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semporina's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Police brutality, Grief, and Sexual harassment
_meganrose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Cancer and War
leospressos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The messiness feels real; somehow I didn't want to scream at them to talk it out like I usually do with romance books. I just understood. It was refreshing to see a young adult romance feel so realistic.
This books tackles with darker subjects and sexuality pretty well; none of them are the point of the book, but they are present and can be messy. May I even say...like in a normal person's life
Overall the book was a fast read and grasped my attention more than I thought. While it was not a fantastic read and the prose was not remarkable to me, I definitely appreciated the freshness of it.
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Eating disorder
chantelsorae'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
4.5
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Blood
arxchiell'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
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
rachellen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Admittedly I had watched the show multiple times before reading the book today, so I’d lacked the urgency to actually read it. I am so very glad I have now.
The show does follow the book but I found it so much more emotional as a whole to read the words said between Connell and Marianne. Particularly, when Marianne says ‘most people go through their whole lives, Marianne thought, without ever really feeling that close to anyone’. Also - ‘Marianne, he said, I’m not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me.’
The reason as to why I love this story, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it or the writing, is because it is flawed. The characters are flawed through and through, constantly making their lives difficult because of the intrusion of their desires and emotions and hate. This is what it means to be a sentient human being. That is why I love this story.
I found the power play between the two characters incredibly multifaceted, it evolved constantly. Marianne belongs to a different social class with more money and her mother is her family’s cleaner which in turn funds Connell’s family home. Yet neither have fathers, they are not present or deceased, when they meet. On the other hand, Connell has power over Marianne, particularly in their school relationship, as Marianne is incredibly vulnerable and abused at home leading to insecurities where she is wanting to please Connell to (possibly) make him stay (the secret relationship, university conversations and so on). In school, Connell is popular, Marianne is not. In university, Marianne is popular and even gets Connell a job so he can pay rent, whilst Connell is not popular and works jobs. Marianne has a paid for flat with her own room and so on, Connell works to pay for a shared room in a house. When Marianne leaves home, she relies on Connell and his family, and is no longer wealthy, so they also both become equal (?) financially after they win scholarships, possibly bending more to Connell’s favour as he worked. The power play constantly changes, I believe it balances out in the end, yet the ending infers that there are more power imbalances/balances to occur.
When I found myself on the final page I felt panicked at Marianne’s coolness, particularly after a bicker between them, but when she ends with saying ‘I’ll always be here. You know that.’ - it was probably the most devoted, unprompted, purest thing that Marianne says to Connell in the entire book. It is a pledge.
I could go on for days. But I won’t bore readers of this review any longer.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Blood
gaby_readsss'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
3.0
I had wanted to read this book after hearing so many polarizing opinions on it. To be honest, I don’t even know how I feel about this book yet. Part of me wants to love it but I mostly hate it. Like, I get it, but why does it have to be so complicated? If you guys love each other and are miserable without each other why do you keep letting each other go? 😭 I know that this is more than just their relationship but man, I don’t even know if these characters had any personal growth.
Also, that ending was so frustrating. I get the point but I don’t get it at the same time. 😩
I’ll go watch the show now to try and make sense of what I just read.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
pau0704's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loved the writing style of the author. Now I get why this book is this famous.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
0live_tr33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
cupcake8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
1.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Classism