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skudiklier's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have anxiety and I related to Gilda a lot while reading it (though she struggles with it way more than I do, and I have a much easier time asking for help). I loved the way this was written, in genuinely every way that could be interpreted. I'm amazed by how relatable and funny this was while also being so dark and existential. I was so drawn in and cared so much about what was going to happen to everyone involved.
Honestly I have absolutely zero complaints about this book. I mean...I wish maybe we'd gotten a glimpse of Eli at the end to see what happened there? But I understand why the author may have wanted to leave some things open-ended, and I'm satisfied with what we did get to see at the end. I can't recommend this book enough.
Graphic: Suicide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Car accident, Cursing, and Death
Moderate: Outing, Self harm, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Vomit, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Body horror, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Medical content, and Murder
Minor: Sexism, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Blood, Bullying, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Child death, Dementia, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Cannibalism, Drug abuse, Rape, Cancer, and Mass/school shootings
major cw for dissociation, depression, and anxietylaurendubria's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Moderate: Alcohol and Alcoholism
Minor: Cursing
priceofsalt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Cursing, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Vomit
sderrig's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Car accident
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Cannibalism, Cursing, and Blood
lycanhood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Cursing, Car accident, Animal death, Death, Medical content, and Dementia
Minor: Homophobia, Vomit, and Alcoholism
kitausu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Vomit, Addiction, Alcohol, Cursing, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Animal death
eigirlfriend's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Vomit, Cursing, Murder, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Stalking
nicoleherz's review
- 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
4.5
Wonderfully weird stream of consciousness, depressingly relateable
Absolutely loved it. The writing was great, it was real and odd and funny.
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Religious bigotry, Suicide, Death, Murder, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Car accident, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Medical content, and Self harm
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Dysphoria, Grief, Murder, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Outing, Alcohol, Death of parent, Eating disorder, Pregnancy, Car accident, Cursing, Dementia, Medical content, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Vomit
heynonnynonnie's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I'm going to be extremely honest, I don't think this is a book that I would recommend for everyone because of the very thing that I loved the most about it.
What I Loved: The author has an incredibly captivating, witty, and above all, astute grasp on writing from the perspective of someone who is incapacitated by their mental illness. I don't know how but she managed to make me not absolutely wallow in it. There's something distinct but vulnerable about the main character that elicits an overwhelming amount of empathy on my part that I am unaccustomed to the feeling when reading many books that discuss mental illness. This is usually because I don't feel like the character is authentic or that the feelings and thought patterns are genuine, but from the very beginning, I understood exactly how this comedy of errors-styled plot would exasperate and indulge her thought traps.
What I think a reader might not like: Check content warning for anything sensitive. The POV character can get fixated on a briefly mentioned moment and I can see how that could create an abysmal reading experience for someone. The book is written with short, often disjointed, scenes which can feel sort of like short stories or like interruptions. I understood that some of the scenes return to a prior topic to fixate on it, and that can be tedious to read. I can also easily see how someone may feel disconnected from the plot or from other characters because we only get these short moments. The main character is a little unlikeable because she becomes so deeply unmotivated to respond to events or other people and some readers may find it to be an authentic experience while others may question if the authenticity makes an enjoyable book.
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Animal death, Medical content, Lesbophobia, Murder, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide
Many of the minor content warnings are brought up and the POV character panics at the thought of them which can highlight a normally brief mention. The POV character has a tendency to fixate and also for thoughts to spiral over some of these.