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asurasantosha's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Outside of the redeeming bits of Part 2, I did not enjoy this book. The first part doesn't in any way feel like a novel to me. It's almost a long series of thought vomit. It was so hard to follow any plot, events, storylines. I am in fact still not convinced any of this book is a novel. It might be prose poetry. There are some beautiful, lyrical, or thought-provoking quotes in this book. There are a great many of them in fact. Some of the individual lines are genius and really make you think. I just wasn't a fan of the experiemental-ness of the format. I don't like when the word "novel" is on the cover, and there is a summary on the back about the "story", except there is no story and you don't feel like you're reading a novel at all for the first 60% of the book.
The fact that part one and part two felt so completely different from one another was another lost point from me. I think I get what she was going for, but part one was just so long and so nearly unbearable. I considered dnf-ing this book multiple times.
So if you really like lyricism in books, don't care about plot or characters. Like literature that's quite philosophical, don't mind taking a long while to get somewhere in a book, you will probably like this one.
If you are impatient for things to happen, like getting attached to or invested in characters, love a good storyline, and care more about pacing than descriptions, maybe skip this one.
Graphic: Child death and Sexual content
traa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Medical content, and Child death
Moderate: Drug use, Sexism, Classism, Racism, Alcohol, Pregnancy, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Mass/school shootings, Deportation, Ableism, and Cultural appropriation
rory_john14'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? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Death, Addiction, Sexism, Sexual content, Cursing, Child death, Misogyny, Grief, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abortion, Alcohol, Ableism, Child abuse, and Medical trauma
Minor: Rape, Drug use, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Classism, and Infidelity
flatreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content and Child death
aliyachaudhry's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Pregnancy, Abortion, Cursing, Child death, Chronic illness, Grief, Sexual content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Racism, Mass/school shootings, and Ableism
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
1.0
Graphic: Ableism, Grief, Medical content, Sexual content, Child death, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Drug use, Racism, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, Confinement, Incest, War, Abortion, Addiction, Mass/school shootings, Cultural appropriation, and Vomit
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Grief, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Abortion
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Alcohol
bluejayreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity and Ableism
andrea_mtz27's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book definitely isn't for everyone. I can see how someone who doesn't have a similar relationship with internet culture could find the frequent references grating or nonsensical. However, I found the way that Lockwood wrote about "the portal" weaving itself into everyday life relatable and realistic. The first half was fun, but it was the second half that made this book deeply special. The way the main character's relationship with the portal changed over the course of a major life event felt so real,
I don't have the exact words for why this book made such an impression on me, but I do I highly recommend it to anyone who has spent too many hours scrolling through twitter, reddit, or tiktok.
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, and Grief
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Sexual content
kjulie's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child death
Minor: Sexual content