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mergwenthur's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Xenophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
emilinchen's review
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Violence, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Bullying, Physical abuse, Self harm, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Cancer
jlily_'s review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Violence, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Toxic friendship
yannea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is a story that deserves 5 stars but it took me three months to actually finish the book. It's a heavy and painful read but it shouldn't come as a surprise when the cover has words like "devastating" and "haunting" written on it.
There were three things that pulled the rating down for me. First of all, I couldn't understand why the main character had to a writer. It depicted a very naive American dream because a 22-years-old immediately getting a book deal that pays all of his bills sounds too far-fetched. Maybe I missed something but I just couldn't see how it played any part in the plot.
Secondly, the "face" of the evil was a blonde, blue-eyed sociopath who worshipped Hitler and wore dark round sunglasses like John Lennon. His description made him a cliché cardboard character. Him being born a sociopath felt such a simple explanation of why someone would support Taliban. It's like someone told you to draw a human shaped monster and this is what you draw. It would be much harder to explain why normal common people do evil things. And normal common people have done a great deal of horrible things.
Lastly, it's written in first person with main character that is not very likeable so sitting so many hours with his regret and insecurity is very difficult. It's a spiral - you think something is bad and then takes place something that is worse. And then it keeps getting worse.
Also if you are triggered by child abuse and explicit violence, then stay away from this book.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
beancastro's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Moderate: Death, Genocide, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder
maja56's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt
saniseee's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment, and War
amabel_xo's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Violence and Xenophobia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Classism
aliyah0's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Rape, Violence, and War
Moderate: Infertility, Self harm, Sexual assault, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Suicide
slayalicious's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Incest, Infertility, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail