Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

The Free People's Village by Sim Kern

35 reviews

hmknerr's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Rape, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Addiction

rpompom's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.25

I was looking forward to this book and feel like it did inspire complex thought and good discussions with others. I have not seen many books with a narrator sitting with shame, guilt, desire to change and support liberation while wrestling with their privilege as explicitly. I did feel like the narrator felt a bit young (than their supposed age) and a bit flat in their exploration, sitting with so much white guilt. I did enjoy that this was not a utopian novel - it sat within an alternate timeline of dystopia and wrestled with things we are currently fighting as well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Addiction, Police brutality, Drug abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape

alienguy's review against another edition

challenging hopeful reflective tense fast-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Classism, Rape, and Addiction

Moderate: Sexual harassment, War, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Xenophobia

kchamp's review against another edition

• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book is so fucking depressing. It kind of almost redeems itself in the last 5-10 pages? But honestly this felt like a novel that did not need to be written. What is the intention of telling this made up story, with an “alternate future” that’s so obviously parallel to our own that it hardly counts as speculative? It feels lazy. What is the intended purpose of telling this story from Maddie’s perspective? Her character is so underdeveloped, flimsy, annoying, and hard to empathize with. She’s a hollow character with no defining personality trait other than “shame,” and even that feels under explored?

And oh god, don’t get me started on Red and the romantic subplot. Maddie just hops from toxic relationship to toxic relationship and it’s boring. And there was not a single moment of this book that convinced me that Red was “charming.”

I did not give a shit about Red or Maddie, and it infuriated me to have to trudge through their story for the scraps of what was actually compelling in this book. I want books about hope, not just in the last 5 pages. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Drug use, Sexual assault, Gun violence, and Police brutality

Moderate: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Death, Blood, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Addiction

isitnaptimezo's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

I loved this book. The alternative timeline made the plot feel different enough from reality while still being realistic. Being set in the city I grew up in, yet having extremely mixed feelings about, was somehow a healing balm to my heart. The characters were very relatable and I learned so much from each of them. The story is raw, heart wrenching, while also being immensely inspiring, especially as we head into what will undoubtedly be a tumultuous election year. Will the conditions be right for Free People Villages to sprout across the world in 2024 for a revolution? I hope so. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Addiction, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death, War, Transphobia, Violence, Racism, and Sexual content

mxfahrenheit's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Police brutality, Vomit, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Rape

Moderate: Classism, Violence, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Colonisation, and Deadnaming

Minor: Body shaming, Animal death, and Animal cruelty

emilyeslomski's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, War, Addiction, and Rape

theliblairian's review against another edition

adventurous challenging informative inspiring tense 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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, and Suicide

free_the_bookshelf's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring 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

 The Free People’s Village is set in an alternate timeline where Al Gore wins the 2000 presidential election, and the War on Terrorism is replaced with the War on Climate Change. Throughout this book, you follow a group of characters who are trying to same a party venue from being destroyed by the government building a new hyperway. It’s very Empire Records vibes.
This book was so good, for what it tries to do. If you are curious about how this timeline would relate to reality, this is a fun illustration of that. It’s interesting to see how things aren’t so different, since a lot of society’s problems are systemic.
I really enjoyed the parallels that Sim pulls between their timeline and reality. You would think that with a War on Climate Change, the US would be a utopia, but of course, capitalism exists, so we can’t have nice things. And the ending, perfect for each character. If you are looking to read about a revolution, this right here should be your jam.
The only reason I couldn’t give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, is the narrator, Maddie Ryan, so really annoying. She’s meant to be a way to view and learn about all the intricacies of social justice, but it comes off like she’s never left her house in her life. Maddie’s naivety makes the book come off a kind of preachy. The story arc does make sense for her character, but if this book was told from a 3rd person perspective, I wouldn’t have missed her at all.
 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Alcohol, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Alcoholism

adrienneh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense 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

I really appreciated the theme of finding hope even in the face of ongoing struggle and I could see a lot of myself and loved ones in these characters. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Addiction, Drug abuse, Rape, Grief, Police brutality, War, Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt