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rachaelmaris's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
what a beautiful poetic book but oh my god, how sad. I usually don't cry when I read but this one got me up late, racing to finish and when I did--waterworks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Minor: Child abuse and Rape
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Drug use, Incest, Racism, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and War
ruthjenkins's review against another edition
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Terminal illness
graysweed's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
2.0
I'm someone who's extremely online & seriously addicted to my phone, but this book was not for me at all.
I didn't like the writing style, it was too poetic & at times absurdist for my taste. I also found the main character to oscilate violently from being kind of relatable to being kind of the worst. So, I thought she sucked.
Unfortunately, after reading the acknowledgments I found out this is largely, if not entirely, autobiographical. So, I'm sorry Patricia.
The second half increased my rating a lot, though. It was existential and sad, and either the absurdity decreased more as she got more disconnected from her phone or else I just got used to it.
I didn't like the writing style, it was too poetic & at times absurdist for my taste. I also found the main character to oscilate violently from being kind of relatable to being kind of the worst. So, I thought she sucked.
The second half increased my rating a lot, though. It was existential and sad, and either the absurdity decreased more as she got more disconnected from her phone or else I just got used to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
sakisreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
✨ Thrifted ✨
Okay, I’ve just been in the reviews section and am so relieved to hear I am not the only one.
I understand (and can appreciate) commentary on social media and its addictiveness, and some of this was definitely implied throughout the story with the use of the ‘portal’, but I felt like it didn’t really hit any of the marks.
Furthermore, I picked this up because BookTok said I should, but unfortunately it fell short for me. I felt like it was very disjointed, and something that was clearly devastating was brushed over 😦
It is obviously vital that we address Proteus Syndrome (a rare condition characterised by overgrowth of bones), but I can’t say that the book itself did it.
I was going to give this to a friend but can’t recommend something that wasn’t for me so 🥲 Sorry!
Furthermore, I picked this up because BookTok said I should, but unfortunately it fell short for me. I felt like it was very disjointed, and something that was clearly devastating was brushed over 😦
I was going to give this to a friend but can’t recommend something that wasn’t for me so 🥲 Sorry!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
teigancollins's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
bridgetww's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
kjboldon's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
This book is weird. Uncategorizable. All along as I read, my mind kept offering up ideas on why it wasn't quite working, on what might've helped make it more cohesive: an indie press, an editor dedicated to the book, not the marketing campaign, if it were a memoir rather than a novel, if it were two novellas, if it were...
Yet this book is also kind of miraculous. To imagine it as otherwise dispels some of its bonkers magic. It portrays the age of Twitter and Trump (I had no issues with her authorial choice to call them The Portal and The Dictator. Both are true, while also universalizing them just a bit, and taking away some power from those overused names) alongside the deep family grief and tragedy of a doomed baby born with Proteus syndrome. It is funny and heartbreaking. It is bizarre and relatable. It is weird and flawed, and yet it's also somewhat wondrous.
I can't recommend it, but I'm glad to have read it. It has left me bemused. Not confused. Unsettled, sometimes entertained. Is it like Virginia Woolf's The Waves but for the ADHD generation? I have questions, but no answers.
Yet this book is also kind of miraculous. To imagine it as otherwise dispels some of its bonkers magic. It portrays the age of Twitter and Trump (I had no issues with her authorial choice to call them The Portal and The Dictator. Both are true, while also universalizing them just a bit, and taking away some power from those overused names) alongside the deep family grief and tragedy of a doomed baby born with Proteus syndrome. It is funny and heartbreaking. It is bizarre and relatable. It is weird and flawed, and yet it's also somewhat wondrous.
I can't recommend it, but I'm glad to have read it. It has left me bemused. Not confused. Unsettled, sometimes entertained. Is it like Virginia Woolf's The Waves but for the ADHD generation? I have questions, but no answers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
gretchenplz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
This book is smart, and funny, and devastatingly sad.
I found this to be such an interesting book, with such growth and reflection and love showcased throughout.
I don’t want to sound like an asshole or elitist but this book is just so smart. It takes a great amount of self awareness and reflection to understand what the author did here and it is really, really special.
I found this to be such an interesting book, with such growth and reflection and love showcased throughout.
I don’t want to sound like an asshole or elitist but this book is just so smart. It takes a great amount of self awareness and reflection to understand what the author did here and it is really, really special.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
bariqhonium's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Abortion