Reviews with content warning for Self harm - Cleopatra and Frankenstein

For me this was a fast and easy read. I liked the vived atmosphere of New York. I also liked the characters, especially Cleo. You will not only read about Cleo's and Frank's point of views but also from their friends point of views. These are all troubled and complex characters, and I enjoyed reading from their point of views. However, I didn't enjoy reading from Eleanor's point of view. Her point of view was also differently written than all the other characters, which did not work for me and her story felt boring to read about.

There were also some relatable quotes and funny moments even though the story was quite emotional and dark.

Content Warnings

delaneydunster's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

marianajosefa's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark funny reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

kaithebookworm's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.5

Didn’t want to say bye to Cleo and Frank at the end of this… I’ve come to appreciate their flaws and the story/plot itself was divine and hard to read at the same time. I hate to admit it, but I did not like Quentin or Eleanor’s characters. I just did not resonate and I found myself yawning with Eleanor’s pov. It might just be due to the way her story was set up - felt mechanical. Other than that, she did grow on me towards the end. Coco is a genius - please bless us with more books 🥹

Content Warnings

____nique's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional funny sad tense slow-paced

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

1.5

I saw this on Fully Booked– the cover page piqued my interest and made me want to read it when I read its blurb. Thankfully, I fought the urge to buy the physical copy of this book because I would be so disappointed if I did as I didn’t enjoy reading it. The first chapter of it was eye-catching and it was the main reason why I continued reading it. However, the chapters following that were disappointing. Maybe the story was not just for me, but I really can’t see the logic and sense of reading a story without an actual plot (I mean, I would get it if the story is non-fiction, but a fiction book without a plot? Oh, come on!)

Since it has no plot, I found the book very tedious and tiring to read– it took me 2 weeks to finish it which was unusual for me as I only read books at least a week. The chapters were just too long; I found the descriptive words very detailed; and the stories in each chapter were not really linked to the main storyline (if a storyline/plot really does exist in this book). Some readers prefer this kind of writing, but I found it unnecessary which prevented me from connecting with the story.

I can see the similarities between this book and The Year of Rest and Relaxation. They both gave me mixed feelings towards the book because I genuinely think that the story, characters, and overall setting of this book have potential, but something in the writing was lacking that made the story feel lost somewhere. So sad, I would’ve loved to enjoy reading these kinds of stories, but my impatient ass cannot stand it.

Content Warnings

More...