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caitlynes91's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
Adored this! Might become a 5 star after sitting with it ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking and Mental illness
Moderate: Murder and Suicide
Minor: Vomit, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Kidnapping
sugarlife's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Mental illness, Abandonment, Toxic friendship, and Kidnapping
Minor: Terminal illness
bitesizedbeet's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Abandonment, Mental illness, and Stalking
omg_pear's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What a ride! Loved every page
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Murder
zenzi2read's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Vomit and Excrement
neens_m's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Stalking
Moderate: Suicide
minimicropup's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Surreal. Secretive. Contradicting.
🇺🇸 Set in a small city near Chicago, Illinois, USA.
POV: We are immersed in the world of a 20-something college dropout working a temp office job.
Narrative: Told in a first-person narrative, it feels like the main character is having a direct conversation with the reader, blending reality with a dreamlike soliloquy.
Mood Reading Match Up:
-Blend of speculative fiction and bizarro elements
-A deep character study wrapped in everyday mundanity
-An amateur sleuth mystery with fairy-tale undertones
-Exploring themes of secret worlds and the eternal battle of good vs. evil amidst a backdrop of loneliness and connection
—
🐺 Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags 🐕
✏️ Writing: The writing style has an ethereal, dreamlike quality. It often veers into philosophical musings, interspersed with fairy tale excerpts and geometric descriptions, adding to the book's surreal feel.
🫥 Characters: Our main character is an intriguing study in contradictions: cringe-worthy yet endearing, with a lack of self-awareness that leads to many second-hand embarrassments. She's a complex mix of observant and delusional, introspective yet lost in a fairy-tale world of her own making. This makes for a compelling, if not always likable, character who you can't help but follow through her sometimes disastrous, sometimes poignant journey.
🗺️ Worldbuilding: The setting mirrors the characters in its development. It's less about tangible details and more about the vibes and energies of different places, leaving plenty of room for the reader's imagination.
🔥 Fuel: Suspense in the novel is driven by the uncertainty of what's real and what's imagined. The stakes feel high as the protagonist navigates her delusions and the real-world consequences of her actions.
🗺️ Worldbuilding: The setting mirrors the characters in its development. It's less about tangible details and more about the vibes and energies of different places, leaving plenty of room for the reader's imagination.
🔥 Fuel: Suspense in the novel is driven by the uncertainty of what's real and what's imagined. The stakes feel high as the protagonist navigates her delusions and the real-world consequences of her actions.
🐢🐇 Pacing: The pacing of the book is erratic, with a heartwarming, albeit slightly cheesy, ending. The final chapters are beautifully metaphorical, fitting with the character's development.
🎬 Scenes: The novel’s scenes oscillate between bizarre and relatable, creating a sympathetic yet strange narrative. The amateur sleuthing feels realistic, complete with lost evidence and misguided decisions, adding a layer of authenticity to the mystery.
💭 Random Thoughts: The story can feel random at times, with some events seemingly unrelated to the main plot.
🎧 Audio: The audiobook version might not be for everyone, as it has a slightly mumbly quality, but it does fit the character's persona.
—
Content Heads-Up: Mental illness (delusions, intrusive thoughts, rituals, compulsions, insomnia, depression, hoarding, auditory and visual hallucinations). Stalking, obsession. Suicide, suicidal considerations/thoughts. Alcohol (self medicating). Family estrangement. White collar crime. Loss of financial security. Sexual assault/harassment (off page; reported). Threats (gun). Confinement.
Rep includes: Korean and lesbian characters
Format: Kindle and Library Audio via Libby
Reviews are my musings 💖 powered by puppy snuggles 🐶 refined by my AI Bestie ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide and Stalking
anarmandameg's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Suicide, Gaslighting, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Misogyny, Stalking, and Mental illness
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Emotional abuse, and Murder
zedohee's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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
takes forever to get going (NEVER have i wanted a book to get to the point more in my life) and then once it does, shies away from the deranged intensity it teases—i was so curious and for that? deeply unserious—to give way to a convoluted, overstuffed, and unnecessarily dense read. why was i able to skip multiple chapters only to have the katrina in the exact same predicament all those pages forward. why was everyone but katrina either ornamental or an obnoxious parody. so many twists for twists sake when the narrative was already unspooling. there are a few moments where i could tell there was a carefully constructed story underneath the rambling but that version never quite materialized and definitely didn’t stick. a major let down that didn’t even have the nerve to be gay about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault and Toxic relationship
heydri's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, Stalking, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Car accident