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gasperyjacques's review against another edition
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It was starting to feel like the theme of the year was violence.
Thank you NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton Audio for access to a review copy of this audiobook.
Iβll preface my thoughts on this with the fact I found the prologue, where the narrator is assaulted by a stranger at a party and the immediate aftermath where she's self conscious of bruises she canβt explain, sickeningly relatable.
After being sexually assaulted the narrator is traumatised in a way she repeatedly compares to being poisoned, and she struggles to relate to other people.
Her friends and her colleagues can't understand her - except for the ex-girlfriend of her attacker, who she forms an intense and concerning bond with.
Alongside this catastrophe relationship there is a focus on how dehumanising, exhausting, and deeply boring service work can be - which was unexpected, but I thought it was depicted refreshingly well.
The narrator's self blame when she starts noticing signs of an inexplicable post-traumatic haunting was slightly predictable, but still genuinely unsettling and the descriptions of her eerie bedsit reminiscent of Alison Rumfitt's brilliant Tell Me I'm Worthless.
Some of the narrator's nightmares were both disturbing and impressive, truly rivalling anything I've read in a Stephen King novel.
I do have extremely mixed feelings on the epilogue and that's why I'm not rating this above 4 stars, but I found nearly everything prior to that riveting and terrifying. This was a strange, sickening, surprisingly insightful novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault
abception's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Vomit
Minor: Abandonment, Fatphobia, Alcohol, Animal death, and Body shaming
frozenheartv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
3.75 stars
ππππ
ππππ
Thanks NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton Audio publisher, and the authors for a great advance copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!
π§ My thoughts
The book was concise, interesting, and pretty straightforward to listen to. I like the fact that the protagonist was nameless which could mean that both she and the world see herself as insignificant or she is a character that could represent any girl (or people identified as female) out there who is in the same situation. I also liked the vagueness of reality and not-reality. We could never be sure what was real and what wasnβt or what was in her head and what really happened. The ridiculous patriarchal world was depicted very nicely as well. I also liked that the author tried to deliver the message that domestic abuse can happen in any kind of relationship.
π What I like
- Interesting and concise story
- Contemporary view on popular topics
π What I don't like
- Some parts felt forceful
- Some parts can be delved deeper but left shallow
- Iβm not sure if all of the horror parts are necessary
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Vomit
theaceofpages's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Our unnamed narrator wakes up covered in bruises after a party. She doesn't remember much, but she remembers a man. She soon meets Helene, another woman he hurt who wants to get vengeance for them both.
I'm not quite sure how to feel about this one. On one hand I loved the exploration of abuse and the struggles that young people face. I enjoyed the blurring between what is real and what isn't (sometimes it wasn't clear which side of the line things fell) and the exploration of the complexity of relationshi0ps and pain and struggles. But at the same time I was hoping for something a little more. Sometimes I wished the author delved into certain scenes or events a little more. While they do all contribute to who our narrator is and why she is how she is, I think some interactions had less of an impact on the story than others and could have had more done with them. I especially wished for more when it came to the ending, which was rushed and a little vague.I'm not sure how intentional it was, but something felt off about Helene from the start. I could never really get into their relationship - something just felt wrong and I found myself disliking her more and more as the book went on. Maybe that had some kind of effect on how I perceived things? I did, however, feel bad for our narrator who seems to be surrounded by terrible people and doesn't really seem to have much good going on.
If you enjoy audiobooks I would definitely recommend reading this book in audiobook form. The first person perspective really lends itself to that (although the start is in second person. I'm glad it changed - I think I would struggle to read a whole book in that point of view). The narrator also did a phenomenal job. The somewhat deadpan (but not emotionless) tone enhances the experience - it is definitely a common way in which people talk about their trauma.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
I'm not quite sure how to feel about this one. On one hand I loved the exploration of abuse and the struggles that young people face. I enjoyed the blurring between what is real and what isn't (sometimes it wasn't clear which side of the line things fell) and the exploration of the complexity of relationshi0ps and pain and struggles. But at the same time I was hoping for something a little more. Sometimes I wished the author delved into certain scenes or events a little more. While they do all contribute to who our narrator is and why she is how she is, I think some interactions had less of an impact on the story than others and could have had more done with them. I especially wished for more when it came to the ending, which was rushed and a little vague.
If you enjoy audiobooks I would definitely recommend reading this book in audiobook form. The first person perspective really lends itself to that (although the start is in second person. I'm glad it changed - I think I would struggle to read a whole book in that point of view). The narrator also did a phenomenal job. The somewhat deadpan (but not emotionless) tone enhances the experience - it is definitely a common way in which people talk about their trauma.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Physical abuse
Minor: Infidelity, Animal death, Sexual content, and Murder
rose_wldng's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
A perfect haunted chaotic bisexual weird girl novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse
courtenaywrites's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Stuckes' premise, on the surface, is structurally sound. The cover adds to the intrigue presented by the description. We follow an unreliable narrator through her unusual life. At times, we aren't sure if we are being told everything.
However, the story as a whole fell flat for me. The characters were so two-dimensional that I found it difficult to care about them. Stuckes' writing reads as more Young Adult than the Adult book advertised. Additionally, there were far too many comma splices, making the book feel slightly amateurish. Many of the sentences could have been rewritten to become beautifully striking.
When the character was expressing her thoughts, they would often be in italics, but Stuckes has chosen to include "I thought to myself," making the sentence thoroughly redundant. This book needs to be gone over with an editor to shape up the technical aspects. Furthermore, we begin the book in second person, which comes across as a mistake for we then end up in first-person perspective for the rest of the novel.
On the other hand, there were some rare gems in sentences such as, "Customers are a screaming hydra of need." Though this isn't enough to save the book for me, and that is why I have rated it as low as I have. I understand what the author was trying to achieve, but it did not land. If this book had been a short story, it could have been spectacular.
However, the story as a whole fell flat for me. The characters were so two-dimensional that I found it difficult to care about them. Stuckes' writing reads as more Young Adult than the Adult book advertised. Additionally, there were far too many comma splices, making the book feel slightly amateurish. Many of the sentences could have been rewritten to become beautifully striking.
When the character was expressing her thoughts, they would often be in italics, but Stuckes has chosen to include "I thought to myself," making the sentence thoroughly redundant. This book needs to be gone over with an editor to shape up the technical aspects. Furthermore, we begin the book in second person, which comes across as a mistake for we then end up in first-person perspective for the rest of the novel.
On the other hand, there were some rare gems in sentences such as, "Customers are a screaming hydra of need." Though this isn't enough to save the book for me, and that is why I have rated it as low as I have. I understand what the author was trying to achieve, but it did not land. If this book had been a short story, it could have been spectacular.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Domestic abuse, Death, Sexual assault, Medical content, Emotional abuse, and Blood
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