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acresofclams's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Infidelity, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Lesbophobia, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Homophobia
Minor: Abandonment and Drug use
cheye13's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I initially projected a premise onto this book that it never actually promised. I thought it would be a journey through a mother's lovers prior to her husband/family, resulting in understanding the mother as a person and individual. That is nowhere near what this is about.
There is a bad-faith assumption the narration pushes the reader toward for the majority of the book.As someone who believes sexuality is never/should never be a plot twist, I was disappointed with the 'gatcha' nature of the reveal. It's especially frustrating when Maggie clings to this assumption despite all evidence to the contrary. And it's unrealistic, I would argue; as a queer person, she should be more likely to second guess and criticize heteronormativity. Perhaps there's a blind spot when it comes to one's own parents, but there are points in the book that it feels obtuse.
There's also excerpts in Maggie's mother's POV, which felt underutilized and unimportant. They fall somewhere in between brief interludes and a second timeline, which makes them both too long and too short to be effective. Ultimately, the book rests on a crippling failure of Maggie and her mother to effectively communicate, even past her mother's death.
I would have enjoyed this more if Maggie grew more consistently over the course of her journey. As is, she goes on a sporadic road trip and grieves aggressively. A number of character development threads are left hanging, which could have lent the story more purpose. As is, there's a whole lot of nothing for a lackluster message.
There is a bad-faith assumption the narration pushes the reader toward for the majority of the book.
There's also excerpts in Maggie's mother's POV, which felt underutilized and unimportant. They fall somewhere in between brief interludes and a second timeline, which makes them both too long and too short to be effective. Ultimately, the book rests on a crippling failure of Maggie and her mother to effectively communicate, even past her mother's death.
I would have enjoyed this more if Maggie grew more consistently over the course of her journey. As is, she goes on a sporadic road trip and grieves aggressively. A number of character development threads are left hanging, which could have lent the story more purpose. As is, there's a whole lot of nothing for a lackluster message.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol
sophiebv's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, Car accident, Cursing, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Toxic relationship, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Abortion, War, Violence, Transphobia, Outing, Mass/school shootings, and Medical content
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