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blacksphinx's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying and Sexism
Minor: Blood and Infidelity
coco78337's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was such an easy and amazing read. I would genuinely recommend this book to anyone who is in a transitionary period of their life or just feels stuck. I loved the platonic love is this book, it really made me want to hang out with my girl friends and move to a small quaint town. This book gets 5 stars with flying colors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Vomit, Gore, Alcoholism, Body horror, and Alcohol
theliteraryhooker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Maybe a hair on the predictable side but I mostly enjoyed this read. Both Annie and Sophie are interesting characters to follow, and I appreciated Annie's character arc for the most part.
Content Warnings
Minor: Vomit, Alcoholism, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship
caitevans7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, and Panic attacks/disorders
sashasimine's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
This is not a good book, and I feel as gaslight by Sophie and Rachel as Annie is throughout. I am so concerned by the apparent moral of the story that it is empowering and a good thing for female independence to a) be fully dependent on a manipulative friend and b) to terrorize the local townspeople who have been kind to you!
Spoilers below:
It appears that we are meant to believe that Sophie is not the villain of the story when she so obviously is. This book has been touted as a feminist and empowering novel as it shows how Annie has become more independent through a montage of her gaining "independent life skills" and eventually confronting Sophie, saying "I can make my own decisions. Even if they're bad decisions, Sophie. They're mine to make. Not yours" (Harrison 262). However, it is damaging to a feminist cause and argument by presenting self-empowerment at the cost of your relationship with others. One of the most confusing aspects of this book is how Rachel managed to write it while believing it is a feminist novel. I cannot comprehend how the reveal at the end that Lynn "has agreed to let [Annie] have the downstairs" apartment so she can start remodeling, can be interpreted as anything other than an unkind, egotistical, power-hungry person taking all she can from innocent folks (Harrison 284). Furthermore, Annie completely follows in Sophie's footsteps including essentially selecting Madison as prey to alienate her from any friends and family she might have had or could potentially have had as she goes through her own breakup. We're expected to believe this is a "good thing" and is Annie taking Madison under her wing to receive the same treatment she did from Sophie, implying that Sophie's treatment is positive.
In no particular order, there is so much more that needs to be discussed: such as the glorification of "wine mom" alcoholism, the conflation of independence and intimidation, Ralph's spying and his extension of Sophie's manipulation, the beauty standards in the book, the avoidance of any discussion of mental health, the way Sophie purposefully isolates Annie, Annie being a terrible teacher, the queerbaiting(!!!), the glorification of capitalism (Sophie is a landlord!!) and just to wrap it all up in a bow, the way that it appears that most people do not see these faults in the book is the actual horror.
The fact that most people are reading this book as Rachel means so many people can't see how problematic everything highlighted above is. In a way, I have never felt more hopeless about the state of the world.
Spoilers below:
It appears that we are meant to believe that Sophie is not the villain of the story when she so obviously is. This book has been touted as a feminist and empowering novel as it shows how Annie has become more independent through a montage of her gaining "independent life skills" and eventually confronting Sophie, saying "I can make my own decisions. Even if they're bad decisions, Sophie. They're mine to make. Not yours" (Harrison 262). However, it is damaging to a feminist cause and argument by presenting self-empowerment at the cost of your relationship with others. One of the most confusing aspects of this book is how Rachel managed to write it while believing it is a feminist novel. I cannot comprehend how the reveal at the end that Lynn "has agreed to let [Annie] have the downstairs" apartment so she can start remodeling, can be interpreted as anything other than an unkind, egotistical, power-hungry person taking all she can from innocent folks (Harrison 284). Furthermore, Annie completely follows in Sophie's footsteps including essentially selecting Madison as prey to alienate her from any friends and family she might have had or could potentially have had as she goes through her own breakup. We're expected to believe this is a "good thing" and is Annie taking Madison under her wing to receive the same treatment she did from Sophie, implying that Sophie's treatment is positive.
In no particular order, there is so much more that needs to be discussed: such as the glorification of "wine mom" alcoholism, the conflation of independence and intimidation, Ralph's spying and his extension of Sophie's manipulation, the beauty standards in the book, the avoidance of any discussion of mental health, the way Sophie purposefully isolates Annie, Annie being a terrible teacher, the queerbaiting(!!!), the glorification of capitalism (Sophie is a landlord!!) and just to wrap it all up in a bow, the way that it appears that most people do not see these faults in the book is the actual horror.
The fact that most people are reading this book as Rachel means so many people can't see how problematic everything highlighted above is. In a way, I have never felt more hopeless about the state of the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
pinkparentheses's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book is a YA novel for late 20s to thirty-somethings. The writing is very cringe and predictable. Which I think was intentional, but I wish the book dove into more of the lore behind the magic and WHY Sophie is magic etc. but it’s not that kind of book. If you want to read about a sad, lonely woman rediscovering herself here you go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
d0505's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Alcoholism, and Misogyny
emoryjoy's review against another edition
dark
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The back of the book sounds like it will be a queer romance. It is not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Gore, Stalking, Blood, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexism, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Body shaming
Arachnophobia - there are lots of spiders in this bookaus10england's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Alcoholism and Bullying
cavernism's review against another edition
dark
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
This book made me realize writing style is a big sticking point for me. The writing in this was simplistic in an annoying way ("___", I say. "______," she said, for all dialogue). I also found this messaging to be very white girl feminist and pretty didactic. I love a story where a character finds agency and self-worth, but not when the authors bangs your head with a brick to show off The Point. In general, the concept of "show, don't tell" doesn't come up much in this writing.
There were parts I enjoyed (Ralph! His little hat! Be still my heart!), there were character moments that really worked for me, and the cozy setting of a small New England town was appealing.
There were parts I enjoyed (Ralph! His little hat! Be still my heart!), there were character moments that really worked for me, and the cozy setting of a small New England town was appealing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Alcoholism, and Blood