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jerbarger'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
4.75
Graphic: Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, Mental illness, Grief, Car accident, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
Moderate: Classism, Blood, and Ableism
Minor: Toxic friendship and Vomit
ismildlypoetic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Longtime nerdfighter here! This is technically a reread, I read it in three days the day I got my preorder in the mail, so fast that by the time I closed the cover I forgot what happened😂
This book is a wonderful representation of OCD (i assume, as someone who doesn’t have it.) It’s also just a wonderful representation of anxiety, and relates to a lot of mental health disorders. Because of that, I found it pretty hard to read at times, and was hurt by my relation to Aza more than it held me. However, I loved the Pickett mystery, and wish it took up more of the book.
Would recommend to anyone trying to understand their loved-ones OCD or anxiety better!
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Gore, Medical content, and Self harm
Moderate: Car accident, Abandonment, and Death of parent
Minor: Classism
Aza’s main compulsion manifests inlawbooks600'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
3.0
Score: Six out of ten.
Turtles All the Way Down. What a unique title. Unfortunately, this one didn't meet my expectations, and it wasn't as good as John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. I wanted to read this one for a while after enjoying the other one, but I put it off for a few months before I saw it and picked it up. When I closed the final page, I thought it was okay.
It starts with Aza Holmes trying to find where Russell Picket, a billionaire, is with her friend Daisy in the opening pages. That isn't the central storyline, though, the central storyline is where Aza starts a relationship with Russell's son, Davis. There isn't a lot of plot beside that, and there are some filler pages which could've been removed for a tighter reading experience. Turtles All the Way Down is less than 300 pages but it feels longer than that, more like 400, because the pacing is tedious to read. I get that Green tried to execute a slow burn, but it only works with well-written characters, and, unfortunately, it didn't work here. The dialogue is contrived as people speak like philosophers and not people. I thought we were over this. Apparently not.
The characters are likable but I found it hard to connect or relate with them, and Green briefly touches upon the subject of loss when Aza talks about her father, who is now deceased, but he doesn't deeply explore it. That seems like a missed opportunity there to add another subplot. The narrative sends two messages as I read through it, the first is you can't always get what you want when Aza tries but does not succeed in finding the billionaire. The climax is bittersweet as the relationship builds toward the concluding pages but the payoff isn't there as Aza and Davis aren't together in the end, leading to the second message, life goes on. Wait. I saw that in other books I've read from other authors, so it's not that original. Also, where are the support systems? Aza does self-harm but gets away with it, and no one supported her, even with her OCD.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Death, and Blood
Full trigger warnings: Death of a father in the past, car crash, physical injury, self-harm, chronic illness, blood depictionserenityxnicole'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
4.0
Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, Bullying, Vomit, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Abandonment, Blood, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
singerscientist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Car accident, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Self harm
mckiheather's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Minor: Medical content, Car accident, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
rachelann88's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Self harm
Moderate: Death of parent and Abandonment
Minor: Chronic illness, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, Classism, and Vomit
lavendervinegar'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
Cried a small.
Green has a supernatural (or maybe natural) to make the most beautiful, life-exploring stories out of tragedy.
Top 10 mental illness narratives (I haven't read thr Bell Jar yet)
Might be my favorite fiction from him, but Alaska is really close.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Abandonment, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death, Cursing, Grief, and Self harm
Moderate: Classism
maryfranvs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood and Self harm
Minor: Vomit
writewithapendragon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Cursing, Alcohol, Medical trauma, and Medical content
I probably missed a few I read this strictly during nighttime baby feeds.