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jenijenocide's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Blood, Child death, Sexual assault, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Minor: Abortion
wordsonthepaige's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
This was the first Jodi Picoult book I read. I picked it up for book club, back in high school. (I'm pretty sure a teacher recommended it, which is wild to look back on now, considering how explicit some of the scenes are.)
Where Picoult almost always shines, and what got me hooked on her books, are the complexity of the issues she discusses, and the incredible moments in the courtroom. I also like the non-linear storytelling she often employs. She is a marvelous crafter of narrative.
That being said, I found this more disappointing on a reread than I expected to. The way the fathers in this story aren't allowed to grieve as the mothers do. And partially that is a plot point, but part of it isn't. The way Kate Harte gets only brief mentions is also a letdown. This is not her story, but she is affected by it. And we only see her when it's convenient for the plot of Chris or his parents. And I found myself almost completely unsympathetic towards Melanie Gold, which is wild, as she is the mother of a teenager who died.
Overall, I still think this book is worth reading. If you are prepared to deal with these heavy, heavy subjects.
Where Picoult almost always shines, and what got me hooked on her books, are the complexity of the issues she discusses, and the incredible moments in the courtroom. I also like the non-linear storytelling she often employs. She is a marvelous crafter of narrative.
That being said, I found this more disappointing on a reread than I expected to. The way the fathers in this story aren't allowed to grieve as the mothers do. And partially that is a plot point, but part of it isn't. The way Kate Harte gets only brief mentions is also a letdown. This is not her story, but she is affected by it. And we only see her when it's convenient for the plot of Chris or his parents. And I found myself almost completely unsympathetic towards Melanie Gold, which is wild, as she is the mother of a teenager who died.
Overall, I still think this book is worth reading. If you are prepared to deal with these heavy, heavy subjects.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual content and Blood
Minor: Vomit
jada_ann_12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Okay, so I’ll make this first part spoiler free for anyone who wants to genuinely know if this book is worth the read. In short: yes. When my friend begged me to read this, I was hesitant. My first thought was Why does the font have to be soooo small? However, when I actually dove in, I found myself begging to know what happened. Did Chris kill Emily? Did Emily kill herself? Was he alive?
I have many trust issues when it comes to books, so I found myself reaching for different theories, but the end shocked me. I didn’t we it coming. We’ll get to that later though.
I loved reading about Chris. While reading the book, you hear a lot from his point of view. During every flashback, I was absolutely entranced with how he spoke of her. I found myself wanting to be Emily, to be the one receiving his adoration and love. He truly put her above everything, which was why the end was so heartbreaking to read. His pain and the things that were happening must have been so hard on him and I was crying for my baby. I found the thoughts of the parents interesting, I liked reading especially about the dynamic between Gus and Michael as they struggled. I didn’t enjoy Melanie or James as much.
Overall, I would recommend this book for sure. It’s a story that you can both connect and cry with. It left me sitting on the edge of my bed. I literally sat there for three hours never putting it down until the end. You will grow attached and be confused up until the end. The ending still left me a little confused. However, this is easily a 5 star read soully for the fact of how it made me feel. The court scenes had me at the edge of my seat, and I just wanted to know everything. Truly heart wrenching.
Okay, time for spoiler!!!
I HATE EMILY GOLD!! The amount of shit that this girl put my boy Chris through was absolutely insane. When she told him that he’d let her kill herself if he loved her I was so infuriated. To put someone you love in that position is absolutely insane. She is insane for that. It also made me so mad the way she led Chris on. She barely loved him like that, I hate that she claimed to. It made me so mad reading her chapters because I just wanted to yell at her to stop and tell the truth— especially about the pregnancy. I was always so confused as to what attachment she had to him. I really just felt so bad for Chris. he deserved so much better, and I just wanted to hold him and tell him it’d be okay.
My heart did break for her with her trauma with the sexual assault when she was so young. I hated that scene and it literally made me sick to my stomach to read. That poor girl didn’t deserve it, and i hated how Chris pushed sex upon her like it was worth more than her being comfortable. For a while there, I was struggling to get over that fact and still like him. I couldn’t stand by his actions when it came to that. It genuinely made me mad enough that I had to put my book down.
