Reviews

Shmutz by Felicia Berliner

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bobbyheddy's review against another edition

reflective 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

3.0

This book had a premise that I was excited for and I think there are a lot of interesting places it could have gone, but unfortunately it never seemed to take off properly. It sorta went...nowhere? Given so much of it was dedicated to the main character grappling with her own desires I would have liked to have gotten a deeper understanding of what was underlying them. Was it just prurient curiosity, the allure of the taboo or a healthy and enduring reckoning with sexuality? The relationships with others, including the friends at school, felt weakly drawn and I couldn't understand anyone's motivations. I enjoyed the writing and the setting but wished it could have given me more and lived up to that spectacular cover.

shnapsi's review against another edition

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funny 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? Yes

3.75

alexddolinger's review

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emotional hopeful reflective slow-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

4.5

gnomely's review

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2.5

a quiet, introspective novel. bittersweet ending.

chlsclrksn's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Loved how weird this was but

I really wanted her to run away and live the life she wanted. But maybe that was the life she wanted

mevrouwtenkate's review against another edition

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funny reflective medium-paced

3.5

mcrystal1000's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective tense medium-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

4.0

That ending was so good. I feel like it was not quite my kind of book in terms of some of the vividry of the descriptions but I do think that it’s really cool that this book exists.