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headassena's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
mvpmimi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
relaxing
sad
fast-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
4.5
jamiethomasss's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
I putt off reading this book for a long time because I’d heard either very positive or very negative things. Why did I do that? This book was absolutely incredible. The writing, the characters, everything. Amazing. The depths to which you feel you know these characters is insane. They feel so real for words printed on a page and I just wanted the best for them the whole way through. Sally Rooney is a master of the human condition and especially of human relationships and I am never going to shut up about this book.
mariiairv's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bookishbrenbren's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This review is going to sound silly but here goes
I don't think I've read such a captivating book in a long while. I was completely immersed in the inner workings of this tiny little polarized world. It was engrossing, I couldn't put it down and when I did, I kept thinking about it. I feel invested in these characters and I think the author did an incredible job of bringing them to life and capturing what life is like when you're a teen/new adult. Especially the internal life we live inside our own heads.
on the other hand I fully agree with almost all criticisms of it that I've read 😂 the book is pretentious bordering on delivering a campy teenage movie (he's 17, a soccer star but he's top of his class but he's incredibly shy but he also recommends The Communist Manifesto to peers) and the not-like-other-girls girl even gets a makeover but not before she's read Swann's Way by herself at lunch. 👀 ok. Then also the treatment of disordered eating, classism, abuse and masochism and some light racism-makes-the-bad-guy-bad could also have been better handled. and honestly like on a very literal level, I feel silly caring who Connell Waldron asks to high school prom. But isn't it a sign of a strong writer that she can make me care about something like that? Ugh idk I am so torn. The characters are slightly cliche but nobody can write internal thought like this. I just don't know, send help 🏳️ I can't deny the pull that this book had on me and the fact that it made me feel things. I am a Marianne loyalist and I feel like I genuinely know her. She came to life for me.
But idk I guess I also expected something more serious (but less self-serious?) than this 🫣 for all the hype and marketing it got
I don't think I've read such a captivating book in a long while. I was completely immersed in the inner workings of this tiny little polarized world. It was engrossing, I couldn't put it down and when I did, I kept thinking about it. I feel invested in these characters and I think the author did an incredible job of bringing them to life and capturing what life is like when you're a teen/new adult. Especially the internal life we live inside our own heads.
on the other hand I fully agree with almost all criticisms of it that I've read 😂 the book is pretentious bordering on delivering a campy teenage movie (he's 17, a soccer star but he's top of his class but he's incredibly shy but he also recommends The Communist Manifesto to peers) and the not-like-other-girls girl even gets a makeover but not before she's read Swann's Way by herself at lunch. 👀 ok. Then also the treatment of disordered eating, classism, abuse and masochism and some light racism-makes-the-bad-guy-bad could also have been better handled. and honestly like on a very literal level, I feel silly caring who Connell Waldron asks to high school prom. But isn't it a sign of a strong writer that she can make me care about something like that? Ugh idk I am so torn. The characters are slightly cliche but nobody can write internal thought like this. I just don't know, send help 🏳️ I can't deny the pull that this book had on me and the fact that it made me feel things. I am a Marianne loyalist and I feel like I genuinely know her. She came to life for me.
But idk I guess I also expected something more serious (but less self-serious?) than this 🫣 for all the hype and marketing it got
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Grief, Mental illness, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Racism, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
raycheeze's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
yeouch
amberflo's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
3.5ish???
I loved the messages of the main characters exploring identities (or lack thereof) but there was just…not a lot happening
I loved the messages of the main characters exploring identities (or lack thereof) but there was just…not a lot happening
danieben's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Domestic abuse
hevthemystic's review against another edition
emotional
sad
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
4.0
joelhallifax's review
4.0
4/5
'Marianne, he said, I'm not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me.'
The beauty of the book lies in how quiet and intimate it is.
I love the way Rooney writes too. She has this way of diving into the intricate minutiae of how we communicate, and the physical reactions to our emotions. Sure, it can be sometimes be a bit of drivel but I often found myself physically acting out each of the conversations the characters had, and because of that, these scenes exist so fully in my head - they exist as full sequences and images as if they're on film. The characters and descriptions feel so real you could touch almost touch them.
The main complaint I have with the book though is two-fold, both to do with Marianne. Marianne's arc in the book to becoming a masochist doesn't fully make sense to me and I feel Rooney didn't really know what she was writing about other than what she saw in perhaps Fifty Shades. The second of which is how underwritten her family feels - they are all just awful, her mother and father get a bit of backstory, but Alan, who becomes one of the biggest villains of the book, is just an unrelenting vindictive asshole and we never have any glimpse of humanity in him, which is wierd in a book where the focus is seeing the humanity and tenderness between people. Because of that, his character did nothing but confuse me and felt a bit out of place.
All being said, the book strikes a real nerve in me. I've had relationships like Connell and Marianne and those emotions aren't buried deep beneath the skin, so I naturally became quite attached to the book for pouring these memories and feelings that I forgot existed out of me. I would hardly call the book romantic though, but I did squee at certain points. A lot of the scenes sting and leave you with a bad-taste in your mouth in the best possible way.
This book will hurt you, but it's just tough love.
'Marianne, he said, I'm not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me.'
The beauty of the book lies in how quiet and intimate it is.
I love the way Rooney writes too. She has this way of diving into the intricate minutiae of how we communicate, and the physical reactions to our emotions. Sure, it can be sometimes be a bit of drivel but I often found myself physically acting out each of the conversations the characters had, and because of that, these scenes exist so fully in my head - they exist as full sequences and images as if they're on film. The characters and descriptions feel so real you could touch almost touch them.
The main complaint I have with the book though is two-fold, both to do with Marianne. Marianne's arc in the book to becoming a masochist doesn't fully make sense to me and I feel Rooney didn't really know what she was writing about other than what she saw in perhaps Fifty Shades. The second of which is how underwritten her family feels - they are all just awful, her mother and father get a bit of backstory, but Alan, who becomes one of the biggest villains of the book, is just an unrelenting vindictive asshole and we never have any glimpse of humanity in him, which is wierd in a book where the focus is seeing the humanity and tenderness between people. Because of that, his character did nothing but confuse me and felt a bit out of place.
All being said, the book strikes a real nerve in me. I've had relationships like Connell and Marianne and those emotions aren't buried deep beneath the skin, so I naturally became quite attached to the book for pouring these memories and feelings that I forgot existed out of me. I would hardly call the book romantic though, but I did squee at certain points. A lot of the scenes sting and leave you with a bad-taste in your mouth in the best possible way.
This book will hurt you, but it's just tough love.