Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

13 reviews

blackveilbeccy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

2.75

This was attempting to be really clever in using and subverting tropes, but it fell flat for me. This whole book felt disjointed due to the rapid tone and style changes. There were also so many characters and subplots that it felt chaotic. I found the FMC horrendously self-pitying and I know it’s silly, but I struggled with the author’s choice of first name for her. Almost none of the characters were likeable as they all came away looking self-absorbed. There were times I felt like DNF but the premise was interesting enough that I pushed through. The texting and epistolary elements were the most enjoyable and felt the most real. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Cursing, Terminal illness, Body horror, Death, Dementia, Eating disorder, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, Sexual harassment, Vomit, Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Medical content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Self harm, Sexism, Stalking, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Blood, Addiction, and Death of parent

l1brarygirl's review

emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Cute & funny romance written by one of my favorite audiobook narrators (and also narrated by her, duh). Made me laugh out loud at parts but it also had some serious parts. Also loved the author's note at the end. I couldn't put it down! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Ableism, Grief, Cursing, Body shaming, and Dementia

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Racism, Vomit, Dysphoria, Alcohol, Blood, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders

Minor: Addiction

hdunscombe's review

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Dementia and Death

Minor: Terminal illness, Sexism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny

rai_ishardtoplease's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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? Yes

3.5

“Somehow, far beyond her ability to comprehend exactly how, something seemingly so much less became so much more.”
- This book, in a nutshell.

As a romantically cynical woman with very visible scarring, estranged parents, and a complicated relationship with her emotionally unavailable father… this felt like a personal attack.

For most people, though, I’d say that TYFL has the same energy as the cosmic love child of a poet’s overwritten diary and a self-deprecating inside joke.

So, like, Emily Henry meets V.E. Schwab. Or maybe Nicholas Sparks meets Taylor Jenkins Reid. Hell, throw them all into a blender and call it a literary smoothie.

And I’ll be damned if this doesn’t get optioned and become a box office hit. This is precisely the kind of story that Hollywood goes feral over. The Romcom Movie Renaissance would finally hit its stride.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Dementia

Moderate: Death and Chronic illness

Minor: Racism, Cancer, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

ksuazo94's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Death, and Toxic relationship

cady_sass's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad 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? Yes

4.0

I am *very* picky about audiobooks, to the point that I know it’s unfair and illogical and so I tend to not listen to them at all, but I like Julia Whalen. A lot. I find her very talented and enjoyable to listen to. Now, bring me a book of written by an audiobook narrator ABOUT audiobook narrators and it seems only fair (and totally obvious) that it need to be consumed via audio. Right? So, of course, I did. Now please refer back to my comment about being unfairly judgmental and illogically picky about audiobooks and take my review with a grain of salt. I believe this book is good and if I had read it on page I would’ve loved it more, possibly. The characters are unique and flawed and diverse, the banter is funny and witty and cute. BUT…. But… you can tell an audiobook narrator wrote this. There are characters who exist solely for the purpose of the narrator [author] showing off her skills in accents. Which, for the record, is good (with the exception of the Bostonian ex boyfriend with the most horrendous Boston accent I’ve ever hear and take person offense to), but there’s no real reason for them. I also have mixed feelings about a white author writing about the plight of a black woman in Hollywood… but it does seem (to me, another white woman, to note) to be handled somewhat carefully. Just perhaps not her story to tell, again, as a white woman who was a former actress. I guess all this to say some of this felt inauthentic but it’s hard to parse that from what I HEARD and wish I would’ve just read the book 🤷🏻‍♀️ don’t come for me. I still gave it 4 stars!! There’s quality story here and a lot of fun.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Addiction, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Dementia, Sexual content, Racism, Suicide, Abandonment, Eating disorder, Self harm, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Drug use, and Suicide attempt

igel_in_berlin's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

3.25

I guess it was ok. A couple of days later and I already don't really remember what's was going on.

I think the main problem was that I missed the romance development.

Characters had one great night + a lot of friendly bunter and this is enough for him to follow her to the other continent?! Also, check your privilege - I am soo annoyed by characters just hopping on trans Atlantic planes - that's not smth many people can afford in a wim

And this book looks trying to write deeper and better written romcom than the usual, and I ended up feeling like eating healthy salad instead of a portion of fires - probably healthier but lucking smth crucial.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness, Dementia, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

dianaschmidty's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing sad tense 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Death, Emotional abuse, Vomit, and Blood

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, and Drug abuse

nebraskanwriter's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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

2.0

I had only heard great things about this book by THE amazing Julia Whelan so once I finished the book, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. 

I LOVED the banter/dialogue between Nick and Swan, the tension and their feelings for each other really leapt off the page, even from their first interaction. However, I feel like the story was really weighed down by all the other side plots. Swan’s grandma, Swan’s best friend, her mom, there were so many things and life events that kept happening to keep Swan and Nick apart it started feeling comical. Also the book felt incredibly long for a romance, there just seemed to be conflict after conflict happening. 

Also, and I know Swan had to work through a lot of internalized things that she felt about herself because of the accident, but I felt like she was always picking fights with Nick. Not believing him, questioning his intentions at every turn and always arguing with him and projecting onto him. That part of the book just felt very unhealthy/gross to me. They would have this big blowup fight, right after he ran to her aid after

her grandma tried to commit suicide FYI

and Swan starts yelling at him. It just didn’t make any sense to me. She was always way too hard on him and he was nothing but nice and caring to her the entire book. Just my two cents but he would literally be so nice to her and then she would suddenly turn on him and start projecting/yelling at him. Not romantic. 

Side note: also I know that people have nicknames/pet names for their grandparents like Mimi, Memaw, Papa. But Blah Blah??? Every time her name was mentioned, it took me out of the story. Could never take it seriously and that stinks because what is going on with her is super serious but her name felt comical, like a joke I missed out on all while she’s battling Alzheimer’s . It just didn’t make sense. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Abandonment, Dementia, Cursing, Death, Grief, Addiction, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

itsme_lori's review against another edition

funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Terminal illness