dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious relaxing sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
challenging emotional 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

I could have very easily not liked this book, but somehow, I ended up loving it - a perfect character-driven study of a cluster of people, a storyline reminiscent of TV-show episodes, and writing that touched something in me.
I can see why many people did not enjoy it (as much), but just let me have my reading experience pls

3.5/5
emotional hopeful reflective
dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark emotional mysterious fast-paced
dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A novel of humanity - flawed, imperfect, messy, painful, evolving, tender, resilient humanity. I finished the book with a shuddering breath and promptly burst into great, heaving sobs. "You are still becoming" and "Wherever you are going is waiting for you" have been permanently etched into a tender little portion of my heart.

4.5 the first 10 pages scared me because it reminded me of CoHo from when I read It Ends with Us. I loved reading about everyone’s lives and relationships; it felt like a bunch of gossip but in a good way and I’m happy the writing improved!

A lot of the low star reviews I’m seeing say that they felt it was boring and that the main characters were unsympathetic. I guess I can understand that pov but living in messy characters heads is interesting to me (like My Year of Rest and Relaxation). As long as the writing/structure is good and by good I mean not like CoHo (not very high of a bar but you get the gist).