, Classism

Minor: Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder

bookgirlieee's review against another edition

4.75

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

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Emily Henry does not disappoint. I didn’t want this book to end. Absolutely loved the relationship growth between Alice and Henry.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment

Minor: Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol

jessiecc's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, Car accident

Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Classism

Minor: Alcoholism, Death, Dementia

mommapajama83's review against another edition

4.5

challenging emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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This is my second Emily Henry book and while I really did not enjoy Beach Read, I love this. It was sad and emotional. It was hard to follow the family tree at times, that was a bit difficult. I often tell my sister I wish books would all have the character explanations in the front of the book like the original American Girl books. 

I enjoyed the main love interests and how they actively worked through problems and worked to understand and apologize with each other. Their issues seemed more grounded in logic versus narrative contrivances. They were not able to talk to each other about certain things due to

the NDA's they sign.

They penultimate issue

again being afraid of legal threat and also not telling a love one something like that would destroy the relationship slowly over years.

 

I was also quite moved by the parental relationship with the main female character and her mother. I loathed the mother. She made me so angry.

Then I actually forgave her. Her reasons were not great and she screwed up but they made sense in some way versus actually being apathetic to your child's passions and work.

Margaret and the story she told were so interesting and heartbreaking.

I genuinely convinced myself there would be a happy ending for her. I get upset thinking about how there really wasn't one.

You can have all the money in the world but be barred away from love and happiness by that same money. 

And Julia Wheylan, when she read Margaret in a moment of seething anger, her voice gave me chills. She sounded genuinely scary. She did a great job on the audiobook. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment

Minor: Animal death

metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition

4.0

emotional lighthearted medium-paced

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent

Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Dementia, Car accident, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol

Minor: Murder

pinheiro_94's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol

avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

3.25

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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               This book felt like it was trying to be two books at once. It was trying to be a bit of both a literary mystery and a contemporary romance book. The two didn’t weave that well together, however. 

              I hated all the edging the author did with the MC’s sexual relationship. I think she was trying to keep it from being “too spicy” for her readers, but still spicy enough. However, it just got frustrating. I get the building anticipation of them having intercourse, but it just took too long! 

              I liked most of the characters, all the townspeople, Cecil and Margaret especially, though others not as much, looking at you, Alice, and especially her mom, and Theo. 

              Overall, it was a decent book. Mostly, the structure just didn’t work for me. As well as the drawn-out nature of the MCs’ relationship, and their admitting their feelings and desires. 


  

​Narrator Rating:​ 4.75 stars

             I wish they’d gotten someone else to narrate the section of the book that was supposed to be part of the biography. Julia Whelan is wonderful and did an amazing job, however, I feel like having dual narration would have been better for the two intertwined sections of the book. 

Elements 

Heartfelt-💔💔💔 

Horror- N/A

Love aka Romance- 💋 💋 💋 💋 & 1/2

Predictability-🔮 🔮 🔮 

Spice-  🌶  🌶  🌶 

Tear- 😭 & 1/2

Thrill- N/A

Humor- 😜 😜 & 1/2

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Classism

Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Dementia, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol