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becalexa's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death of parent
s_wandering's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Pros:
- the writing style from Reid has always been great
- the general plot was interesting
- the first 50 pages were intriguing
- the main characters Effy and Preston (outside of their romantic plot)
- the connection of
Euphemia's trauma to drowning / the event that happened in the south really was done exceptionally well
Cons:
- at the beginning its said "this is a love story" and with that in mind it felt in the haste to get these characters to fall in love it was forgotten that us as readers were just now meeting them for the first time. Their love story felt rushed, held no real weight and we could've done without it all-together
- the plot became unclear, untidy, drawn out and though
the drowning was interesting- it became clear after some time it would only ever really be explored as a metaphor - I don't mind unreliable narrators but Effy was unreliable to an unforgivable point, I think this would've benefited being told by Preston's POV or at-least dual POV
- so many things were introduced to set the scenery (war, timeline, characters) but never expanded on to actually provide proper world building and after 300+ pages I feel like I spent time in a world I could not identify in a line up
- for a book about academia, the characters aren't that smart
to sum up the reading experience from my book club "a bit bored but intrigued"
Graphic: Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, Child abuse, Classism, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
ashleykhoffman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Overall, predictable, but quick to read as long as it doesn't stir up any triggers for you.
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual harassment
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Sexual assault
naisdayz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Admittedly, Effy was a character I first had to get to know to be able to understand and love her. She was a bit insufferable in the beginning, towards Preston especially, though I can understand that now as well. Preston was essentially all she wanted and wanted to be.
I love Ava Reid's writing style. It's very vivid, painting pictures without seeming overwritten or forced. The small references to drowning as a metaphor and references to phrases used earlier in the story were amazingly incorporated.
The world building was also chef's kiss. Every chapter features a poem or excerpt from a piece of literature from their world, which made it so much more immersive. Honestly, if I had read Angharad, I would have become about as obsessed as Effy did.
The book was pretty confusing (in a good way). I had zero idea how it would end, and I'm sure my jaw dropped more than once while reading the actual end.
Graphic: Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, and Misogyny
Moderate: Violence and Blood
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
"A Study in Drowning" follows Effy Sayre, a young woman who is an architecture student who wants to believe in nothing more than fairy tales. When she gets the opportunity to help design the remodel of Hiraeth Manor, she thinks it is finally her chance to make a name for herself. Preston Héloury is a literature student that is hellbent on disproving renowned author Emry Myrddin, who also happens to hold a very special place in Effy's heart. Effy and Preston get off to a rocky start, but they quickly learn that they will need to work together so they both can get what they desire.
This book was fine, and I see why everyone seems so enamored with it. The prose is beautiful and haunting, and the mental illness representation seen in Effy is great to see. Unfortunately, this book just did not land for me like I thought it would. The story felt very predictable and relied heavily on stereotypical Young Adult tropes. This is not a bad thing per say, but it made the story feel uninspired to me.
Rather than coming across as a meek, struggling student, Effy just felt like a very weak protagonist who needed more time to grow up. I empathize with her struggles, and her mother is awful towards her, but I did not enjoy reading from her perspective. Preston felt much more dynamic of a character, and I think I might have enjoyed the story more if we got his perspective instead, or just more of him in general.
I think this book has all of the right ingredients; it was just not executed well.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Kidnapping, Torture, Death, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness
kiwij96'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
3.5
The book was only okay in comparison, the majority of it was long drawn out internal conflicts and all the characters were unlikeable. I also do not love books where the FMC is described as beautiful by literally every male character (main or otherwise), nor do I love books where the two characters say they love each other after knowing each other for 2 weeks. And for a book following two scholars, neither of them seemingly did any work. Or rather Effy seemed to do all of Preston's work while he had nervous breakdowns.
Don't get me wrong though, the book raised some important points about women's stories being erased and their voices never being heard. And I really appreciated the way that it ended. However, for 280 pages of Effy's internal conflict and the characters barely attempting to put the pieces of their puzzle together, the last 90 pages felt like the story could have been so much shorter.
From a Welsh person's perspective, the fact the house was called Hiraeth was a nice touch. "Hiraeth" being the feeling of homesickness or longing for a homeland you can never return to (a word meant specifically for the people of Wales). That was a constant foreshadowing in the story and one which I enjoyed very much.
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexism, Drug use, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Bullying
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Addiction, Mental illness, Alcoholism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Abandonment, Medical trauma, Child death, and Car accident
chelbawamba's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Overall, the concept of the story was interesting, but the way it was executed was extremely predictable. I knew early on what most of the reveals at the end were going to be. In my opinion, there is a fine line between good foreshadowing and offering too much too early on.
A personal pet peeve of mine is when characters speak about each other as if they’ve known each other for a long time when it’s only been a few days, for example: saying things like “he’s always been kind to me,” or “I had never seen him this flustered” when the character only knew the other person for maybe a collective three hours. This happened frequently in the first half of the book.
I didn’t not enjoy it, but I also didn’t enjoy it. Would not necessarily recommend it, but it had its moments and kept me engaged through the end.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Kidnapping, Blood, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Mental illness, Colonisation, Alcohol, Sexual assault, Death, Car accident, Addiction, Xenophobia, Sexism, Rape, Racism, Violence, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Misogyny, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Classism, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug abuse, Death of parent, and Child abuse
campredwood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Stalking, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, and Abandonment
Minor: Emotional abuse and Drug use
merlemarijn'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? Yes
3.75
Didn't like Effy at the beginning, but I was able to understand her more towards the end.
Loved Preston.
And loved the setting. Reid describes everything so vividly that it feels like you're there in the Bottom Hundred.
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Suicidal thoughts
a_paper_mess's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Misogyny, Sexism, and Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: War, Bullying, and Colonisation