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gabydoesgrowth's review against another edition
This was a dumpster fire from the moment I started. The beautiful cover is what drew me in and that was not enough to keep me going.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, and Pedophilia
mondovertigo's review
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug abuse, Racism, Eating disorder, Rape, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Pedophilia
liblibby's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I don't honestly know how I feel about this book. From Part 1 and the cover design (I'm reading the American Version), I sort of thought I was in for a completely different book than this turned out to be.
In the end, it's the memories of a woman's... unexamined life? Which feels very real and true but also sad and disappointing at the same time. Though, it's true, sometimes people don't get everything wrapped up into a neat little bow by the end. That's okay.
In the end, it's the memories of a woman's... unexamined life? Which feels very real and true but also sad and disappointing at the same time. Though, it's true, sometimes people don't get everything wrapped up into a neat little bow by the end. That's okay.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual harassment
sj_54's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
The format made this easy to read, the content made it difficult.
For anyone who keeps an eye on young girls to make sure they get home safe, anyone feeling the weight of making sure others don't go through what you went through, anyone who keeps keys between their fingers... You'll find many moments of this story dangerously relatable.
Format: The chapters are relatively short and each break down a moment in Nina's life - chronologically from 14 years old to about mid-30's - which made the book easy to pick up for quick bursts of reading. But it also made the story feel disjointed - at the start of many chapters the reader is left piecing together what happened in the interim.
Content: I struggle with the label 'coming-of-age' - it felt like Nina never changed, never aged. Stagnation makes sense as a device for the story, but it felt flat after reading the synopsis. The first chapters also feel written by an adult, they didn't come across to me as a teenager's point-of-view at all, so she didn't appear to have aged later on.
The most interesting part of this book is definitely the variety of relationships through Nina's life - friendship, family, and romantic ups and downs. Though not always easy or safe relationships, definitely very real.
A note to those readers that enjoy more action, plot, or page-turners: there is little urgency in this book, the ending has no catharsis but it didn't really matter because the book hadn't been building to any. Which is not a bad thing but is worth knowing before picking it up (personally I enjoy an ambiguous ending!).
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to the eBook ARC.
For anyone who keeps an eye on young girls to make sure they get home safe, anyone feeling the weight of making sure others don't go through what you went through, anyone who keeps keys between their fingers... You'll find many moments of this story dangerously relatable.
Format: The chapters are relatively short and each break down a moment in Nina's life - chronologically from 14 years old to about mid-30's - which made the book easy to pick up for quick bursts of reading. But it also made the story feel disjointed - at the start of many chapters the reader is left piecing together what happened in the interim.
Content: I struggle with the label 'coming-of-age' - it felt like Nina never changed, never aged. Stagnation makes sense as a device for the story, but it felt flat after reading the synopsis. The first chapters also feel written by an adult, they didn't come across to me as a teenager's point-of-view at all, so she didn't appear to have aged later on.
The most interesting part of this book is definitely the variety of relationships through Nina's life - friendship, family, and romantic ups and downs. Though not always easy or safe relationships, definitely very real.
A note to those readers that enjoy more action, plot, or page-turners: there is little urgency in this book, the ending has no catharsis but it didn't really matter because the book hadn't been building to any. Which is not a bad thing but is worth knowing before picking it up (personally I enjoy an ambiguous ending!).
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for access to the eBook ARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual harassment, Stalking, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Eating disorder and Fatphobia
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