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bootsmom3's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Alcohol, Homophobia, Sexual content, Death, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Sexism, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Outing, Grief, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, and Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage, Domestic abuse, Dysphoria, and Misogyny
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
endlessbummer__'s review
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Physical abuse, Violence, Abortion, Medical trauma, Infidelity, Death, Murder, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Toxic relationship, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, and Outing
ergative's review
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
I really, really liked this book. I found it easy to sink into the narrative prose; I found all the awkward uncertainties about how a relationship is progressing very convincing; and I think the ending could have so easily taken an easier way out (fess up; or don't fess up but be ruined by guilt ever after), and instead somehow managed to make things (maybe) come out okay. When I was little, I remember my father (??) explaining that it's easier to write a sad ending than a happy ending, because 'rocks fall, everyone dies' is easier to plan than a solution that fixes the problems you'vve introduced into the narrative. This book is perhaps not quite so binary as sad ending/happy ending, but I kept on expecting things to end badly in a way that felt rather inevitable, and the fact that Waters managed to avoid that in a way that still felt believable was very impressive.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Medical trauma
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