Scan barcode
sweetmusic22's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Racism, and Car accident
jrow's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Miscarriage, Racism, Grief, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Car accident
miller8d's review
- 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
Graphic: Child death, Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Vomit and Toxic friendship
Minor: Rape, Self harm, and Violence
_fallinglight_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Graphic: Infertility, Medical content, Abortion, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Classism
sunflower7skull's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Medical content, Grief, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Racism, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
heim_weh's review against another edition
- 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
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.)
Graphic: Abortion and Abandonment
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Violence
cigarete_smoke's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Miscarriage, Kidnapping, Car accident, Abortion, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Terminal illness, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, and Abandonment
Minor: Racism, Rape, and Classism
madelinequinnee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I think this book did a really good job of reflecting how a lot of people in this day and age think. There are a lot of Mrs Richardsons in this world, women who think they’re very open minded and ‘woke’ for lack of better word, but deep down have the same prejudices as openly racist or classist people. We hear how she supposedly believed everyone was equal, yet she had many opinions on Bebe and her situation that could be seen as microaggressions. She also white knighted herself when it first came to Pearl and Mia, how she thought renting the house out to ‘lesser fortunate’ people was her doing a big good deed for the world, and then basically forcing Mia to take the housekeeper job since she couldn’t see how working at the restaurant on minimum wage could be fulfilling to anyone.
I personally found Lexie becoming one of my favourite characters by the end of the book. To begin with, she seemed like your typical shallow, rich teen girl who only cared about superficial things, but as we got to know her, we saw how smart and emotionally intelligent she was. Her abortion story was heartbreaking but one that mirrors a lot of young girls from her background own’s. We got to see her grow and become more understanding to other people’s situations after going through her own troubles, and I think that was really interesting.
I think Moody is a good example of the ‘sensitive, art type’ who is really just an incel behind that act. The way he reacted when he thought Pearl was the one who had an abortion really showed his true colours.
Overall i think this was a wonderful book!
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Mental illness, Racism, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Abortion, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Classism
kdailyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Grief, Abortion, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Kidnapping, and Car accident
Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, Rape, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, and Toxic friendship
maggiejean's review
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Abortion, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury