Reviews

Bitter Orange is a very slow burn, character driven story.

The characters are not very likeable, in my opinion. The main protagonist, Frances, invokes sympathy at the beginning, but soon enough I found her annoying and pathetic, while Cara's stories are full of contradictions and its obvious that she just loves attention. She acts innocent, but definitely knows what she's doing.

I honestly almost felt it was a bit too slow. What really keeps you going is wanting to know what happens in the end - from the beginning you know it is something tragic, but not what or how it happens. Then I found the big reveal to actually be small and skimmed over really quickly, and within three chapters the story was over. I found this a little disappointing, especially after waiting so long.

I didn't find the book to be worth the hype of the reviews I'd read. Wouldn't reach for it again but not a terrible read.

malloryrenee's review

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mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

time_to_keim's review

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mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was so weird. I do appreciate that the main character wasn’t a typical age or body type.

cherese's review

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

Bitter Orange just wasn't for me. The pacing was excruciatingly slow and the storytelling felt confusing and murky.

The plot meanders along with no urgency. Some people may love the mysterious relationships between the main characters, but for me it was just vague and lacked drive.

I need my novels to have a clear narrative direction, not just languish in ambiguity. For the right reader this may work, but I prefer books that grab you, not let you go. So this one was a NO for me. Although, I really do love the cover of the book!

⭐️ could have been a DNF 10/10 don't recommend

⭐️⭐️ It was meh

⭐️⭐️⭐️ it was good but...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ really liked it. Doesn't live rent free but comes to visit every now and then.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Obsessed! It will live rent free in my head forever and always

susandembny's review

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2.0

I really wanted to enjoy this book because I really enjoyed the author’s writing style. I struggled with the pacing though. I think the intention of the slow pacing was to build suspense but overall I just felt like it dragged on. I was also sorely disappointed by the ending, the “big reveal” was not shocking in the slightest and felt underwhelming.

krobart's review

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4.0

See my review here:

https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2020/03/19/review-1485-bitter-orange/

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