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emilyrowanstudio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The first 140 pages were a slog to get through. They were setting the scene for what was to come but I found the characterisation lacking and feel it really could have been distilled down to about 50 pages.
I very nearly gave up and was prepared not to finish this, but it got very bleak very quickly and I tore through the final 180 pages in little over 24 hours. This story, of a 15 year old child in care who gets pregnant by someone older, should come with every trigger warning under the sun. Everything our protagonist, Bess, goes through is truly heartbreaking, but I found the way the story was told to be lacking for such a heavy subject matter.
Then again, our narrator is 15 years old, and the storytelling feels like it, which I guess it should. I laughed and winced and really felt for Bess, but overall this read was just okay. I'd have preferred it if it was half the length, concentrated on the emotions, and left out the unecessary side-plots. But maybe that's just my style.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Excrement, Bullying, Death of parent, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Blood, Grief, Child abuse, Racism, Suicide, Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Abortion, Sexual content, Self harm, Rape, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Car accident, Alcohol, and Body shaming
jouljet's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Abortion, Child abuse, Vomit, Racial slurs, Suicide, Rape, Racism, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, and Adult/minor relationship
linguaphile412'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
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Abortion, Sexual assault, Blood, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Miscarriage, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Self harm, Suicide, Medical content, and Alcohol
ladymirtazapine's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Abortion, Medical trauma, Medical content, Alcohol, Suicide, Vomit, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, Self harm, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Child abuse, Bullying, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, and Abandonment