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thisistrashpsyd's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
lillieapplepie's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I don't think the author intended to make the story too twisty / hard to figure out. I pretty much anticipated all the plot twists before they happened, which almost never happens to me! I didn't mind that the story was predictable, because the focus was on the complex, love-hate relationship between the two sisters. One of the sisters was so loveable (you'll have to read the book to figure out which one!) and I thoroughly enjoyed reading her journey.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
jennawhite0813's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Wow, this was a good book! It was like watching a Lifetime Channel drama/thriller movie. Intriguing from beginning to end!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Gaslighting
Minor: Pedophilia, Death, and Sexual assault
sare1125's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
stephanieluxton's review against another edition
dark
funny
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
I loved this book. This book is like Love on the Spectrum meets a psychological thriller.
The synopsis of this book doesn't feel totally accurate to me as this book is much more complex than you'd think. Fern and Rose are twins. Rose is neurotypical and Fern is autistic. Rose wants a baby but is struggling with fertility. Fern decides on her own that it'd be a lovely gift for her to have a baby to give Rose since they're twins. Fern wants to find a nice smart man to father the baby. She meets a guys at the library in which she works at and this event triggers a series of happenings that change her life forever and make her question everything she knows about herself and her life.
The author absolutely nailed writing the novel from the autistic perspective of Fern. It's hilarious and endearing. The book also contains excerpts from Roses diary which add context to her relationship with Fern and things that happened in their childhoods. Things start off pretty light then get a bit more tense in the second half. This story ended up being so much more than I expected. I thought it was brilliant.
The audiobook is really well narrated too!
The synopsis of this book doesn't feel totally accurate to me as this book is much more complex than you'd think. Fern and Rose are twins. Rose is neurotypical and Fern is autistic. Rose wants a baby but is struggling with fertility. Fern decides on her own that it'd be a lovely gift for her to have a baby to give Rose since they're twins. Fern wants to find a nice smart man to father the baby. She meets a guys at the library in which she works at and this event triggers a series of happenings that change her life forever and make her question everything she knows about herself and her life.
The author absolutely nailed writing the novel from the autistic perspective of Fern. It's hilarious and endearing. The book also contains excerpts from Roses diary which add context to her relationship with Fern and things that happened in their childhoods. Things start off pretty light then get a bit more tense in the second half. This story ended up being so much more than I expected. I thought it was brilliant.
The audiobook is really well narrated too!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Murder, Infertility, Pedophilia, and Grief
gretchface85's review against another edition
challenging
dark
I borrowed this on audio through Libby after starting and quitting 4 other books in a row. I was pretty sure Sally Hepworth would be a good solution since I realized I just wanted something compelling to listen to while getting stuff done around the house.
I aaaaalmost DNF’d this one based on some of the content and not being sure where it was headed, but I stuck with it and am glad I did!
This book touches on some pretty rough stuff but there was only one scene I skipped ahead and I was happy with the ending. I guessed some of it ahead of time, but it didn’t ruin anything for me. If you’re a sensitive reader or I. A sensitive season, I recommend checking the content warnings (story graph is great for that!) before diving in.
I aaaaalmost DNF’d this one based on some of the content and not being sure where it was headed, but I stuck with it and am glad I did!
This book touches on some pretty rough stuff but there was only one scene I skipped ahead and I was happy with the ending. I guessed some of it ahead of time, but it didn’t ruin anything for me. If you’re a sensitive reader or I. A sensitive season, I recommend checking the content warnings (story graph is great for that!) before diving in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Infertility
literarystrawberry's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.75
This was a real page-turner, and I was completely engrossed until I finished it. I only have a few minor quibbles with the ending. I agree with Lee ( https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/510bb86c-6444-40a8-bf3c-afd270c85406 ) that the character in the last chapter would probably not be that self-aware; to me it just felt like the author's way of tying up loose ends by spelling things out for the reader instead of trusting that we could figure out the implications ourselves. I think the book would have been stronger without that epilogue.
Another small thing that bothered me a little: I wish that a character hadn't thrown in at the end that the antagonist probably had narcissistic or borderline personality disorder. I'm no expert on either, but it's my understanding that people who are diagnosed with those disorders are already frequently villainized, and I guess I'm just sensitive to the twist being "They're scary because they're mentally ill!" I do understand that mental illness can influence some people to do awful things, and it does seem clear that there's /something/ wrong with the antagonist, but I just don't feel like it was necessary to throw in a specific label so casually. I especially think this since I don't believe the word "autism" was used once in Fern's case (though it was pretty clear that's how she was coded), so it could have been interesting to leave both open to interpretation on the reader's part and let there be some ambiguity and speculation about why the antagonist did what they did.
So yeah, I feel that the ending could have been stronger, but I was definitely invested, and overall I did enjoy it.
Another small thing that bothered me a little: I wish that a character hadn't thrown in at the end that the antagonist probably had narcissistic or borderline personality disorder. I'm no expert on either, but it's my understanding that people who are diagnosed with those disorders are already frequently villainized, and I guess I'm just sensitive to the twist being "They're scary because they're mentally ill!" I do understand that mental illness can influence some people to do awful things, and it does seem clear that there's /something/ wrong with the antagonist, but I just don't feel like it was necessary to throw in a specific label so casually. I especially think this since I don't believe the word "autism" was used once in Fern's case (though it was pretty clear that's how she was coded), so it could have been interesting to leave both open to interpretation on the reader's part and let there be some ambiguity and speculation about why the antagonist did what they did.
So yeah, I feel that the ending could have been stronger, but I was definitely invested, and overall I did enjoy it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Moderate: Death of parent and Child death
bookworm_43's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Mental illness, and Pedophilia
blondieabrams's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Death of parent, Infertility, Body shaming, and Rape
llamallama527's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
4.75
I kind of loved this book. The mystery/thriller aspect didn't kick in right away, but I loved the characters so much that I wanted to keep listening so I could find out what the mystery was. It was slightly predictable, but not enough to bother me. And the author did a pretty incredible job of capturing autism in two different adults and how they might mask or employ adjustments or research to cope in the world built for neurotypicals, so that was pretty awesome!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Pregnancy and Child abuse