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deebot'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: Addiction, Bullying, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Self harm, Alcohol, and Body shaming
Moderate: Mental illness and Child death
samwardhaugh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I think the author did a great job of portraying how crushing loneliness can be, and how small moments of connection and kindness can colour your whole life.
In places I felt as though Eleanor's dialogue switched jarringly from overly formal to quite natural sounding, but I think this might have been a deliberate artistic choice to create familiarity or add distance based on the scene, and it didn't overall take me out of the book. Enough details were dropped about the end mystery that you could piece it together, but rather than being frustrating that Eleanor wasn't catching up, you felt bad that she wasn't letting herself draw those conclusions.
Overall, well written, entertaining, full of longing.
Graphic: Alcohol, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Body shaming, Stalking, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Vomit
Minor: Death of parent
miekookeim's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Mental illness, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Bullying, and Stalking
kathshiroma's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Grief
Minor: Murder, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Child death, Rape, and Toxic relationship
ell24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Murder, Physical abuse, Self harm, Addiction, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
zombiezami's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Addiction, Death, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Grief, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Vomit
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Cancer, Child death, Fatphobia, Medical content, Self harm, Murder, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape, Animal cruelty, Adult/minor relationship, and Sexual content
marigold82's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Ableism, and Child death
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Murder, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Rape, Addiction, and Emotional abuse
cassie7e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book made me feel a lot of things, which is the marker of a good story!! Docked half a star just because it was slow for me to get into at first bc Eleanor is so judgmental at the beginning. We learn more about where these thought patterns come from and see her desire for connection and kind heart underneath. So some warm fuzzy feelings come from seeing her grow in that aspect. This book is also about the incredible importance of small interactions in daily life. Consistent tiny positive relationships with people we see regularly but don't know well lift the spirits so much, as many of us learned when covid cut all of those off.
Hearing about the tragic backstory is of course sad. But what struck me more from an autism* lens was the disconnect between what she thinks is acceptable social practice and what everyone else does. I can see how her judgments and blunt speech come off as rude to others, and also can see how others make little effort to tolerate her difference. She is judged in the way so many autistic people are judged - for not understanding social rules well and coming off as "rude" or weird even when she means well, for adhering too strictly to what are ostensibly social "rules" that everyone knows you're supposed to break; for adhering to rules she was taught as a child that aren't universal or are harmful; for being book smart but socially inept; for not having very good emotional intelligence (due to alexithymia that could have to do w autism AND trauma).... the way thoughts about her self worth and skills come directly from judgments others have thrown at her live on in her mind and make her question if she deserves to have relationships with people.
My heart broke at every interaction because people didn't understand her, because she was hard on herself, and because she comes from such lack that one person actually caring for her as a person means so much. Even as someone with so much richness in their life, her experiences struck a chord with struggles I've had and made me want to be a friend for her who stands up against any who would judge her as I and people like me have been judged and worse.
*While the book is clearly about trauma, no other neurodivergence is referenced. Whether or not she is meant to also be autistic, autistic readers may relate strongly to her.
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Grief
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Stalking
Minor: Rape, Animal cruelty, Fatphobia, Child death, Death of parent, Medical content, Sexual assault, and Body shaming
cait_coll's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Body shaming, Addiction, and Alcoholism
cecilialau_'s review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Body shaming, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, Grief, and Gaslighting