Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Persone normali

Completely devastating how people can love each other so much yet can continue to hurt each other. Can never really talk to each other. Alongside this theme, as well as other points relating to genocide (which is still, upsettingly, relevant to today), and the way people now engage with literature without this political edge, this is, easily a modern classic.

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mooncraftbujo's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

Do not get the hype at all. I like the reflection on toxic relationships but there is not a single character in this story that I liked or felt an emotional connection to, and I fully got the ick from none if the dialogue being in quotation marks.

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mugsandmanuscripts's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

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

4.0

I'm finding this one hard to rate, because I think it's well done, but parts were excruciating to read. It doesn't work for me as a romance, but it works as a character-based, coming-of-age litfic novel.

A short summary: this is a dual POV story that follows the relationship and growth of the two main characters, Marianne and Connell. Connell struggles with anxiety and depression. Marianne comes from an abusive home and is bullied at school, but finds more popularity in college, where she begins a lot of self-destructive behaviors. Both suffer from self-esteem issues and terrible communication with each other. Those issues repeatedly push them apart, but they continue to orbit each other and fall into one another's gravity.

I think I would have liked the novel slightly better if it had focused on one of the characters rather than both, but then miscommunication was so awful between the characters that perhaps the second character wouldn't have been translatable without the second POV. But there was so much going on with both of them—Marianne's spiral features relationships with sadistic men, an eating disorder, and terrible friends. Connell struggles with intense social anxiety. They are only ever comfortable with each other, and yet they are inscrutable to one another.

Ultimately, I think this is a story that holds both despair and hope and was so believable that it hurt. The characters really did feel real. I liked it, but it's not one I'd read again.

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hannahreadsawholelot's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

This novel made me look at the relationships and trauma I've experienced in my own life, and really assess how I'm dealing with those things, and reframing my life, motivations, and mentality surrounding them. I think everyone should read this book, as it discusses very important things, but it is not an easy read if not prepared to look inward.

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eedle_cacleberry's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

as someone who hasn’t been in a situationship, i felt like the emotions and connections weren’t there. the ability to relate is where i feel people really connect with this book. that the characters are realistic and the way it’s told is so accurate. don’t get me wrong i still enjoyed the book.

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mockingjayx16's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

0.75

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abidoodle's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.75

This was definitely a good book, and it leaves me with a lot to think about relating to communication and our assumptions and perceptions of how people view us or think about us. It also touches on issues of insecurity, self-worth, depression, socioeconomic status differences, and building friendship, trust and love.

Honestly I took it in more as a social commentary on those things than as the story itself, and I found those inner-dialogues and how we got to see them interact with each other in ways that characters didn’t really fascinating. As a work of literature that is moving and deep and thoughtful, it’s wonderful. I personally didn’t really get into the story itself much, and found it difficult to get through at times, if I wasn’t reading a lot at a time. Also I personally just really struggle with the no-quotations style, although that is just a personal preference. Overall it’s an impactful read and I would recommend.

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readay's review against another edition

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emotional reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

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