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lovelybubbles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism
plumdustsuns's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
I like Simon, I believe, but Rooney’s choice with the age gap with him and Eileen made me SO UNCOMFORTABLE. Yes, they’re both older now but it was insinuated that he had these feelings since she was young even though he didn’t act on it.
I’m not sure if I feel the best towards Eileen, though. While I understand her, she also undermined Alice’s work and mental health a lot and I don’t think that was fair or nice of a friend to do. Especially as someone who’s also in the literary field, it’s a little hypocritical.
But I’ve liked reading Rooney’s work so far (just read this and Normal People though). I like how she is able to portray the everyday life and the ‘seemingly mundane’ as dramatically and importantly as it feels. The ending of this felt a lot better and less sterile than that of Normal People’s (the book, at least).
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
clairew97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
nataliem_98's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism and Alcohol
marpaige's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
risemini's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
writingcaia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What can I say?
It lies heavily on the characters or solely, to be honest, as if by living their lives, dealing with their internal and external struggles, the way of the world, the way of people, their meetings, their encounters, their love for each other however crooked and moulded by their own fallibility and fears, they carry the plot. And, they carry it wonderfully, insightfully, painfully, sometimes - for me the also fallible and emotionally pained reader - annoyingly, but without a doubt very candidly and passionately.
Maybe this is not enough for some people, maybe you didn’t or can’t, unlike me see so much of yourself in the characters - me especially in both Alice and Eileen, with their sadness at the world and the people, Eileen with such consuming fear and self-destructiveness and Alice with such crippling anxiety.
The narrative is interesting alternating between third person, with the most beautiful writing that can really put you in there seeing everything as if it was a movie set or the real deal - you know? -, and the first person by way of emails Alice and Eileen exchange between them. Also, pretty good queer representation without being anything about it.
I understand why this author is as hyped as she is, and why, still, there are many who don’t understand that hype. But, as you can clearly imagine after this review, I’m going to devour the rest of her work.
One last note indeed proving how much this book meant to me and how much I related to it, I never mark books, but there was so much I didn’t want to forget, so much I may want to go back to, that I finally made use of those tiny post it thingies and marked the hell out of it.
That’s it folks.
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, and Alcohol
abbruzzese's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
normal people was excusable because most of it takes place before anyone's brains have finished developing, but this time it's real, full-grown adults. alice, felix, eileen—i can't stand any of them. simon is the only character i have a shred of patience for.
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Alcohol
Moderate: Pregnancy
Minor: Drug use
pikkumarja's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Self harm, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
edgaranjapoe's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Religious bigotry, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Cancer, Cursing, Drug use, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail