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jill_b's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.25
Moderate: Abandonment, Mental illness, Rape, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual assault
thestorydoer's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Narratively, this book is fantastic. Each plot point flows from one beat to the next with a steady pace throughout the novel which is an impressive feat. Each character with an ebb and flow of introduction is introduced at the exact right time. It has excellent climactic reveals and the dialogue is good.
The character of Oliphant herself is utterly fantastic. An interesting character whose real world often intersects with her trauma in fascinating ways. There is an excellent emphasis on her social skills which walks the line on 'unsociable' people and how they can form a charisma in their own right.
This is about as far as I can talk about this book without spoiling so here we go:
The idea to make Eleanor's mother a figment of her subconscious was also an interesting narrative choice but one I grew to accept. However, the idea of Eleanor having a sister is predictable. Roughly 200 pages predictable. However, this thought would need a reread because I can't distinguish whether this was intentional or not. That being said, the dialogue with the social worker is a masterclass in writing with missing information and had me fooled the first time around.
There is also the classic issue with mental health. Her overcoming of her mental health issues leans slightly toward triumphant more than progressive. This, of course, begins to raise questions about the realism of the portrayal of her mental health issues which I feel I am not experienced enough to discuss.
I need to read this again so take this summary with a grain of salt.
Overall, an interesting and loveable character study which suffers from a couple pitfalls which hinder this book from greatness. 4/5
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, and Rape
siddhisutar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, and Fire/Fire injury
caitlin_huxham's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide, Vomit, Abandonment, Child death, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Mental illness, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape
daybreakreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Torture, Abandonment, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Sexual assault, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Stalking, Vomit, Cancer, Rape, Cursing, and Mental illness
ashleythebard'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
kalishka's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first 2/3 were very slow for me. I have ASD and I felt the character of Eleanor was coded as ASD but her traits were supposed to be ‘quirky’ and ‘funny’ - personally they were not to me as it was far too relatable while being stereotypical.
The last third takes a sharp turn into depression, suicide, therapy and trauma, which went further than I was expecting, and it seems more like Eleanor’s personality is a result of her childhood trauma rather than as a result of a neurodivergency. I don’t know which the author was intending so can’t comment further on that. I found it much more interesting than the first section, but I still wouldn’t say I enjoyed it…
I would highly recommend the audiobook though - the narration is brilliant!
Graphic: Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Abandonment, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Child abuse, Suicide, Child death, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Classism and Physical abuse
tomnoor's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Mental illness, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexual assault, Rape, Death, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Animal death, and Body shaming
milenasbooknook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Grief, Vomit, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, and Death
Minor: Abandonment, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Rape, Panic attacks/disorders, and Domestic abuse
flowchelle's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Death of parent, Murder, Domestic abuse, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Alcoholism