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eilidhsusie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
zombiezami's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Addiction, Death, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Grief, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Vomit
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Fatphobia, Medical content, Self harm, Murder, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape, Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content
sharrikloves'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
4.5
Moderate: Child abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Stalking, Fatphobia, and Sexual assault
cassie7e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book made me feel a lot of things, which is the marker of a good story!! Docked half a star just because it was slow for me to get into at first bc Eleanor is so judgmental at the beginning. We learn more about where these thought patterns come from and see her desire for connection and kind heart underneath. So some warm fuzzy feelings come from seeing her grow in that aspect. This book is also about the incredible importance of small interactions in daily life. Consistent tiny positive relationships with people we see regularly but don't know well lift the spirits so much, as many of us learned when covid cut all of those off.
Hearing about the tragic backstory is of course sad. But what struck me more from an autism* lens was the disconnect between what she thinks is acceptable social practice and what everyone else does. I can see how her judgments and blunt speech come off as rude to others, and also can see how others make little effort to tolerate her difference. She is judged in the way so many autistic people are judged - for not understanding social rules well and coming off as "rude" or weird even when she means well, for adhering too strictly to what are ostensibly social "rules" that everyone knows you're supposed to break; for adhering to rules she was taught as a child that aren't universal or are harmful; for being book smart but socially inept; for not having very good emotional intelligence (due to alexithymia that could have to do w autism AND trauma).... the way thoughts about her self worth and skills come directly from judgments others have thrown at her live on in her mind and make her question if she deserves to have relationships with people.
My heart broke at every interaction because people didn't understand her, because she was hard on herself, and because she comes from such lack that one person actually caring for her as a person means so much. Even as someone with so much richness in their life, her experiences struck a chord with struggles I've had and made me want to be a friend for her who stands up against any who would judge her as I and people like me have been judged and worse.
*While the book is clearly about trauma, no other neurodivergence is referenced. Whether or not she is meant to also be autistic, autistic readers may relate strongly to her.
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Grief
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Stalking
Minor: Rape, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Body shaming
daybreakreads'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
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Torture, Abandonment, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Stalking, Vomit, Cancer, Rape, Cursing, and Mental illness
kalishka'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
3.0
The first 2/3 were very slow for me. I have ASD and I felt the character of Eleanor was coded as ASD but her traits were supposed to be ‘quirky’ and ‘funny’ - personally they were not to me as it was far too relatable while being stereotypical.
The last third takes a sharp turn into depression, suicide, therapy and trauma, which went further than I was expecting, and it seems more like Eleanor’s personality is a result of her childhood trauma rather than as a result of a neurodivergency. I don’t know which the author was intending so can’t comment further on that. I found it much more interesting than the first section, but I still wouldn’t say I enjoyed it…
I would highly recommend the audiobook though - the narration is brilliant!
Graphic: Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Child abuse, Suicide, Child death, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Classism and Physical abuse
tomnoor's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Mental illness, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, and Body shaming
lucimolri'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
4.75
Risas, indignación, momentos entrañables y también tristes. Por desgracia en las partes más dolorosas yo no estaba en muy buen estado de ánimo por lo que me afectó muchísimo, por suerte mejora (y yo también btw) y aunque se puedan predecir muchas de las incógnitas sigue siendo una lectura muy amena con final satisfactorio.
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Addiction, Alcohol, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, and Self harm
Minor: Rape
itsbumley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Murder, Rape, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcoholism, Death, Mental illness, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
seedsofsunflowers'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
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Classism, Death, Fatphobia, Vomit, Ableism, Grief, and Body shaming
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual violence, Cancer, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Terminal illness, Child death, Stalking, and Physical abuse