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clarita's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Body shaming
imstephtacular's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
2.75
I have complicated feelings about this one. I am a huge fan of King usually, but this one really left me conflicted.
What I liked: fast pace, cinematic writing, loveable characters (to an extent)
What I didn't: tons of fatphobia (I almost put it down immediately), savior complex plot
I liked that this was quick and an interesting concept, but the themes did not sit well with me.
What I liked: fast pace, cinematic writing, loveable characters (to an extent)
What I didn't: tons of fatphobia (I almost put it down immediately), savior complex plot
I liked that this was quick and an interesting concept, but the themes did not sit well with me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Medical content, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Death
ibeforem's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-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
4.0
This novella is more unsettling than it is scary, but I think it's a solid showing from King.
Scott Carey is losing weight at a rapid rate. Problem is, he doesn't look any different. His clothes fit the same, and even when he fills his pockets with quarters, the number on the scale gets steadily smaller. More curious than afraid, he circles the date on his calendar where he expects to hit zero and tries to go on with his life.
One thing he'd like to fix is his relationship with his neighbors, a married lesbian couple who regularly let their dog poop on his lawn. One of them is friendly, but the other would rather not give him the time of day and is certainly not open to his overtures of friendship. They've moved to small town Maine from the city in order to open a restaurant, but things aren't going as they hoped. Small town Maine is still not the most friendly place for outsiders (and I say this as someone who grew up in small town Maine).
This was a quick and entertaining read, despite the big whiff of "straight white man savior". I thought the ending was beautiful, visual, and touching.
Scott Carey is losing weight at a rapid rate. Problem is, he doesn't look any different. His clothes fit the same, and even when he fills his pockets with quarters, the number on the scale gets steadily smaller. More curious than afraid, he circles the date on his calendar where he expects to hit zero and tries to go on with his life.
One thing he'd like to fix is his relationship with his neighbors, a married lesbian couple who regularly let their dog poop on his lawn. One of them is friendly, but the other would rather not give him the time of day and is certainly not open to his overtures of friendship. They've moved to small town Maine from the city in order to open a restaurant, but things aren't going as they hoped. Small town Maine is still not the most friendly place for outsiders (and I say this as someone who grew up in small town Maine).
This was a quick and entertaining read, despite the big whiff of "straight white man savior". I thought the ending was beautiful, visual, and touching.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
brokenspines_'s review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
eviecook0708's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I'll start by saying that I enjoyed this book. It was a super fast read and definitely worth the time I spent on it. I like King's style and thought the premise was very inventive and unique. I do have some mixed thoughts, though.
One thing I really liked was the way the story viewed death and portrayed death positivity and preparedness. The story has an emotionally satisfying ending in that respect, and I think that's especially nice considering there wasn't much time to build up a significant connection to the characters.
However, as a queer woman, I found the way that the homophobia in the story was dealt with a little off-putting. This might just be my reading, but it felt sort of like a self-congratulatory straight savior thing where the straight man notices homophobia in his town for the first time, decides he doesn't like it, and pretty much completely fixes the issue for the lesbians in the story through one confrontation and a good deed, and that's basically all it took, one guy being like "huh that kinda sucks :/". I think I understand what King was going for, but it comes off a little odd to someone who has experienced homophobia firsthand and has spent so much time trying to find ways to fight against it.
Overall, I think it's an interesting story with a good premise. I would say go for it, especially since it's so short. I enjoyed the time I spent on it regardless of the issues I had with the handling of the homophobia.
One thing I really liked was the way the story viewed death and portrayed death positivity and preparedness. The story has an emotionally satisfying ending in that respect, and I think that's especially nice considering there wasn't much time to build up a significant connection to the characters.
However, as a queer woman, I found the way that the homophobia in the story was dealt with a little off-putting. This might just be my reading, but it felt sort of like a self-congratulatory straight savior thing where the straight man notices homophobia in his town for the first time, decides he doesn't like it, and pretty much completely fixes the issue for the lesbians in the story through one confrontation and a good deed, and that's basically all it took, one guy being like "huh that kinda sucks :/". I think I understand what King was going for, but it comes off a little odd to someone who has experienced homophobia firsthand and has spent so much time trying to find ways to fight against it.
Overall, I think it's an interesting story with a good premise. I would say go for it, especially since it's so short. I enjoyed the time I spent on it regardless of the issues I had with the handling of the homophobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Terminal illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, and Fatphobia
beliboville's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
kristenm's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Terminal illness
readandfindout's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Trigger warnings: Fatphobic language, homophobia
Overall rating: 3 stars
Style/writing: 2.5 stars
Themes: 3.5 stars
Characters: 3 stars
Plot: 2 stars
Overall rating: 3 stars
Style/writing: 2.5 stars
Themes: 3.5 stars
Characters: 3 stars
Plot: 2 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Terminal illness
Minor: Fatphobia
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