Reviews

Cut by Patricia McCormick

honeyplot's review against another edition

2.0

2.5 stars really. It was okay I don't really have a promising opinion on it tbh

bookybrookey's review against another edition

2.0

Cut is much different than I expected. Whilst I was wanting more detail at some points, when there was too much detail I cringed. I also like that not all the girls suffered from the same condition and how characters like Beca showed how serious these illnesses are. Though I finished this book in 2 hours it was still a good read and powerful even though the protagonist doesn't talk until later in the book. Cutting is a deep subject to write about and I believe McCormick did it in a way that didn't romanticize it like other books do, and yet it displays the effects of it on people and why someone would want to cut themselves

askewmom86's review against another edition

4.0

Good book, I prefer Crosses to this but I enjoyed it a lot. As other books of this subject matter, I could relate.

itsmethebibliophile's review against another edition

4.0

An honest look at mental health & our own destructive behavior. I liked that the author did not shy away from the idea that self-mutalating behavior is hard to control & that in fact, it may not just stop cold-turkey one day. It can be a lifelong battle for some.

sidneyellwood's review against another edition

1.0

Trigger warning for like, personal experiences. Sorry. This book pissed me off.

This book is shallow. And boring. Look, self-injury is a serious problem, and in this book, it's not presented as such. All the characters are very shallow and mental illness is presented as crazy. And the healthcare is really bad. The girls with eating disorders are defined by this, and Amanda is the typical attention-seeking "crazy" girl. Callie is stereotypical emo. I'm glad I'm reading this when I'm recovering; this is the first book on self-harm that shows up and it's NOT GOOD AT ALL. This book is a disservice to teens like Callie, and me a few years ago, who are struggling with self-harm.

As much as I should have been able to connect with Callie, I didn't. She had no voice, no emotion, and her narration was boring. I don't talk. I'm quiet, I used to self-harm, I feel guilty for everything that isn't my fault and yet. Yet.

Plus, healthcare doesn't ... work that way, at least in my experience. Hospitalization is for life-threatening mental illness, something I've heard from a lot of people.

Spoiler

My doctor didn't hospitalize me when she found out - even my school counsellor said she couldn't do anything when I told her. Heck, I've told psychologists about being suicidal and they couldn't do anything because I wasn't planning anything.

So that was quite frustrating to read about. Dissociation doesn't work that way - I know a lot of people dissociate (so did I) but that's not how yet works. Recovery doesn't work that way either.

Also it's a tad over-dramatic at times. I don't like that, but that's more of a personal thing. I don't like it when self injury is portrayed for shock value but maybe it's because I'm pretty desensitized to it?

So yeah. Not a fun read but I've been meaning to get to this book for years and years and now that I don't have to worry about my parents seeing the cover, here we are.

kralaa's review against another edition

3.0

I would have given this book 2 stars but I liked some of the side characters more than the main one. Callie seemed like just an idea of a character instead a fully realized one. She was just the representation of what a character who had this issue might be like without adding any depth to her. There was a lot of potential with her character but she never showed any real emotion. There was never a hint than anything deeper was happening under the surface. Her parents are shitty, her brother is chronically sick and she cuts herself. That’s it. No delving into the nitty gritty of what those things could do to the psyche of a person, just general facts about her family. There were a few glimpses of the potential his book had (when she was describing when she was home alone and her brother had his first asthma attack) but I wanted so much more from that. It was ok. Not great. I wouldn’t be surprised of people who actually cut themselves found this book very irritating.

thelittlebirdie's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

awebster92's review against another edition

4.0

I read this book when I was much younger. It was ok! Very real for little 11 year old me.

stephaniereaume's review against another edition

2.0

I’ll be honest, I read this book due to the popularity. Honest again, I don’t see why. Yes, the subject is scary, and often overlooked. While we had a front row seat to Callie’s mind, we also know next to nothing as to why she felt this way. She was looking for a release, but what else? The author wanted the book to be somewhat taboo, but it wasn’t quite taboo enough. Callie had zero trigger into not talking, and none into talking again. The running thing too, was she running away from something larger? So many loose ends.

mirable's review against another edition

3.0

Reread this for the at-risk girls book club I'm running. Interesting POVs - mostly first person but switches to second person occasionally. Still a very powerful punch in a slim book, which is perfect for this group. We'll see how they like it.

UPDATE: They hated it. They said it was completely unrealistic to actual cutters (several in this group) and that the facility the main character stays in is not even close. Fascinating.