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cloudbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The good:
The concept of time travel as a condition rather than a power was really, really interesting.
Getting to know the two main characters was such a big part of the experience!
I absolutely loved Alba. I think this story would have been better had it followed her.
The bad:
When you think about it, the characters grow more and more flat. They have characteristics and interests but not really personalities. Outside of Henry, we're never told what Clare is like. Her whole existence is to love him and to want him.
Henry is a bit more fledged out. He has interests beyond Clare and a work life as well. But if he didn't have time travel as a condition, he'd be a rather boring character.
Their relationships to other people are built around experiences we're not told about. Henry's best friend dislikes him the first time he meets him, then carries on being his best friend afterwards for no apparent reason. The same for Henry's father. We're never told how he makes it out of his grief, let alone how Henry manages to repair his relationship to him.
The book, in the end, seems to try to handle too many issues at once which prevents it from going into detail about anything. I'd have loved to hear more about Henry's genetic disease, about Clare's relationship to her mother, about Alba's childhood. Instead we get excessive descriptions of music, art and books that somehow define the characters but don't give much in terms of who they are and what their life is like.
I'm glad I listened to it. I probably won't read it again though.
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Car accident, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Terminal illness, Cursing, Pregnancy, Grief, Medical content, and Death of parent
taylormadespines's review against another edition
Graphic: Body horror, Cancer, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Grief, Infertility, Medical content, Stalking, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Pedophilia, Police brutality, Vomit, Death, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Violence
ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
There is a moment when Clare is in distress and asks Henry to tell her something nice. He tells her about a time when they were swimming and Clare was wearing this bikini (that he describes in detail) and back then she told him about getting her period. The problem? She was 12. I know that they were going to be married in the future, but they weren’t at that moment. AND THAT IS THE MEMORY HE THINKS OF???
A nurse that is literally only in one small sentence in this entire novel is described as “a fat blond nurse”. Why? Why is that the way we have to describe her?
I hated Gomez. He NEEDED to be cut out of Clare’s life. What a skunk.
When Clare was growing up and Henry kept time traveling back to her he says that he was often aroused- again, she was young and he wasn’t and it just made me cringe.
Their relationship had a lot of buildup when Clare was young and then the moment she turns 18 I feel like their relationship was built upon sex and the fact that they were always supposed to be married. I was just expecting more from a book that is touted as some magnificent love story.
Graphic: Blood, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Alcoholism, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Body shaming and Fatphobia
anne152's review against another edition
- 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
2.0
Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Child death, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
uranaishi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Classism, Medical content, Abandonment, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Blood, Cancer, Cursing, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, and Torture
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Classism, Self harm, Homophobia, Rape, and Vomit
mayacm456's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Violence, Gore, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Mental illness, and Infertility
buecher_und_huehner's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Miscarriage and Terminal illness
bibliobeth'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
4.0
I absolutely love this book, but have knocked a star off for what I think to be some inappropriate thoughts/actions between the characters at questionable ages.
Graphic: Miscarriage
Moderate: Suicide, Blood, Violence, Death, Terminal illness, and Drug use