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londeen's review
challenging
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Abortion
Moderate: Grief, Sexism, and Racism
mattyvreads's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
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
5.0
Celeste Ng is the queen of domestic drama. Period.
I loved this book so much. The writing is superb, and it moved me as much as “Everything I Never Told You” (one of my favorite books that I read last year.) There were plot points that had my jaw dropped.
I can’t wait to read this again.
I loved this book so much. The writing is superb, and it moved me as much as “Everything I Never Told You” (one of my favorite books that I read last year.) There were plot points that had my jaw dropped.
I can’t wait to read this again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Racism
Moderate: Abortion and Cultural appropriation
aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Kidnapping
Minor: Racism
clarelou612's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and the general plot, but the structure and pacing of this book didn’t work for me. It was hard to tell what the central plot/conflict was supposed to be and the first half was quite slow while the second half was super fast.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Xenophobia, Death, and Racism
schlady's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
A well written and thought provoking story that explores topics of privilege, race, family, and motherhood. The setting was strikingly accurate even in its littlest details, myself having grown up around the same real places in the Cleveland area. The various characters and their stories are interesting & compelling while still easy to keep track of, written in a seemingly effortless way while taking a few unexpected turns. The ending wrapped up a tad too quickly for me, but overall another great book by Ng that I just couldn't put down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Abortion, Grief, Xenophobia, Infertility, Racism, Sexual content, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Miscarriage
heim_weh's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
4.5
My god. I am in awe of this tour de force of a piece of masterful writing. The way Ng so deftly manoeuvred the plot, weaving a web of complex characters. The way she fleshed each and every person out, and somehow make them all loveable and despicable at the same time. Despicable is a strong word, I admit, but it is how I view many of them. They are all flawed, but they are all human. How is it possible that I can understand and love and hate each and everyone of them simultaneously?
I still don’t like Izzy even by the end of the book. It’s not to say her motives are impossible to understand. But she gets on my nerves even more than Mrs McCullough, whose flaws can be summarised in that one almost snarky sentence at the very end of the novel: that she already loves the new baby she’s yet to have with all her heart like she did Mirabelle, the new baby’s birth parents wouldn’t put up a fight, that the new baby wouldn’t have known another mother.
The themes explored in this book are so obviously written by a person of colour and a mother that I kept cringing and laughing with delight. Ed Lim’s ‘lamentations’ (for a lack of better words) really struck a chord with me: is this the world my children are going to live in? Early, yes, but a concern to consider nevertheless. It’s true that the world has improved, and I am fortunate to live in a society/community where I still have my culture around. But - how would the children react, being forced and torn between two often conflicting worlds? And the fact that I can totally relate to both mothers - well, the trio if the meddling (oops) Mrs Richardson is to be counted - shows how much Ng has really considered this morally grey story. I understand that the message is a mother deserves to be with her child, but somehow I feel that in the elaborate and intimate arguments in favour of the McCalloughs, there is a part of Ng questioning the final decision. Obviously at the end, May Ling’s reunion with Bebe shows that Ng is on Bebe’s side. But why not make the other side more hateful, if there is not some sympathy for them after all?
The story is not THAT original, but that’s not a flaw of it. In fact, it’s what makes this compelling story even better. It had me literally on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t stop reading or thinking about it. It made me uncomfortable because I see myself in them - these beautiful and ugly people. I doubt I’ll read it again because the way it made my toes curl with unease was almost too much to bear. But I can’t wait to read another book by Celeste Ng. Perfect score for a perfect book.
(I can’t resist so here goes: someone tell TJR this is how you write from the POV of a POC - not lecturing, especially about something you wouldn’t have experienced at such a level. I had to say it.)
(And THIS is how you build characters and write a coming of age story.)
I still don’t like Izzy even by the end of the book. It’s not to say her motives are impossible to understand. But she gets on my nerves even more than Mrs McCullough, whose flaws can be summarised in that one almost snarky sentence at the very end of the novel: that she already loves the new baby she’s yet to have with all her heart like she did Mirabelle, the new baby’s birth parents wouldn’t put up a fight, that the new baby wouldn’t have known another mother.
The themes explored in this book are so obviously written by a person of colour and a mother that I kept cringing and laughing with delight. Ed Lim’s ‘lamentations’ (for a lack of better words) really struck a chord with me: is this the world my children are going to live in? Early, yes, but a concern to consider nevertheless. It’s true that the world has improved, and I am fortunate to live in a society/community where I still have my culture around. But - how would the children react, being forced and torn between two often conflicting worlds? And the fact that I can totally relate to both mothers - well, the trio if the meddling (oops) Mrs Richardson is to be counted - shows how much Ng has really considered this morally grey story. I understand that the message is a mother deserves to be with her child, but somehow I feel that in the elaborate and intimate arguments in favour of the McCalloughs, there is a part of Ng questioning the final decision. Obviously at the end, May Ling’s reunion with Bebe shows that Ng is on Bebe’s side. But why not make the other side more hateful, if there is not some sympathy for them after all?
The story is not THAT original, but that’s not a flaw of it. In fact, it’s what makes this compelling story even better. It had me literally on the edge of my seat, and I couldn’t stop reading or thinking about it. It made me uncomfortable because I see myself in them - these beautiful and ugly people. I doubt I’ll read it again because the way it made my toes curl with unease was almost too much to bear. But I can’t wait to read another book by Celeste Ng. Perfect score for a perfect book.
(I can’t resist so here goes: someone tell TJR this is how you write from the POV of a POC - not lecturing, especially about something you wouldn’t have experienced at such a level. I had to say it.)
(And THIS is how you build characters and write a coming of age story.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion and Abandonment
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Violence
natfoster's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Kidnapping and Abortion
Minor: Sexual content
unusuallyy's review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
very well written with an amazing flow between different events. explores regular issues teenagers face, issues adults face (especially women), and provides all sides of multiple stories.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Infertility, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Child abuse, Gaslighting, and Sexual content
arson (and not in a silly goofy way)samanthaleereads's review
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Classism, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Kidnapping, Racism, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content
rafacolog's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Abortion