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rachaelwho's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Gosh. Parts of this were so, so good. And parts of it were a huge mess-- over-explained, on-the-nose in a way that didn't seem arch or intentional, overwrought. You could see the wires in a bad way, especially with the unrealistic oversharing body/toilet stuff that she clearly REALLY wanted to work in, but I was kinda ready to forgive that bc the overall story was fun and clever. But then the last three or so chapters were a real disappointment. I think this book was maybe doing too much and it got away from her. I hope her next one is tighter, she can write and is really creative! I wanted to like the whole book as much as I liked most of the beginning, even the first 2/3 maybe, and it bummed me out to cool on it in the end.
Also, for all its handholding, I'm not sure the book managed to say "patriarchy" a single time, which beggars belief-- both bc Robin would absoLUTELY say it and bc it's clearly on the author's mind and she is so very not above beating a dead horse.
Also, for all its handholding, I'm not sure the book managed to say "patriarchy" a single time, which beggars belief-- both bc Robin would absoLUTELY say it and bc it's clearly on the author's mind and she is so very not above beating a dead horse.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gaslighting, Abortion, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Kidnapping, Death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Mass/school shootings, Racism, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Blood
Minor: Vomit and Abandonment
pinesandpages's review
2.5
Well. This is a book that exists.
Let me start by saying when I first read the description, I immediately sent this to my best friend who loves to critique weddings/the wedding industrial complex/social pressures to get married/etc. She also loves thrillers. I thought “what could be better for her?”
And the answer is I will be texting her after I write this to say not to read it. My book club chose this as our April pick or else I would’ve DNFed it.
I didn’t hate this, and I did read it quickly because my whole experience was one large “huh.” Not enough to make me put it down, but I did mostly continue reading so I could roast it to my friends later. I don’t even want to get into all the reasons I disliked it but the main things are:
• a sledgehammer to the face would be more subtle than this book. The morals and theme were quite plainly and unequivocally stated even though it felt like it was written to be a “wink wink nudge nudge” situation. To be clear, I am quite liberal so I am onboard with the content, it was the delivery that completely lacked finesse that bothered me.
• very weird to be set in an alternate universe where everything is the exact same except there’s a more intense, government-supported focus on marriage and weddings. I’d forget this was not a standard contemporary world and then someone would say “she was approaching the “rotten” age where after that no man would marry her” and also “yeah we slaughter a bunny before the wedding to chase away marriage ruining spirits”
• I dislike the narrative style when the narrator is…reflecting back on something that has happened as if they are addressing the reader. Eg “Years later I would remember this moment and ask myself if…” and also “looking back, it sounds ridiculous but it honestly didn’t occur to me that it could be her.” These are both direct quotes. It’s a sudden shift in the writing style (bc most of it isn’t like that) and a blunt way to make the reader take note of the suspicious happenings just described, in case we didn’t pick up on it ourselves.
• Why did the two (platonic) best friends shower together so frequently? Can’t believe that was mentioned so casually and never addressed afterwards, but in middle school/high school they started taking showers together (naked, in one of their homes) and kept doing it through after graduating COLLEGE. This was described a few times, and this is literally a sentence in the book: “We would take showers together, at first wearing bathing suits, then eventually discarding them. We compared nipple hair, butthole hair, labia length and color, the amount of discharge left on our underwear at the end of the day, the blood clots clinging to the side of our tampons like red slugs.” And the rationale is bc they wanted to be as close to each other as possible and also otherwise they ran out of hot water. What?????
• truly cannot believe the epilogue, the two of them each only scratched the surface of their issues/beliefs/judgements despite the book’s premise making it seem like they’d be doing a deep dive and resolve everything.
I know I said I wouldn’t get into all the things I disliked and then wrote a lot of detail about several aspects, but once I started I couldn’t stop. And those were just the first things that come to mind, I’m sure I’ll think of other things later.
Let me start by saying when I first read the description, I immediately sent this to my best friend who loves to critique weddings/the wedding industrial complex/social pressures to get married/etc. She also loves thrillers. I thought “what could be better for her?”
And the answer is I will be texting her after I write this to say not to read it. My book club chose this as our April pick or else I would’ve DNFed it.
I didn’t hate this, and I did read it quickly because my whole experience was one large “huh.” Not enough to make me put it down, but I did mostly continue reading so I could roast it to my friends later. I don’t even want to get into all the reasons I disliked it but the main things are:
• a sledgehammer to the face would be more subtle than this book. The morals and theme were quite plainly and unequivocally stated even though it felt like it was written to be a “wink wink nudge nudge” situation. To be clear, I am quite liberal so I am onboard with the content, it was the delivery that completely lacked finesse that bothered me.
• very weird to be set in an alternate universe where everything is the exact same except there’s a more intense, government-supported focus on marriage and weddings. I’d forget this was not a standard contemporary world and then someone would say “she was approaching the “rotten” age where after that no man would marry her” and also “yeah we slaughter a bunny before the wedding to chase away marriage ruining spirits”
• I dislike the narrative style when the narrator is…reflecting back on something that has happened as if they are addressing the reader. Eg “Years later I would remember this moment and ask myself if…” and also “looking back, it sounds ridiculous but it honestly didn’t occur to me that it could be her.” These are both direct quotes. It’s a sudden shift in the writing style (bc most of it isn’t like that) and a blunt way to make the reader take note of the suspicious happenings just described, in case we didn’t pick up on it ourselves.
• Why did the two (platonic) best friends shower together so frequently? Can’t believe that was mentioned so casually and never addressed afterwards, but in middle school/high school they started taking showers together (naked, in one of their homes) and kept doing it through after graduating COLLEGE. This was described a few times, and this is literally a sentence in the book: “We would take showers together, at first wearing bathing suits, then eventually discarding them. We compared nipple hair, butthole hair, labia length and color, the amount of discharge left on our underwear at the end of the day, the blood clots clinging to the side of our tampons like red slugs.” And the rationale is bc they wanted to be as close to each other as possible and also otherwise they ran out of hot water. What?????
• truly cannot believe the epilogue, the two of them each only scratched the surface of their issues/beliefs/judgements despite the book’s premise making it seem like they’d be doing a deep dive and resolve everything.
I know I said I wouldn’t get into all the things I disliked and then wrote a lot of detail about several aspects, but once I started I couldn’t stop. And those were just the first things that come to mind, I’m sure I’ll think of other things later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Minor: Abandonment
caseythereader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Abortion, Cursing, Death of parent, Violence, Vomit, Abandonment, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Excrement, Alcohol, Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Murder, and Blood
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