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kbweis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Child death, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Car accident
melissafirman's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
1. I'm a big fan of Jennifer Finney Boylan's writing and a bit less so of Jodi Picoult's. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have picked this up if JFB wasn't a co-author. For those new to her work, I highly recommend her novel Long Black Veil and memoir I'm Looking Through You: Growing Up Haunted. This is the third book of Jodi Picoult's I've read and all have been 3 stars.
2. For most of the first half (perhaps even 3/4) of the book, I was fully invested in the plot, wanting to know what happened. I felt the pacing was excellent, up to a particular point.
3. I loved Lily, felt like I knew her, and was truly sorry she was dead. (Not a spoiler-it's right on the book jacket.)
As we got closer to the end, however, it felt like several key aspects started to unravel. Mostly, I HAVE ISSUES AND LOTS OF QUESTIONS. Rant below:
Some other issues: There's a lot about beekeeping, almost too much. I think those sections could have been greatly condensed. Plus, there are a lot of heavy topics included in this novel (read the trigger warnings) and that felt a bit like trauma p**n at times, not to mention repetitive, particularly regarding Olivia's relationship with her ex-husband. Overall, this could have been much shorter.
3.5 stars.
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Outing
Minor: Stalking and Abortion
emsapp's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Moderate: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, and Outing
jamie_rich's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Outing
Moderate: Medical content
kvrapcu's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Transphobia, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Outing, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
hollzballz's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Violence, and Outing
meganhunt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Outing
Minor: Deadnaming and Blood
ljtademy3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The writing itself was not my favorite and I was able to predict the culprit of the thriller so those aspects got in the way of my experience with this book at times. However, you can tell this book is written with the purpose to educate which I can appreciate. The information was not new to me, so I didn’t leave this book feeling intensely impacted and reflective in the way I imagine the authors hoped readers would. Still, I would recommend this book to anyone for sure.
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Transphobia
Moderate: Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Outing
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion and Pregnancy
lidia7's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Confinement, Cursing, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail