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joey1914'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
4.75
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
lall80's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Pedophilia
thefancybookworm's review against another edition
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
I found the characters, structure, and prose unpleasant. If you're on the fence, read the first chapter and then decide (based on the 5 stars reviews on Goodreads, there were people who liked the things I disliked). Just be warned that there are scenes of child sexual abuse and some animal deaths. The former provides some character context, but the latter is flat out gratuitous.
The majority of the cast is horrible people who I couldn't find enough redeeming qualities for to keep reading. This is a contemporary romance, yet I find myself wondering why the main character, Elle, is attracted to either of her love interests (her childhood friend Jonas and her husband Peter) and why they are attracted to her. Elle's PoV is one of the most passive-aggressive and bitterly miserable ones I've ever read. Jonas is my personal least favorite. He admits to telling Elle he was over her after introducing her to his now-wife just to hurt her feelings and (WARNING: mention of sexual assault)
The book flits between the 24 or so hours after Elle sleeps with Jonas and the childhoods of Elle and her mother. Most of the flashbacks are unpleasant events from both childhoods, and while they certainly explain why these two in particular are so unpleasant (although, honestly, Elle seemed quite unpleasant as a child), half the time they seem irrelevant to the present day events (WARNING: mention of animal death and nudity)
The prose, probably my least favorite part, is a mix of winding, metaphor-laden descriptions and moments that are included to give a sense of realism but that I found uncomfortable. Like yes, an ant would crawl on someone's nipple if that person laid naked somewhere that had ants, but why do the readers need to know that?
Graphic: Child abuse and Sexual assault
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, and Grief
asphy3's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Thankfully, I never went throught something like that, but I cannot, for the life of me, understand the way she can feel for Conrad after what he has done. How can you cry for a person who robbed you the way he did, and not for need, but for pleasure. It's disgusting and sick and unforgivable and he would do it again given the right circumstances. Him dying that way was honestly the highlight of the book for me. As for the rest, I did not understand that ending.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Cancer, and Abortion
lisa12'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
3.5
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
samstg's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Minor: Cancer
jen_d's review against another edition
1.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
paulabekkerus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
awestervelt20'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Stalking, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment