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zzara's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book was absolutely magnificent. The love story between Regan, a bipolar artist and former counterfeiter, and Aldo, a depressed mathematician, had its problematic elements but ultimately I was rooting for them to find the necessary equilibrium to co-exist and sustain their relationship. Because this book was very existential and theoretical about the place of individuals in the universe, I was a bit worried that this book would give me a bit of pretentious vibe which is something I have a very low tolerance for. And yet, I thought it was done perfectly. The discussions about time and the universe seemed authentic to me, maybe because they were loosely based on the author's relationship and discussions with her husband.
I also thought (from my own perspective not having experienced bipolar), that the author dealt with the topic of mental illness and medication really sensitively - even though Regan found happiness and functionality without medication, , the book didn't ascribe a moral judgement to the taking or not taking of medication to manage mental illness. It was just Regan's story.
The ending was perfect. I thought the third act conflict was well done if not a bit predictable ( for a bit I thought that maybe Regan or Aldo would suddenly die so I was very relieved that didn't happen ), and I loved the resolution. The only thing that confused me a bit about this book was that the format of the writing jumped around a bit - the cast of narrators in the first part fell away (thankfully, as I found them a bit annoying) and some parts omitted quotation marks. This book had me emotionally gripped and seeing hexagons and bees in the world around me, I really loved it.
I also thought (from my own perspective not having experienced bipolar), that the author dealt with the topic of mental illness and medication really sensitively - even though
The ending was perfect. I thought the third act conflict was well done if not a bit predictable (
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Drug use, and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Toxic relationship
itsheyfay's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Mental illness, and Addiction
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Drug use, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
Minor: Death
takarakei's review against another edition
emotional
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
5.0
I was quite literally sobbing and shaking after finishing this book. A MILLION STARS.
This is the best romance I've ever read and I honestly think it will be near impossible to top. Olivie Blake's writing is STUNNING. This book is supremely real. I honestly cannot form more words.
This is the best romance I've ever read and I honestly think it will be near impossible to top. Olivie Blake's writing is STUNNING. This book is supremely real. I honestly cannot form more words.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Sexual content
Moderate: Drug use, Addiction, Toxic relationship, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
thestorydoer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I have never been so entranced by two characters.
This book revolves around 2 characters for most of it, and the side characters, true to their name for once, are cast to the side as less important. This is usually a flaw which I'd criticise if it weren't for the fact the dialogue and prose between these characters was so intensely electric. Every bit of them talking was entrancing, addicting, and emotional all in one. This is because the two characters are each intensely interesting with their unique ways of thinking.
Of course, this book is comments on romantic relationships with mental disorders/health issues. It does it extremely well. But I also find that it favors Regan's over Aldo's which makes sense as the author draws from Regan with her own bipolar disorder, but I think the book would've benefitted from treating them in equilibrium.
The author is also extremely creative in her prose. The book usually benefits from this. But there are a few times where the prose feels needlessly creative, adding flair to descriptions which simply didn't need it. However, the prose is also most of what makes this book such a beautiful and heart wrenching read.
I also think that the pacing also has a few issues as well, as the stages of their relationship go by at quite the accelerated pace which may be intentional, but I also think it could've been handled better.
Overall, a creative, imaginative read with two extremely interesting characters whose synergy is impossible to ignore. 4.25/5
This book revolves around 2 characters for most of it, and the side characters, true to their name for once, are cast to the side as less important. This is usually a flaw which I'd criticise if it weren't for the fact the dialogue and prose between these characters was so intensely electric. Every bit of them talking was entrancing, addicting, and emotional all in one. This is because the two characters are each intensely interesting with their unique ways of thinking.
Of course, this book is comments on romantic relationships with mental disorders/health issues. It does it extremely well. But I also find that it favors Regan's over Aldo's which makes sense as the author draws from Regan with her own bipolar disorder, but I think the book would've benefitted from treating them in equilibrium.
The author is also extremely creative in her prose. The book usually benefits from this. But there are a few times where the prose feels needlessly creative, adding flair to descriptions which simply didn't need it. However, the prose is also most of what makes this book such a beautiful and heart wrenching read.
