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fairiepixiedust's review
4.0
All I can say is wow..... Well written page turner. Shocker of an ending.
alittlelou's review
5.0
SOBBING. Even as a teenager, reading this was so heartbreaking and breathtaking. Maybe it's because I have sisters, maybe it's because I have a rocky relationship with my parents. Either way, I would recommend this to anyone and everyone that asks. I haven't read anything else by Jodi Picoult, but the writing in this book is stunning. This book has stuck with me over the years, and I wish I could read it for the first time again. Those are the best kinds of books.
stealingyoursunbeams's review
3.0
After watching the movie, I decided to give Jodi Picoult a try. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.
She gave each character a different, distinct voice, fleshing out each one's thoughts and motivations. Granted, not all of the characters were as well-rounded as I'd have liked, but she did a fairly good job in making the reader care about them.
Some found her use of metaphors heavy-handed. I would have liked it if she didn't end every chapter with a flowery comparison of firefighting/astronomy and philosophies about life.
She gave each character a different, distinct voice, fleshing out each one's thoughts and motivations. Granted, not all of the characters were as well-rounded as I'd have liked, but she did a fairly good job in making the reader care about them.
Some found her use of metaphors heavy-handed. I would have liked it if she didn't end every chapter with a flowery comparison of firefighting/astronomy and philosophies about life.
lune_reads's review
3.0
This book was heartbreaking. I didn't expect the ending at all. Although the story and the plot was great, most of the POVs were fillers and had no point to the story in my opinion. Especially Sara and Jesse's Povs were the worst. I skipped most of it for how boring and useless it was as it was already given through Anna and Brian's POV whatever Sara and Jesse thought or did.
And I hate that Sara got exactly what she wanted in the end. Anna never existed for them to begin with and there was no grievance or mourning for her from Sara's side. She only loved Kate because SHE LOOKED LIKE BRIAN????? This book deserves no more than 3 stars. The 3 stars are also because of Campbell and Julia's existence. Hated Sara's chain of thoughts. I don't believe any parent would disregard one child for another just because they were conceived with the help of science. It's clear that Sara only loves Jesse and Kate because they look like Brian and herself respectively. Anna didn't die of that accident. She gave up on life because there was no point living without her sister where she'd have to feel guilty all her life for not giving that kidney.
And I hate that Sara got exactly what she wanted in the end. Anna never existed for them to begin with and there was no grievance or mourning for her from Sara's side. She only loved Kate because SHE LOOKED LIKE BRIAN????? This book deserves no more than 3 stars. The 3 stars are also because of Campbell and Julia's existence. Hated Sara's chain of thoughts. I don't believe any parent would disregard one child for another just because they were conceived with the help of science. It's clear that Sara only loves Jesse and Kate because they look like Brian and herself respectively. Anna didn't die of that accident. She gave up on life because there was no point living without her sister where she'd have to feel guilty all her life for not giving that kidney.
heykstan's review
4.0
i really loved this book but the ending? bullshit. it really pissed me off. it seemed like she tossed that in there because she didn't know how to end it and she wanted to make me cry. congrats, jodi.
stephhamp's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Books make me emotional regularly. There are many times when I have to just sit and decompress after it's finished. But rarely, does a book evoke such a visual reaction, in this case, actual tears. Not surprisingly, Jodi Picoult evokes that emotion in me. This is the third book I've read by this author, and I consistently fly through each page. Jodi always impresses me with her extensive research, and as always her research in cancer and medical studies are clearly shown in this book. That shows, to me, that this author truly cares about basing her books on reality.Â
This book flashes through viewpoints in each chapter, and each character is right and justified in all of their actions. I am very close to my sister. She's the most important person in my life. Sisterhood and love are some major themes in this book. My heart was broken at the end of this book. Truly broken. I cannot wait to get angry at the film adaptation.
This book flashes through viewpoints in each chapter, and each character is right and justified in all of their actions. I am very close to my sister. She's the most important person in my life. Sisterhood and love are some major themes in this book. My heart was broken at the end of this book. Truly broken. I cannot wait to get angry at the film adaptation.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
Moderate: Blood
hannah_beth_charles's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
2.5
I found myself skipping paragraphs because some of the metaphors were so boring and unnecessary that I found it was a waste of time. I also hated Picoult's writing style and the way she made the men's POVs full of vulgar language or shallow thoughts, like "boys will be boys". I think that Anna's death was Jesse's punishment for starting fires and putting other's lives at risk. It's not fair for him to just be let off without punishment. The ending was quite surprising but and almost lazy. There's no way that Anna would have an unstrained relationship with her parents after she tried to sue them, and Kate's death would be blamed on Anna. Anna needed to die for the story to conclude. Kate becoming a ballet teacher is unrealistic and I know it was her dream, but she hadn't done ballet before, and ballet isn't a sport you can just do. It takes years of training. Â I couldn't care less Campbell and Julia's relationship. They're both toxic and Julia is desperate to be different. Julias losing her virginity on a gravestone was just odd. I hated that throughout the novel, Sara was trying to be redeemed as a good mother or at least trying her best in a complicated situation. She had Anna just to save Kate. She probably wouldn't have had Anna if Kate wasn't sick. What irked me most was at the end when she said that she would send her one child in a fire to save the other child and she was willing to risk losing them both. That is so selfish because Sara sacrificing their lives. That's not fair and is plain wrong. She is not put in any danger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Blood, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol and Addiction