Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

As irmãs Blue + brindes by Coco Mellors

43 reviews

juanat77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a beautiful, captivating and heartfelt story about the Blue Sisters which reminds me somewhat of Little Women. The sisters suffer a heartbreak in their family and each sister expresses their grief through different forms of addiction (pain, kleptomania, drugs/alcohol). Throughout the saga the sisters learn to forgive themselves, let go and live again. 

The author captures the bond between and the complexity of the sisters beautifully. She displays such dreamy prose. Some novels hit a lull or boring point but I did not experience that at all in Coco Mellors’ writing. I loved this. I can’t wait to read what else the author has in store for us!

4.5 stars!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Thank you NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for an honest review. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

misuki's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Infidelity and Toxic relationship

Minor: Death of parent

astoriareader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

SYNOPSIS

• Three sisters, Avery, Bonnie, & Lucky, are all living in different cities. It is the one year anniversary of the death the of  Nicky, their fourth sister.
• Their parents have never been great.
• Avery is the eldest sister, and she is an attorney living in London in with her wife. She is also a recovering heroin addict.
• Bonnie is a boxer, and she’s currently working as a bouncer in LA after having a bad loss in her boxing career.
• Lucky is the youngest. She is a model & living in Paris. She is dealing with her own addictions - drugs, alcohol, etc.

MY THOUGHTS

• How is this my first Coco Mellers book?! Such incredible writing.
• There’s so many great topics covered in this book - generational trauma, the roles we take on in families, chronic illness, addiction, sibling love.
• The characters are nuanced, complex, messy, & real.
• Loved the settings & descriptions of the different settings.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐⭐️⭐️beautiful writing + amazing. I will never forget this read.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchanges for an honest review. This book will be published on September 3, 2024.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, and Grief

Minor: Rape, Vomit, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

smileymiley550's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• 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

5.0

What a beautiful, heartbreaking, and reflective familial saga filled with dynamic characters and an immersive and realistic look at addiction. The writing truly jumped off the page--it was tactile, specific, and riveting. I felt I was living alongside the characters. I was in the boxing ring, crying with sisters on the bathroom floor mid-fight, on a drug-induced bender, etc.

Unfortunately, I could not get over the age difference between Bonnie and Pavel. I actually really liked their dynamic together and found their relationship beautiful. But I wish he would have been closer in age to Bonnie, or that the author wouldn't have mentioned their age difference. I just couldn't see them through anything other than a grooming lens.

I really enjoyed the ending. It seemed like a realistic conclusion to me, considering how deep addiction runs in this family. And as the oldest sister of 3 girls, this story hit me hard, and it will stay with me for a long time.

I am grateful for the free ARC ebook copy that was provided to me by NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballatine Books. All opinions are my own.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

jacktherapper's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Grief, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Rape, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, and Classism

Minor: Body shaming, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic

hunni_reads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Grief, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Rape, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

hannah2896's review against another edition

challenging dark hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I thought the storytelling throughout this book was interesting and I enjoyed how the sisters characters were developed, particuarly Bonnie's story. The final chapter was positive and uplifting, and partially made up for the difficulties and struggles the sisters faced throughout the book. The audiobook version of this did feel too long and quite repetitive in parts, and I got bored quite quickly, so it took me over a month to complete.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent and Pregnancy

nialiversuch's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Sexual content and Suicide

Minor: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Violence, and Death of parent

katharinaamaliae's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Easily one of the Best Book of the year. I literally read this in a few days after not having finished a book for months and I am totally obsessed. You could probably give me any piece of media with the topic of sisterhood in it and I'd cry consumin it, but this was especiall  amazing. I felt so close to every character and I could relate to them on such a deep level, especially with Lucky as a younger sister myself. I never wanted this book to end and I'm so so sad I finished it, but I'm also looking forward to what Coco Mellors will do and write in the future!!

True sisterhood, the kind where you grew fingernails in the same womb, were pushed screaming through identical birth canals, is not the same as friendship. You don't choose each other, and there's no furtive period of getting to know the other. You're part of each other, right from the start. Look at an umbilical cord-tough, sinuous, unlovely, yet essential and compare it to a friendship bracelet of brightly woven thread. That is the difference between a sister and a friend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, and Alcohol

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent

jennalea_'s review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I truly believe that there are few authors that can articulate the complexities of human relationships in the way that Coco Mellors can. 

Blue Sisters is a stunning portrayal of the complex, but unconditional love one has for a sister (or sibling) and why these relationships are unlike any other we experience in our lifetimes.

Deeply emotional but with flecks of light throughout, it’s easy to fall in love with these characters and to will them to do better by themselves. 

Highly HIGHLY recommend. If you enjoyed Cleopatra and Frankenstein, you must read Blue Sisters. 🩵💙

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Grief, and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent