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thatsssorachael's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
WOWOWOWOWOW
If every book was like this, I would never DNF anything. In fact, dare I say, this book is the reason I DNF lacklustre books. I loved The Book of Essie. It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty damn close. This book got me hooked pretty much immediately, and didn't unhook me until the very last line. If I could have read this in one sitting, I probably would have.
The characters were all realistic and well rounded. People had motivations for behaving the way they did. Rourke and Essie were really powerful characters, and had a lot of depth to them. Maybe they didn't behave perfectly or rationally, but they behaved realistically. I give the author a lot of credit for that.
The ending was a good one. It wasn't totally out of left field, I had pretty much figured it out by a quarter of the way in. It was done so well though, I didn't give one damn that it was "predicatable" at all. I expected this book to lean more into the abortion argument, but instead it leaned into women's rights and bodily autonomy. I really enjoyed it.
Highly recommend for anyone.
If every book was like this, I would never DNF anything. In fact, dare I say, this book is the reason I DNF lacklustre books. I loved The Book of Essie. It wasn't perfect, but it was pretty damn close. This book got me hooked pretty much immediately, and didn't unhook me until the very last line. If I could have read this in one sitting, I probably would have.
The characters were all realistic and well rounded. People had motivations for behaving the way they did. Rourke and Essie were really powerful characters, and had a lot of depth to them. Maybe they didn't behave perfectly or rationally, but they behaved realistically. I give the author a lot of credit for that.
The ending was a good one. It wasn't totally out of left field, I had pretty much figured it out by a quarter of the way in. It was done so well though, I didn't give one damn that it was "predicatable" at all. I expected this book to lean more into the abortion argument, but instead it leaned into women's rights and bodily autonomy. I really enjoyed it.
Highly recommend for anyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Incest and Rape
otherworlds's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Vomit, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Torture, and Excrement
Minor: Alcoholism
ameliec's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Rape, and Suicide
lauren_the_bookworm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was great! It follows Essie who is a member of the Hicks family, a Christian family who have a reality show about their life. When things start to go wrong, the story shows how Essie and her mother manipulate the situation to suit their own lives. I though the story was very believable and was told in a way that you believed you could be reading a memoir. Often I found myself feeling sorry for different characters for different reasons and then hating them in the next second. The secondary story of Liberty was also a great addition.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Rape, and Sexual assault