Reviews tagging 'Eating disorder'

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

99 reviews

pam_'s review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Three undergraduate friends get together in 1990s Cambridge, Massachusetts to build a video game. Ultimately, their game, Ichigo, will change the rest of their lives. Essentially, this is A Little Life: Video Games Edition. While the synopsis may seem light hearted, almost every trigger warning imaginable applies to this book.

I LOVED the main characters in this novel. The pages turned themselves. I absolutely could not put this book down. I loved following Sadie, Sam & Marx’s game building adventures. I also enjoyed the side plots (secret highways, Anna Lee). The changes in POV throughout the different chapters were fascinating. I especially loved seeing the dynamic of the three main characters through the eyes of a nurse (p.119-120). The chapter from the point of view of a video game character was a delight as well.

My issues with this novel came after the 248 page mark. The story seemed to divert from its original intention (focusing on friendship & video game building). The “Mariages” addition to Mapletown really felt like a plot line that was just shoehorned into this novel so that the author could justify killing off one of her characters. It did not feel believable.

I was also disappointed in Sadie & Marx’s relationship. As much as it had been teased throughout the story, when they finally got together, I felt underwhelmed. Their relationship didn’t feel overly romantic? Or sexual even? The most interesting thing they did together as a couple was buy a house…

It was also jarring to see Dov get a redemption arc towards the end of this novel?!? Especially considering the abuse he put the female main character through, without ever meaningfully apologizing for his actions or becoming a better person.

Overall, I adored this book and the richly drawn characters that Zevin created (except Dov). However, the last 150 pages did negatively impact my enjoyment of this novel. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Car accident

Moderate: Death, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Sexism, Medical content, and Sexual violence

Minor: Eating disorder

franzi_'s review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Gun violence, Eating disorder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Blood, Toxic relationship, Mass/school shootings, and Adult/minor relationship

Moderate: Misogyny, Death, Sexism, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Grief, Cancer, Abortion, Terminal illness, and Drug use

roget's review against another edition

hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Drug use, Racial slurs, Hate crime, Gun violence, Homophobia, Car accident, Cancer, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Suicide, Misogyny, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Antisemitism, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Sexism, Sexual assault, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Eating disorder, Racism, Blood, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Vomit, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Terminal illness

sylvestra's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Misogyny, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Car accident, Pregnancy, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Gun violence, Hate crime, Chronic illness, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia

Minor: Cancer, Classism, Eating disorder, Cultural appropriation, Adult/minor relationship, and Antisemitism

katydied's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Drug use, Ableism, Car accident, Death of parent, Death, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, and Misogyny

issyd23's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective relaxing tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Great writing, super nerdy 3 👾 TLDR woman does all the work and gets 0 credit… typical 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Abandonment, Ableism, Abortion, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Bullying, Cancer, Car accident, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Police brutality, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Religious bigotry, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence

thatenbyisisreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

4.5

This emotional masterpiece sends every reader into the world of video game development with sprinkles of love, friendships, and embracing of failure

The relationship between Sadie and Sam made me yearn for more, but I couldn't be more understanding of their ending. Originally, I was so against Marx and Sadie's relationship, but over time they really started to grow on me, despite my feelings for her and Sam. Honestly, this was the perfect time to implement a polyam relationship. Then, that's when everything came crashing down on me when Marx had passed on. That passage about the strawberry field brought me to tears, it was so beautiful, yet so tragic to lose such a profound, genuine person who didn't deserve that fate. 

Currently, I'm dealing with a break up with someone who I love so much and hold to such a high regard. I was so grateful to have read this quote during this trying time. "'Marx, you had better be alright. I absolutely can't bear the thought of a world without you.' She squeezes your hand and kisses your cheek. 'No, I won't bear it. I refuse to bear it. Love you madly, my sweet friend.'
Love you madly.
The way to turn an ex lover into a friend is to never stop loving them, to know that when one phase of a relationship ends it can transform into something else. It is to acknowledge that love is both a constant and a variable at the same time." As devastating as this phase of my life may be, this quote is a reminder that when things don't go as we had hoped, we can still expect that love to manifest into something beautiful. 

As a fellow artist, it is quite easy to fall into that disappoint that comes with failure and not wanting to try again. This following quote helped further expand my way of thinking on the topic of failure. "This was William Morris's garden. These were his strawberries. These were birds he knew. No designer has ever used red or yellow in an indigo discharge dyeing technique before. He must have had to start over many times to get the colors right. This fabric is not just a fabric. It's the story of failure and of perseverance, of the discipline of a craftsman, of the life of an artist." Thanks to Marx's mother, I wish to let failure take me on it's journey towards success.

However, I do wish that they held more of a discussion on why it was highly inappropriate for Sadie's professor to have had taken advantage of her at 19 years old while he was in his 30's.

Overall, yet again, I couldn't have picked a more appropriate time to read a book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who's an artist afraid of failure, but everyone else should read nonetheless!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Cancer, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Racial slurs, and Sexism

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Sexual harassment, and Fatphobia

Minor: Abortion and Eating disorder

alexareads27's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional 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

3.75

I really wanted to love this book but I don’t think it was meant for me.  Parts of it were reminiscent of Sally Rooney so if you like her style of writing this may be for you.  Miscommunication between the two main characters is a large part of the story and it’s my least favourite trope. Personally I  think 50-100 pages out of the middle could have been taken out. Both main characters frustrated me at different times but I appreciated how the dual POV allowed you to understand the inner motivations of the characters. I think the bookwas mis-marketed as a book about friendship

when in reality the two main character aren’t on speaking terms for 85% of the book and actually only make 1 full game together

The twist at the end saved the story for me without it I think this would have been a solid 3/5. Absolutely loved the tamer of horses bit

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, and Sexism

Moderate: Car accident

Minor: Eating disorder and Abortion

arguhlincozzi's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Violence, Gun violence, Antisemitism, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Blood, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Ableism, Car accident, Drug use, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Dysphoria, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Abandonment, Medical content, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Sexism

it's just so good.

msbarnesela's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

4.75

This book felt like if the book A Little Life had a baby with the tv show Mythic Quest.

It’s the tragic and complicated friendship arc without all the trauma and abuse, paired with the plot of Mythic Quest but more sad. Also, Marx was my favorite character, so I am pissed off that he dies so early…sure, it’s the middle of the book, but any time was too soon. He was the most likable character, and I get why his death was necessary to the plot and character development, but I hated it. Also, I really would have liked a content warning about a workplace shooting…was not prepared for that, and as a teacher, it hits too close to reality these days.

I am not at all a gamer, but this book almost makes me wish I was. I think I would love to play Ichigo. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gun violence, Death, and Mass/school shootings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Chronic illness, and Sexual violence

Minor: Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Car accident, Ableism, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Abortion