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snazzy10101's review
4.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Grief, Chronic illness, Blood, Gaslighting, Terminal illness, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Slavery, Child abuse, Death of parent, Death, Misogyny, Gun violence, Hate crime, Confinement, Gore, Rape, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Racism
haileyhardcover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Gaslighting, Medical trauma, Confinement, Physical abuse, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Mental illness, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Stalking, Death of parent, Death, Dementia, Gore, Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcohol and Trafficking
brotestantethic's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
What fell just short for me was the main character Lena’s personality and stakes. She has high stakes for sure, but they are not built in a convincing way before plummeting into the horrors. Lena’s personality blossoms in the second act, consisting of letters written to her best friend Tanya; here, we get a hazy first person account of her journey. This section is full of personality, with words and grammar slipping into a diabolical haze of sickness and poor memory. This bit was, I will say, extremely hard to follow. But the heart is there, and the
Graphic: Gore, Chronic illness, Racism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Gun violence
sarahdenn27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
mommaalia's review
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Torture, and Gore
elskabee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I won't say the vibes were strong with this one contrary to many reviews I've read. Rather it feels like reading a really dry daily journal of someone listing all the things they do each day. There are moments of stronger tension as the character questions why they're participating in the Lakewood program, but they are just moments.
Still, I think it's an interesting and valuable book, hence why I gave it 4 stars. It's hard to categorise because it's firmly set in reality (aside from a few tests that are probably not) so to call it dystopian is to call our current reality dystopian. Maybe that's the point, idk.
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, and Chronic illness
killmoore_'s review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
There were a few moments that could have been pure horror, but Lena's need to be detached and emotionally void dampened the effect, which was disappointing.
I'd recommend as a conversation starter for a book club, or someone looking for a truly interesting concept written as a "stuff happens" sandwich. It begins, stuff happens, then it ends.
Minor: Body horror, Racism, Cancer, Cultural appropriation, Death of parent, Confinement, Blood, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Terminal illness
spineofthesaurus's review
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Dysphoria, Medical content, Medical trauma, Misogyny, Violence, Dementia, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Racism, Self harm, Physical abuse, Torture, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Ableism, Blood, Body horror, Gaslighting, Stalking, Abandonment, Murder, Classism, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Cancer, Drug abuse, Grief, Terminal illness, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual harassment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Slavery, Vomit, Addiction, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, and Trafficking
Minor: Car accident, Police brutality, and Pregnancy
danielles_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A body is like outer space: The more you actively think about it, the smaller you feel, the more detached you feel from the business of living.
Lena’s grandma used to say the difference between us and them is they try as hard as possible to never think about us, and we have to think about them all the time.
I love this book, way more than I expected to. It packs such a punch in its commentary on racism, sexism, poverty, lack of healthcare access, capitalism, the corruption of the United States government and its history of unethical human experimentation, the dehumanization of marginalized peoples, etc… Seriously, this book has so many layers but if never felt overwhelming or forced since it just came naturally with the story Giddings was telling.
I really love Lena. She truly felt like a real person. Her love for her mother and how it was affected by her mother’s chronic illness was really powerful. I also liked seeing how her mother and grandmother compared in their views of the world and how they raised Lena. I especially liked Lena’s reflections on trying to come across as cute and kind and harmless as possible, both because of her experience as a Black woman, but also because of a lifetime spent caring for her ill mom. I was also glad to see the various relationships Lena had both before and after Lakewood, and it was great to see such a close female friendship with her and Tanya, and how their dynamic was affected by their different economic classes as well as the situation Lena was in. I also loved her sense of humor, and Giddings had the perfect timing of jokes vs tense situations vs deep reflections on society.
The atmosphere was SO GOOD. It was tense and eerie and it felt like just waiting for the pin to drop.
And wow, the ENDING! Some might consider this a spoiler, but others like to be warned: the ending is vague and doesn’t really explain anything. But honestly, I think it’s perfect. It also made the eerie atmosphere even more so, because we never know
Do you think people really believe another person’s pain exists?
And the last line was stunning:
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Blood, Body horror, Gore, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Racism
mlovesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Death of parent, Body horror, Gore, Racism, and Blood