I also think that the pacing also has a few issues as well, as the stages of their relationship go by at quite the accelerated pace which may be intentional, but I also think it could've been handled better.
Overall, a creative, imaginative read with two extremely interesting characters whose synergy is impossible to ignore. 4.25/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Drug use, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment
lifeofchrstnlvly's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Two words: underwhelming and disappointing.
Yeah, it had good mental health representation. I have clinical depression and my husband has bipolar disorder. This book perfectly depicted what living with mental illness feels like. However, it was not the best book just like what most people say.
I know in the acknowledgments Olivie said "This is not a book about how pills are bad, but about finding the acceptance we need to feel both well and alive." I get that. But it's harmful to write a book about characters not willing to take their medications, then only put a one-sentence disclaimer at the end of the book. I know Olivie also suffers from bipolar disorder, so it was quite surprising for me that this is the route she chose.
Yes, acceptance is important. Yes, loving someone completely despite everything is great (though honestly, this is arguable because the book focused too much on sex that it became apparent sex equates to love). However, she had the opportunity to educate people with no mental illness how living with the disease feels like, so why did she miss to grab the opportunity to educate people who DO suffer from mental illness how vital medications and therapy are. There was a part where because of Regan's rage, she was imagining stabbing everyone, but this was not addressed at all in therapy because "love" is apparently enough.
The first 30% of this book, I was in awe of the writing. It's a character-driven book, and I love character-driven books, but it got boring. It became pretentious. There was a point where there were 2 long paragraphs in one page. I was dreading reading it because it was too much. This makes me so scared because I have a copy of The Atlas Six. If this is the way she writes, then I'm doomed.
1.5 stars (1 star because it perfectly described mental illness, 0.5 star since I enjoyed the good writing for the first 30% of the book)
Yeah, it had good mental health representation. I have clinical depression and my husband has bipolar disorder. This book perfectly depicted what living with mental illness feels like. However, it was not the best book just like what most people say.
I know in the acknowledgments Olivie said "This is not a book about how pills are bad, but about finding the acceptance we need to feel both well and alive." I get that. But it's harmful to write a book about characters not willing to take their medications, then only put a one-sentence disclaimer at the end of the book. I know Olivie also suffers from bipolar disorder, so it was quite surprising for me that this is the route she chose.
Yes, acceptance is important. Yes, loving someone completely despite everything is great (though honestly, this is arguable because the book focused too much on sex that it became apparent sex equates to love). However, she had the opportunity to educate people with no mental illness how living with the disease feels like, so why did she miss to grab the opportunity to educate people who DO suffer from mental illness how vital medications and therapy are. There was a part where because of Regan's rage, she was imagining stabbing everyone, but this was not addressed at all in therapy because "love" is apparently enough.
The first 30% of this book, I was in awe of the writing. It's a character-driven book, and I love character-driven books, but it got boring. It became pretentious. There was a point where there were 2 long paragraphs in one page. I was dreading reading it because it was too much. This makes me so scared because I have a copy of The Atlas Six. If this is the way she writes, then I'm doomed.
1.5 stars (1 star because it perfectly described mental illness, 0.5 star since I enjoyed the good writing for the first 30% of the book)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content and Toxic relationship
ericageorge91's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
So…my thoughts:
Character study - This story was very character-focused with very little plot. I felt like we really got to know Regan and Aldo intimately. However, I wasn’t particularly in love with either of them. I mostly felt ambivalent towards Aldo and then I outright disliked Regan a few times in the book because she baffled me.
I’m sure it was the point of the story, but she seemed to have no fucking idea what she wanted and it frustrated me to no end. First, she wanted low stakes in a relationship, which she had with Marc. Then, she resented the lack of jealousy from him (you know…a factor of the low stakes relationship 🙄). Then, when Marc does get jealous, Regan gets defensive and is upset that he figured out that she wanted to fuck Aldo before she was ready for Marc to find that out?? Like…WHAT?!? And then, she laments how easy and predictable men were and Aldo did the unpredictable thing and she was mad about it?? Huh?? Regan is the dizziest bitch I have ever read, omg. But, in the end, I disliked the people around Regan (Marc and her mother) even more than I did her, so it bumped my feelings towards her back up to ambivalent.
