Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Beautiful World, Where Are You

I don’t know how I wanted to rate this. 2.5ish?? I didn’t like the book but I enjoyed the style of the writing. I mean I must have because I finished this novel rather quickly. Rooney is such a strange writer. I never know how to review her books. Moderate profanity. Moderate sexual content.

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jasminrain's review against another edition

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emotional 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

4.0

I adore Rooney's way with words. This book is so beautifully written and the way in which she describes the world and moments is really extraordinary. I loved the letters and the intellectual discussion between the two main characters through them - they gave me a lot to think about. But as a story and characters, it was nothing out of ordinary. I didn't enjoy the characters or their relationships. There was just so much gaslighting and toxic relationships, and incidents such as sexual coercion that went unaddressed and the book seemed to normalise. On a lighter note, I also couldn't relate to any of the characters. For lots of people this seems to be the reality that we live in, but for me it seemed absurd.

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heykieramc's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

I wish I had realized before I started reading how much of the book would be about sex and religion. The transitions were jarring, especially since this was my subway listen for the past few days! I also found the back-and-forth personality clashes between the couples really off-putting, and

the final chapter alluding to the pandemic

felt like it was tacked on to an already-completed manuscript. Overall, Rooney's writing style was good enough to keep me listening, but I wouldn't say I enjoyed the book. However, if she did write a book of essays similar to the emails (oh! the emails!!), I might be inclined to pick it up.

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sophiemundy13's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Surprisingly enjoyable- easy comm read but deep? Surprised I liked it because I loved normal people but hated conversations with friends. def can see this being made into a film/tv series in the future

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