Reviews

Marlena by Julie Buntin

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DNF.

I got 100 pages in and just didn't care about what I was reading. I didn't care for any of the characters and just thought it was very boring.

That's not to say it isn't a good book for others or anything. Just not a book for me.

amutschler's review

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4.0

Very well written. The author brings Cat and Marlena to life. It starts a little slow, but it picks up once you get into it. It’s a thought provoking coming-of-age story. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars is because it was slightly anticlimactic, and it felt like something was missing.

shirp's review

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5.0

Wow. Just magnificent and powerfully written. Julie Buntin is brilliant. I can't wait to read more.

tiffanyjw's review against another edition

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3.75

maariie's review

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dark emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

tishywishy's review

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3.0

Marlena was an interesting read. The author painted a picture that certainly would never inspire me to visit that area of Michigan if it existed (I believe that was her goal). Perhaps the most unnerving part for me was reading about Marlena's life and having my imagination conjure the pictures from the contextual clues. It's realistic, melancholic, a tale of how teenagers can slip through the cracks with drug use, lack of guidance, needing chosen family and how that can affect them as an adult.

littlespookysmut's review

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4.0

There is something so fragile and special about teenage female friendships, especially the more toxic ones. This book is not for everyone like there is no mystery on figuring out how she died. Also I love reading about messy characters, there was something so raw and real about this book. It’s very dark with the drugs and the poverty but it was so good.

mollywetta's review

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3.0

I expected to like this book because for the plot and characters, but what really stuck with me was the sense of place and how real the small time life felt, and how the poverty and drug abuse felt so organic to the story without being an issue that the author wanted to make a point about. There's a timelessness to this book, which I liked.