Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

For Whom The Belle Tolls by Jaysea Lynn

169 reviews

teaand_tomes's review against another edition

3.0

medium-paced

---

Thank you Jaysea Lynn, Saga Press Books #SagaSaysCrew, and Simon Maverick for the free gifts! 

This book had a killer premise (pun fully intended): a snarky, terminally ill woman dies, ends up in a weirdly whimsical Afterlife, and finds herself managing chaos at the gates of Hell like it’s a customer service desk. Honestly? That concept hooked me instantly. 

There’s a lot to enjoy here: Lily is a likable, layered character, and her arc from grief to agency is one of the strongest parts of the book. Her dynamic with Bel, the demon general with the voice of sin, is slow-burn and sweet, with an emotional intimacy that builds gradually. Their chemistry is quiet but real. 

However, the execution was a little uneven for me. The tone fluctuates between deeply emotional introspection (Lily’s cancer diagnosis and death are treated with sensitivity) and quirky dark comedy (think “The Good Place” meets Supernatural), but it doesn’t always find a consistent balance. Some emotional beats felt undercut by humor, while others felt out of place given the story’s otherwise light-hearted rhythm. 

Additionally, the main conflict—the ominous threat to the Afterlife—was too vague and offscreen to generate real tension. We’re told a lot about this danger, but we don’t feel it unfold in real-time. When the characters refer to it later as if we’ve been through a war, it doesn’t quite land, since we were never actually in the trenches with them. 

Despite that, the narration was a highlight. Elena Wolfe captures Lily’s compassion and resilience beautifully, while Sean Masters’s deep, smooth tone was spot-on for Bel. They brought warmth and personality to the characters in a way the text alone didn’t always deliver. 

This was a creative and thoughtful debut with standout narration and heart. The plot pacing and tonal swings didn’t fully work for me, but fans of cozy underworld vibes, grumpy/sunshine dynamics, and character-driven romantasy may still find plenty to love.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content

Moderate: Violence, War

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Gore, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Classism

mamabagel92's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny reflective sad 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Terminal illness

jordyyy101's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

---

This is a 6⭐️ read!!!! Wow, what an emotional journey this book takes us on. I cried, I laughed and I cried some more. Every character was loveable and raw, but our MC’s were truly special.

We explore grief and how that can look different for many people, how we cope with grief and learn to acknowledge it and heal from it. 

The struggle with identity and religion is also a main factor, highlighting that faith can be warped at times and that having a sense of self is always important. 

This a beautiful commentary on the afterlife and that even if our physical bodies can no longer continue to fight, our souls and spirits continue to grow and exist in another realm. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Grief, War

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death

Minor: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault

campybells's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

---

Very much a long, meandering cozy romantasy with blips of tension. I loved the unique look at the afterlife and how thoughtful the world building was, the sarcasm was delightful, and I genuinely loved each of the characters. Looking forward to more. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry

maartje_reads13's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring relaxing 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

---

6 stars, I will recommend this to anyone with the capability to listen

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, War, Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry

Minor: Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt

Don't read this if you are religious and are not comfortable with another idea of the afterlife and/or criticism of Christianity and God. Most of the story takes place in Hell, which is different than we normally see it.

blonde_b3ar's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, War

Moderate: Medical content, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Abandonment

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Medical trauma, Car accident, Pregnancy

imsoemily's review against another edition

4.0

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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: Complicated

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Abandonment

nisaak's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

---

I liked this book even though it's not my usual genre. I wanted a long book for a trip. The audiobook was 20 hours. 

I like the twist that Hell is full of nice demons.  I like all the ways that Lily was able to get revenge on random awful people who showed at her help desk. I like that Lily showed how Heaven isn't necessarily the best place to go to in the afterlife. I like the choices that Lily made throughout the story. I loved the Sharkie character

and that we get to see her grow up.

OMG the male narrator's voice was very sultry! I don't think this book needed to be as long as it was but if it hadn't been that long, there might not have been time for

all the sex scenes.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, War

angelican_reads's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

---

Omg this is the perfect mix of found family and complex family dynamics. The way it deals with religion and religious trauma is new and engaging. I laughed, cried, and reevaluated the way I viewed the world. It was a genuine joy to read and I found myself deeply connecting to the fmc. I will say if you are extremely religious this book is probably not for you. But if you have some unhealed wounds from the church this book will make you feel very seen!!!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Gore, Grief

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment

joules_why's review against another edition

4.5

emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death

Moderate: Emotional abuse, War

Minor: Child death