Reviews

The Art of Breaking Things by Laura Sibson

ellorarobinson's review against another edition

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3.0

⭐⭐⭐.5/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book was breathtaking.

The story was absolutely captivating and so unbelievably sad all at the same time.

(To be continued).

bookslifeandeverythingnice's review against another edition

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4.0

Thank you to NetGalley, Viking Books for Young Readers, and Laura Sibson for an ARC ebook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.

Trigger warning: sexual abuse of a child

Like:
- The foreshadowing - good, but is about terrible things to come
- The main character: Skye
- Good perspective about college: a way to be who you could be and learn lots about yourself, life and a career
- The abuse isn’t too graphic or triggering in my opinion
- Very realistic portrayal of a teenager coming to terms with being sexually abused by her step father and the impact it has on her life

Love:
- Discusses very difficult to talk about topics (sexual abuse) as the character is experiencing them
- Art as a way to express oneself in a way that words can’t

Dislike:
- Lots of drugs, drinking and partying - it’s realistic to the character and her situation, but it’s not something that I enjoyed reading about
- The teenage boy that she had a relationship with/ didn’t consent to/ doesn’t remember that night — confusing and not sure if I read that scene correctly
- Most of the book in some manner, revolves around the main character being sexually abused

Wish that:
- there was more opportunity for her mother to explain, think about, and remember what happened on the day her daughter was sexually abused. The story wraps up rather quickly and doesn’t give much time to explore what happened further.
- The story was a little more balanced, in terms of content.

Overall, a good realistic portrayal of Skye, a teenage girl, coming to terms with being sexually abused by her step father years ago. A definite trigger warning for most of the story revolving around this topic, but it doesn’t get too explicitly graphic. I would have liked a more well balanced story, but in general an important and fairly enjoyable read.

ophiwrights's review against another edition

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medium-paced

3.0

kasiak44's review against another edition

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4.0

Heartbreaking. Beautiful. A story of personal growth through turmoil, not glamorized but real.

dissociativephoenix's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-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

4.0

teddy_2023's review against another edition

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emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

alifromkc1907's review against another edition

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4.0

Gut Instinct Rating: 4
Characters: 4.5
Believability: 5
Uniqueness: 4
Writing Style: 4
Excitement Factor: 3
Story Line: 5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 4
Audiobook Narration: 4.25
Overall: 4.28

ps_a22's review against another edition

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5.0

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I was so in love with Skye and how she described people and moments in terms of how she would capture them in art. I liked how despite all the trauma she went through as a child, she finally stood up for herself and for the safety of her sister and told her mom how her boyfriend molested her when she was 12. I loved how she made a mural with broken pieces of tiles show that broken things can become beautiful. I can't count the number of times I cried reading this book, and I loved how she finally found the courage to get with ben at the end. I loved how even when she hit rock bottom, she rose back up again.

resslesa's review against another edition

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4.0

An excellent look at what happens when sexual assault gets ignored by caregivers suffering themselves so that children/teens turn to destructive behaviors rather than confronting their issues. The main character learns this about herself and also learns to speak up, much like Melinda in speak. A little bit of a drag and less character development and resolution with the perpetrator, Mom’s on again/off again boyfriend, this is still an excellent book and a great audio.

ajreadsbooks_'s review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book deals with heavy topics and I feel it does it very elegantly. The characters(especially Skye) all have depth and it honestly broke me, made me angry, but healed me all in one go.