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kfolezzz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i will say my fave trope is the “journalist written by someone who doesn’t know how journalists do their jobs” and there was PLENTY of that in this one!
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Animal death
rhall19's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Death of parent, Animal death, and Blood
mefrias's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think it’s worth a read overall though. Definitely read thru the trigger warnings first tho.
Graphic: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child abuse and Child death
irenetrexqueen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
All characters felt like real people and not just ends to a means or ways to more the plot.
I will warn there is a part that I cried and many others would if they have had similar experiences. So be warned it is now all rainbows and romance.
If you love mystery, the supernatural, big dogs, old cats, or Portland Metro you may find a piece of this one you will like.
****Note***
I will say this book talks a lot about death, in MANY ways, as well as the things that cause it. So make sure you're in the right mindspace for this before jumping in.
Graphic: Animal death, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Dementia, Death, Death of parent, and Car accident
Minor: Sexual violence, Rape, Miscarriage, Infertility, Medical content, Child abuse, Violence, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Injury/Injury detail
ashleyoop's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death
kates_books's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Overall, a fantastic story with an original concept.
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Child death and Child abuse
bookitwithbecca's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
Some of It Was Real is baffling and alarming. The author has clearly done her research and understands the murky world of psychics and mediums who promise grieving people a chance at connecting with lost loved ones. The problem is she seems fine with it â or at least with presenting a rosy version of it in fiction. Instead of seriously engaging with the ethical dangers or even attempting to balance healthy skepticism with an open mind, the author fully commits to the idea that her (anti)heroine is the genuine article and doing something good in the world â even when the protagonist herself admits that she fakes psychic connections as often as she makes "real" ones. The result is a bizarrely "feel-good" story about a young woman overcoming (but not seeking actual therapy for!) her traumatic past to embrace her calling as a psychic-medium, enthralling even her biggest skeptic along the way. This approach not only saps any compelling tension from the plot but is also disturbingly close to full endorsement of the "grief vampires" that are existing, manipulating, and thriving in our society. I believe we should leave room for wonder and admit there are things â maybe even supernatural things â that science can't explain, but we still need to be responsible about how we explore those questions, especially when the story is not fantasy but firmly rooted in our real world and how it operates. But this book is not interested in engaging with complexity or even uncertainty, which is a shame because the setup is fantastic and could have been something great. However, the casual whitewashing holds it back as a literary work and also reveals a lack of awareness about what it's contributing to the real-world narrative. At best, Some of it was Real is a cheap spiritualist fairy tale. At worst, it's an irresponsible handling of a delicate subject, with concerning implications related to fraud, manipulation, and mental health issues.
My thanks to NetGalley and Berkley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence
jennastopreading's review
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
What I love about Fischer's writing is the way she crafts her characters. This dual POV story gave us the ability to get inside the minds of both Thomas and Sylvie, in turn giving us the unique perspective of two people trying to find out the details of a story - but for totally different reasons. Sylvie is seeking self discovery while Thomas is trying to fulfill an agenda, but both are equally driven and straightforward. They contain flaws, they own them, and they converse like real adults - not like book adults, if you know what I mean. The conversations didn't feel forced or unrealistic, and that made Sylvie and Thomas very believable characters.
Secondly, this entire story was incredibly unique. While classified right now on Goodreads as a romance, it really read more to me like a mystery through the bulk of it. It was a well paced mystery, though, with lots of character development that had me WANTING to find everything out. By pacing it the way that she did, Fischer made it compelling. Instead of a mystery jumping off the page at the very start, there was time to get invested and curious before really digging into the nitty gritty,
This was the second book I've read by this author and the second one I've given 5 stars to. I look forward to reading more from her in the future!
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Death, Blood, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual content and Vomit
Minor: Rape
shel_conn's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, and Car accident
Moderate: Child abuse