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icarusandthesun's review against another edition
4.25
so note that my rating conveys just that - how much i identified with the author - and not necessarily how good the book was from a literary or objective point of view.
for me, this was a very insightful read.
while i couldn't relate to every single thing the author struggles with (obviously), i did find quite a few of my own problems and struggles represented.
the therapist's answers and reflections weren't life-changing in and of themselves, but the combination between them and the author's ("the patient's") conclusions made for very thought-provoking chapters and situations.
inspiring if you dare to apply all of this to your life and actually try to 'self-help'.
i do need to mention though that some aspects of the book were a little repetitive, which makes sense, obviously, because one can only have so many struggles to mention and those don't go away once you check them off of your imaginery checklist, but just wanna mention it for the sake of your reading experience.
however, since the book is only around 200 pages long, i think you should be more than fine.
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism
nurlou's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Suicide, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
dlsmk's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
litematcha's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Homophobia
parasolcrafter's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
Minor: Homophobia
yaoipaddle's review against another edition
3.5
Better than I thought. I read it in about one day!
I really related to Se-hee at times and it is always nice to feel seen. What I really liked was this just bringing back memories of sessions with my own therapist.
I didn't like how the front had the mix of essays and transcripts but then it abruptly stopped and only had essays at the end. I wish it was more evenly spaced out. I am not sure if all the essays at the end were added in the translated version or later releases. I would like to know.
If you like memoirs and have been a 20-something year old woman with low self esteem you may like this. To be honest I find Se-hee including parts about herself that I didn't really like made the book feel more honest. Not like we have to fully like someone to like their book. Kinda the whole point and weird if you feel like you have to.
Graphic: Mental illness, Classism, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Sexism, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Eating disorder and Racism
smolgalaxybrain's review against another edition
2.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
salomecanread's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Medical content
Minor: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
rieviolet's review against another edition
3.5
The parts with the author's own reflections and commentary were by far my favourites. The final part of the book with its brief reflective vignettes really struck a chord with me.
To me, sadness is the path of least resistance, the most familiar and close-at-hand emotion I have. A habit that has encrusted itself into my everyday.
Things will get better with time. Or no, everything is dynamic, which means life will have jump-for-joy moments as well as bad ones, going back and forth like the tide.
Graphic: Fatphobia and Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Bullying, and Alcohol
Minor: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, and Racism
svblvna's review against another edition
2.0
all in all the author's actual reflections on her therapy sessions were interesting enough but the transcripts were way too long and i'm sorry but some of the therapist's suggestions were not it at all. once again, cultural differences and all that. tteokbokki remains an excellent reason to stay alive.
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse