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oliviajames's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Stalking, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Rape
defo not what i was expectingnineinchnails's review
- 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
4.0
i found myself
Graphic: Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Rape, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug use, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Addiction, Abandonment, Abortion, Bullying, Drug abuse, and Infidelity
Minor: Cultural appropriation, Body shaming, Infertility, Death of parent, Dementia, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Bulimia and Overdosecontemporarymeepsie's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I enjoyed this book overall. I found the themes dark but very interesting. The protagonist, Sam, is famous for her work around the #MeToo movement saying all victims should be believed. But what happens when a victim claims SHE was the abuser? Who's truth is the real truth? That is such an interesting theme to write about and the author did such an incredible job of writing a dislikable character who gradually gets more and more manipulative as the story progresses. I tend to like unreliable narrators so this book was on for a winner, however there is a little bit of an unrealistic heel turn at the end. Which didn't sit right with me, which is why it dropped a point. I think it could have been polished a bit more to make the whole thing more believable and comprehensive. But overall I enjoyed my time with this book and I might read it again.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual assault, and Addiction
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Eating disorder, and Body shaming
Minor: Gaslighting, Dementia, and Abortion
sapphron'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
2.25
The author has commentary on wellness "CULT"ure, cancel culture, capitalist wokeness, and how women can hurt women, but her execution to comment on it beyond a tweet-like slogan was disappointingly shallow through weak and cliche characterization. The overall prose was often clunky and at the low level of YA or a cheap streaming movie. However, the overall story did leave me to reflect on the concept of one's truth and the truth and how we may reframe memories to reflect the image we make of ourselves that can overpower our true reflection and absolve accountability. I'm conflicted on what to truly rate this as I'm glad to have read this book for the introspection it triggered, but it wasn't worth the hours spent reading it.
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Abortion
sorkka's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, and Stalking
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Addiction, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Death of parent, and Sexual violence
martafossati's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Eating disorder and Sexual assault
pippahawkins's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Drug use, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Abortion, Abandonment, Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Bullying, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Sexism, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape
tomesandtash's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What an interesting book! After the last couple of books I’ve read by Louise O’Neill were a bit disappointing, I’m so glad that this was a return to form from an author I love.
The themes discussed here are fantastically done. I loved the commentary on “wellness influencers”, the impact and perception of trauma, and the lengths people will go to to convince themselves that they are a good person.
If you are the kind of person who needs to like the main character of a book, then this is not for you because as the story goes on, and the more we learn about Samantha, the worse she becomes. However, for me, this makes the book so much more interesting to read. The things this woman does are absolutely wild; it’s like being unable to turn away from a terrible car crash. Pretty much every character is a shade of grey; no one is completely likeable or sympathetic.
The writing is well paced and it doesn’t take long to get into the action of the story. Every scene feels necessary and nothing feels like filler.
It could be debated, with all the information we learn about Samantha throughout, whether or not she deserved her fame in the first place. She is such an interesting character from start to finish as her own version of events about that night isn’t the only example of her rewriting her own history when it suits her. Sometimes, you can understand. She changes the details of her own story as a victim of sexual assault as she’s frightened that people won’t be sympathetic if they knew it was her boyfriend that did it. While this is a still a questionable choice, you can understand. However, she is so stubborn about her own perceptions of her childhood and her own life events that it’s hard to tell if she actually believes it, or she has to believe it to keep herself sane. We are lead to believe that it was Lisa that had the abortion from the way Samantha thinks and talks about it, only to find that it was really herself, with no indication until it is revealed to us. She forgets that Lisa didn’t write the letters she found, she wrote them herself. She remembers her father being cold and uncaring when other sources tell us that he was deeply loving in his own way and tried to provide for her always. Everything we think we know about Samantha is a lie, but does she know that or has she gaslighted herself to such an extent that she truly believes her own version of events.
Honestly, the more I think about it, this might be one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read and I might need to change my rating from 4 stars to 5 stars. I think I could write an essay (even longer than this one) all about this book. If there is one thing Louise O’Neill is an absolutely stellar at, it’s creating deeply complex, rich characters and stories that relate heavily to current events and discussions in a really mature and smart way. This book as intrigue, mystery, questionable motives and actions, unlikeable and despicable characters and a killer plot. Seriously read this!
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Abortion, and Sexual assault
Minor: Eating disorder and Death of parent
ccassidy98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Rape
Moderate: Drug abuse and Vomit
sarahstarkey's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault