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erinoconnor's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Cursing, Drug abuse, Violence, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Murder, Torture, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Sexism, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Death, Emotional abuse, Slavery, Body horror, Drug use, and Stalking
wannabe_lee'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: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Self harm, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Body horror, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Mental illness, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Death, and Drug use
Minor: Abandonment, Car accident, Alcohol, Addiction, Rape, and Alcoholism
applejuiceinabox'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
4.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Body horror, Blood, Death, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
loxeletters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It was quite depressing at times, which is why I couldn't rate this as "funny" even though the satirical aspects worked well. I guess that is the horror of this book for me - I wasn't very affected by the gore, I was never really scared, more just very depressed by the ongoing loneliness of our MC.
I can't say I could've guessed most of the major twists, which is a plus :)
Speaking of which, I agree that it's quite disorienting and difficult to figure out what is real and what isn't, but I think that's the point. I mean... They even discuss in the book how disorientation can be valuable for writing lol.
I did think the final scene was maybe a bit too clean-cut.
But this is somewhat nit-picky!
My second issue was the prose - overall it was good, but some phrasings were a bit repetitive for me. Maybe some adjectives could've been cut out as well. But that's just my personal taste, I think.
Overall, a very interesting book, which leaves you questioning what is real and what isn't, while providing some much-needed cultural criticism ā exactly my cup of tea!
Graphic: Animal death, Toxic friendship, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Classism, Gore, Murder, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Grief, Death of parent, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Sexual content and Car accident
stomachpains's review
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Kidnapping, Animal death, Confinement, Death, Mental illness, Body horror, Gore, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Classism, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
crimsontombs's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gore, Murder, Self harm, Bullying, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Murder, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Car accident
goldaerin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Misogyny, Classism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
alexiconic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
but that was also frustrating. we got so lost in samantha's mind (which is an impressive writing feat, so clearly masterfully done), that it was incredibly hard to find the "point" of the story. the book feels like it has so much to say, so much that it can say, and i wish for there to be a "point" to it all. for the book, or the author, to tell me how to read it, how to interpret it. but maybe the beauty is in how multi-interpretable it is, in the end, and maybe the fact that i feel this frustration only means the writing is that good, because this is a book that i keep coming back to and re-thinking about.
Graphic: Kidnapping, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Cursing, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Gore, Self harm, Blood, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Violence
hex_agon'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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Murder, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Gore, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Death of parent and Rape
kijatai'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
4.5
I really liked the narrator, Sophie Amoss. I felt like I was in the head of the main character when she was narrating and I could easily picture all the different characters by the voices she used. Her voice is also soothing.
As for the story itself, I loved it. What I actually enjoyed about it was the psychology of the main character and the depiction of creative block and the depression that can be linked to it. Iām an artist and I could relate to some things she said. How we can feel like an impostor sometimes and feel blocked or not good enough and then craving a connection to others to get out of our self-made isolation but also not wanting to.
I liked how all Samās emotions : fear, uncertainty, desiresā¦ were represented. Without spoiling anything, I interpreted the rituals depicted (please check content warnings) in the book more as a representation of creativity and desire. And I thought it was really interesting.
It has strong dark academia vibes. Which Iām a sucker for. I like also exploring the mentality and struggles behind cults and this book definitely and intimately explores that. It has mean girl vibes and it was nice to see how the author explores the meaning of sisterhood, girlhood, love and desires.
The relationship between Ava and Sam was what kept me hooked. I hoped for more to be honest but I wonāt spoil too much. I guess that their relationship isā¦ complex.
Iām definitely gonna get a physical copy, re-read it and annotate the hell out of it.
Graphic: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, Cursing, Animal cruelty, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Alcohol, Classism, Confinement, Death, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Bullying, and Death of parent
Minor: Sexual content