However, the ending sealed the deal that he was better in my eyes. He did not deserve that pressure that she put upon him. He just wanted to save and take care of her. I hated that she put him in that position. I was struggling the whole time to read the court scenes because I just wanted him to make it out, and he did!! I was so relieved while I read it aloud to my friend and we celebrated. I was so taken aback by his profession and the fact that she pulled the trigger over his finger.
I also always called the fact that something was going to happen between at least one of the parents, and I really liked the dynamic between Michael and Gus. I struggled for a while with the thoughts of what I would do if I were in the Gold’s perspective, and I still do not know. I guess that is something I’ll always have to ponder.
The ending though— I feel like there was a secret note on it. Before, it was mentioned that they had invisible ink they would write with, and I think something was written on the note that he needed to reveal. I want to know because I am so sure that is the case that I won’t believe anything else told to me. Anyways, I love Chris most of the time and I’m happy he’s okay now!
I have many trust issues when it comes to books, so I found myself reaching for different theories, but the end shocked me. I didn’t we it coming. We’ll get to that later though.
I loved reading about Chris. While reading the book, you hear a lot from his point of view. During every flashback, I was absolutely entranced with how he spoke of her. I found myself wanting to be Emily, to be the one receiving his adoration and love. He truly put her above everything, which was why the end was so heartbreaking to read. His pain and the things that were happening must have been so hard on him and I was crying for my baby. I found the thoughts of the parents interesting, I liked reading especially about the dynamic between Gus and Michael as they struggled. I didn’t enjoy Melanie or James as much.
Overall, I would recommend this book for sure. It’s a story that you can both connect and cry with. It left me sitting on the edge of my bed. I literally sat there for three hours never putting it down until the end. You will grow attached and be confused up until the end. The ending still left me a little confused. However, this is easily a 5 star read soully for the fact of how it made me feel. The court scenes had me at the edge of my seat, and I just wanted to know everything. Truly heart wrenching.
Okay, time for spoiler!!!
I HATE EMILY GOLD!! The amount of shit that this girl put my boy Chris through was absolutely insane. When she told him that he’d let her kill herself if he loved her I was so infuriated. To put someone you love in that position is absolutely insane. She is insane for that. It also made me so mad the way she led Chris on. She barely loved him like that, I hate that she claimed to. It made me so mad reading her chapters because I just wanted to yell at her to stop and tell the truth— especially about the pregnancy. I was always so confused as to what attachment she had to him. I really just felt so bad for Chris. he deserved so much better, and I just wanted to hold him and tell him it’d be okay.
My heart did break for her with her trauma with the sexual assault when she was so young. I hated that scene and it literally made me sick to my stomach to read. That poor girl didn’t deserve it, and i hated how Chris pushed sex upon her like it was worth more than her being comfortable. For a while there, I was struggling to get over that fact and still like him. I couldn’t stand by his actions when it came to that. It genuinely made me mad enough that I had to put my book down.
However, the ending sealed the deal that he was better in my eyes. He did not deserve that pressure that she put upon him. He just wanted to save and take care of her. I hated that she put him in that position. I was struggling the whole time to read the court scenes because I just wanted him to make it out, and he did!! I was so relieved while I read it aloud to my friend and we celebrated. I was so taken aback by his profession and the fact that she pulled the trigger over his finger.
I also always called the fact that something was going to happen between at least one of the parents, and I really liked the dynamic between Michael and Gus. I struggled for a while with the thoughts of what I would do if I were in the Gold’s perspective, and I still do not know. I guess that is something I’ll always have to ponder.
The ending though— I feel like there was a secret note on it. Before, it was mentioned that they had invisible ink they would write with, and I think something was written on the note that he needed to reveal. I want to know because I am so sure that is the case that I won’t believe anything else told to me. Anyways, I love Chris most of the time and I’m happy he’s okay now!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Blood, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
juliaathomsonnn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Gun violence, Murder, Self harm, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content
lets_book's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion, Blood, and Alcohol
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