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starryworm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Child abuse and Abortion
prachidayal's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
- Easy read (4 - 6 hours)
- I have mixed feelings about this book. The writing style was childish to me. The main character talked like a little kid, for the first few pages, I thought she was 10. The story spiraled very quickly, and the whole drunk driving arc made no sense. Also, the random anti-racism rant from Shayna was so white. Honestly, the book seemed to be carried by dramatic, traumatic events rather than the writing.
- I liked some of the imagery and the girl-bug metaphor
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Domestic abuse
rach_nicole's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Mental illness
veramele's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, and Death
anaya_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
I think this book did a great job on tackling the experience of grief, especially at a young age. As someone who has lost a parent figure at the same age as Tiger, a lot of the concepts were spot on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Addiction and Alcoholism
Minor: Abandonment, Abortion, Cancer, and Suicide
kamariannamareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I’ve had a strange experience with this book. Well… maybe not strange, but certainly new. As I was reading it, I didn’t think I was going to budge on my rating. I thought it was a solid three star book. But after I finished it, and as I reflected on what I read and how it made me feel, I realized it deserved more than a 3 star review.
In How to Make Friends with the Dark, we follow 16-year-old Grace “Tiger” Tolliver in the days and months following her mother’s sudden and unexpected death. Losing a parent, especially so young, is one of the hardest things anyone could ever go through. I’ve gone through it twice already so this is a topic I’m very familiar with. Part of what made me want to read this book was to see if it was going to break me in the same way They Both Die at the End did. (What can I say? I’m a glutton for pain.) And the other part was curiosity about how Glasgow was going to approach this topic. Was she going to get it right? Or was it going to be some weird trauma porn that romanticized grief?
She got it right.
More on my blog: kamariannamareads.com
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Drug use, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
brocelindcrossing's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
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