Storytelling - There was unique storytelling and story structure. I appreciate that the story is divided into six parts like the hexagon theme. That was cute. The first part read like a play. It set the scene with fourth wall breaks with narration and scene descriptions. I did enjoy that aspect. The later parts had a lot of spoken dialogue without quotations and long meandering paragraphs that, I think were meant to depict Regan and Aldo’s racing thoughts? It was kind of confusing, but if that was the point, mission accomplished!
The Romance - I know this was meant to be a love story because I was told so. Do I actually believe in this love story? No. Did I did root for this love story? Also no. I know part of it has to do with me not clicking with the main characters, but part of it was the relationship itself. By the end of the book, I wasn’t completely convinced that Aldo’s interest in Regan wasn’t an extension of him trying to solve an unsolvable problem to keep his interest and keep him away from drugs. Nor was I persuaded that Regan’s continued interest in Aldo wasn’t just her convincing herself that she wasn’t the impulsive person Marc believed her to be and that this thing with Aldo was built to last.
Light academia? - An ungodly amount of time was devoted to talk of math and bees. Both of which, I care not. This book had the pretentiousness of dark academia with Shakespearan levels of drama. For example, the way that Aldo repeatedly walked around with unsmoked joints, I felt like he had crawled out of the pages of The Fault in Our Stars to tell Regan, “It’s a metaphor” 😂
Also, I was CRINGING at the moment when he finds her artwork and some couple said it was pretty and we got this lovely internal monologue:
And so on and so forth.
I don’t know, man. I’m sure it was supposed to be super deep, but I was just squirming on my couch with second-hand embarrassment 🥴
I don’t know, man. I’m sure it was supposed to be super deep, but I was just squirming on my couch with second-hand embarrassment 🥴
Bipolar Representation - From the acknowledgments, I can appreciate how personal this story was to the author who went through her own Regan-like journey. I heard that this book has one of the truest portrayals of bipolar disorder. I am not bipolar myself, so I cannot speak to that, but if you’re looking for a book with good mental health rep, this might be it! Just be sure to read the author’s disclaimer because the main character made choices about her treatment that might not be the right choice for others.
Final Thoughts - If you love romance, maybe you can view this story as some modern day, Romeo and Juliet-like shit (without the insta-love), because Aldo and Regan seemed to love each other veryintensely. Why? I don’t know. Maybe I wasn’t meant to know. And that’s perfectly okay.
I think my opinion of the book definitely suffered due to the hype on BookTok. I was expecting to be emotionally ripped apart and gently put back together and for me, this story did not deliver. I think it was an okay book that if you’re bored, you should give it a try 🤷🏾♀️
TW: Drugs, addiction (mention), infidelity (emotional, some physical touching and kissing), overdose, toxic mother relationship
Rep: BIPOC characters, bipolar disorder
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Drug use and Toxic relationship
Minor: Addiction and Infidelity
deedeeroo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Very interesting and beautiful dive into two complex characters.
I’m going to mark this as a “toxic relationship” because there’s certainly some unhealthy here, but they’re trying and what else can you ask?
I’m going to mark this as a “toxic relationship” because there’s certainly some unhealthy here, but they’re trying and what else can you ask?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Toxic relationship
larissa_sken's review against another edition
this wasn’t ground breakingly beautiful. it was pretentious and so mind numbing i can’t do it anymore!!! i don’t like the characters, and whilst that’s probably the point, i have been given no reason to root for them despite this. their obsessive and codependent relationship is not romantic, it’s unhealthy and i don’t think either of them even really like each other. i can’t do it anymore and pretend like this is a good book. i feel like me and the 5 star reviewers read something completely different.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug use
aseel_reads's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
the writing style at the start was a little hard to get through but thankfully that style was only at the start and end, otherwise it was pretty okay and easy to get used to. i liked the characters but i thought at times, their dynamics were a bit cliched or exaggerated, which was a pity
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Medical content, and Toxic relationship
hapalyn's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Death of parent