Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

185 reviews

lauramcc7's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, and Homophobia

sarbearah's review against another edition

Honestly, I hated this book. It was super depressing, with no content warnings, and it felt like the book thought it was more profound than it really was. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Infidelity

lschuchman's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Self harm, Death of parent, and Death

Minor: Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Car accident, and Self harm

shieldbearer's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

The more i think absout it, the more I dislike this book. It's literally just "It's A Wonderful Life" but with all the nuance and anti-capitalism stripped away. 

This book is obstensibly about finding a purpose and seeing the good things in life, but it's literally just "oh you see none of the bad things that happened were actually YOUR FAULT and you are unfair to blame yourself for them" I would have been fine if this was the result of one or two of the anecdotes but this was the message of LITERALLY ALL of them. There's no nuance here and our main character barely has a personality. 

 The writer of this book has clearly actually experienced depression, which makes this worse and proves that Own Voices isn't inherently superior. (I'm depressed too so don't come at me, I know what I'm talking about.) This writer has also definitely never experienced any actual money problems- the protagonist's vague thought at the end of the book, after being so desperately broke that they couldn't afford an uber, was "oh, I'll find some money somewhere tomorrow and buy that nice old man flowers." This line alone would have prompted a one star review. JUST FIND SOME MONEY??? JUST FIND SOME MONEY????? 

Also yes turning your cat outdoors DOES actually make you a bad cat owner. hate this book, the more you think about it the more it falls apart. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Death of parent, Classism, Car accident, Dementia, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Animal death, and Panic attacks/disorders

monstrouscosmos's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Characters: 10/10
Relationships: 9.5/10
Atmosphere/Setting: 10/10
Writing Style: 10/10
Plot/Intrigue: 10/10
Internal Logic: 10/10
Entertainment: 10/10
Overall: 69.5/70, 5*

this has been one of my favourite books since I first listened to it in 2021. I've since re-listened to it about 1x/year on average, and I anticipate that's a tradition I'll keep going. an absolutely heart wrenching read, and every time I return to it I feel like I get a better understanding of both the setting and the ways it pushes against the world. the characters are all believable, and the motivations never feel contrived or forced by the plot. especially when secondary characters are met in much different circumstances there's a heart to them that still feels relevant. a very consistent through-line, if that makes sense? it's by no means a "light" read, but it's a weight worth bearing. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Grief, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Stalking, Addiction, and Infidelity

celestialg's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

5.0

Listen - this book cured my depression. 
Okay so that’s a joke, but honestly, anyone who has dealt with depression, suicidal ideation, or even just complete failure and despair will resonate with this story. Despite the topic, the book made me feel quite hopeful and grateful for my life. I see it as a novel length thought experiment about the “what if’s” in our lives we may ruminate on. 
Ultimately I don’t often dole out 5 star reviews. Only the books that change my life get those. Please read this book, if you’re in a place to do so. Anyone and everyone could benefit from its themes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicide

Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Self harm, Medical content, Animal death, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Body shaming, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Cancer, and Alcoholism

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Medical content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Vomit

CW for self injury and self harm, as well as suicidal thoughts and ideation. These topics are central to the story, not a passing plot point, so those sensitive to these topics should use their discretion.

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

This is a really interesting concept, and I think it does a good job being honest that life is hard, and no matter what choices you make, it will be hard in different ways. But you have to choose where to find your joy (and also get the mental health help that you need!). I liked this book for an easy read because it was a tad formulaic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Animal death, Death, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Alcohol, Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, and Terminal illness

Minor: Abandonment and Medical content

nindie's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-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

5.0

I wanted to read this book since the concept had intrigued me, and I've always been curious about having to experience different lives depending on the choices you make throughout your life; this book did not disappoint me in any way!

What I Liked About The Book

The first positive I can think of is how relatable the main character is in terms of her thoughts, feelings and humour towards certain things. At times I found the book funny because of certain things she would say, and at times I would notice that her thoughts were similar to mine (the random ones). The side characters throughout the book also had their unique characteristics and personalities, which made it even more realistic and made me feel closer to the storyline and characters. Yet again, I want to point out how the concept is so interesting, and I constantly think about my life if I made a different choice from what I initially chose. Also, the writing style I enjoyed a lot! Finally, I love how it ended.

I like that it ended with Nora continuing her original life and learning from this whole experience. She was beginning to improve her life by fixing her relationship with her brother, being more appreciative about everything and realising that life is worth living, that life doesn't have to be perfect to be the life you want to live.

What I Didn't Like About The Book

From the top of my head, I can't think of anything. This book was too good!

In Conclusion

I loved this book, and in future, I will re-read it!!! I would recommend to many users to read it but be mindful of the trigger warnings before reading if you are sensitive to any of them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Death

Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, Animal death, Death of parent, and Cursing

Minor: Vomit, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug use, Sexual content, and Infidelity

aly97's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Animal death, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Suicide and Suicide attempt

Minor: Infidelity, Cancer, and Alcoholism

ancequay's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The beginning of this book is pretty bleak, and I probably would have abandoned it if I hadn't been on a plane with limited options on my kindle. I did find some of her lives anxiety-producing, but on the whole it was a hopeful, interesting book and would make for a great bookclub discussion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Suicide attempt

Minor: Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Self harm, Cancer, Drug use, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, and Mental illness