Reviews with content warning for Addiction - All's Well

Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

All's Well by Mona Awad

44 reviews

read_by_mads's review against another edition

2.0

challenging dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This was a strange one for me, even as an actor and Shakespeare appreciator. It was really hard to be on the hero's side, which was maybe the point? I wouldn't read this one again.

Content Warnings

streamthief's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Read this after reading Bunny, which I adored. I still think All's Well was a fantastic book, but I don't think it tops Bunny. The first part was really hard for me to get through, not because it was boring like most people seem to think, but because I have a small amount of chronic pain in my life and it hit pretty hard. The way it seems to seep into everything, constantly having to plan around it, seeing other people completely unaware of how healthy they can be, and the loss of something you love, rang really true. My main problem with the book was that I didn't like Miranda, largely her irresponsibility towards others in her life m. HOWEVER, I truly understand how deeply she wants to be well and that that is what's driving most of her dubious decisions. The other thing was that the ending was kind of confusing/underwhelming to me. Overall, the writing was amazing and the portrayal of chronic pain was amazing, characters are largely unlikable, and I finished a little confused but still happy with my reading experience.

Content Warnings

astronut's review against another edition

3.5

dark funny tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Content Warnings

saturnsmoons's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

i loved the unhinged and delusional woman trope. this book was a fantastic dive into the realms of pain and the loss of reality. a great book tbh

Content Warnings

clea's review against another edition

3.5

dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

The novel was written in a very clever way; I liked that the protagonist was unreliable and made many wrong and exaggerated assumptions about how people view her. Although she is a very morally grey character and makes a lot of bad and mean decisions, Awad wrote her character so well, that I could not NOT feel for her. Though some scenes made me feel uncomfortable (which was the point) and towards the ending, Miranda really started to get on my nerves, I still could fully relate to her and understand her. The depiction of chronic pain is authentic and feels very real, almost to the point that you start feeling it itself. The novel helped me understand how this kind of omnipresent pain really affects every area of a person's life, how they engage with the world around them, and even how they perceive their surroundings in a different way.
I appreciated the Shakespeare mentions/references and the deeper symbolic meanings and connections that Awad made (and I'm sure I missed a lot of them).
The reason why my rating is comparatively low is that it was not an enjoyable read, it was quite painful to be honest (but which was the point, so Awad achieved it). It made me think a lot and helped me understanding what people who suffer from chronic pain go through, but other than that, I did not really connect with the story nor the characters. I think, it was just a bit too dark (and thus very tiring) for me.

Content Warnings

bdingz's review against another edition

4.25

dark funny tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

A wild ride. As someone who now experiences some (comparatively) mild chronic pain, I shared many of Miranda’s frustrations. Despite her not being “likeable,” I felt like I was rooting for her the whole time. This book is kind of genre-defying, but it definitely has horror elements. The end leaves the reader with questions, though at the same time, I don’t think it ends in an unsatisfactory way.

Content Warnings

mantnam's review against another edition

5.0

dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Surreal/supernatural in a modern setting.

Content Warnings

anna_mayes's review against another edition

3.0

dark sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

All’s Well by Mona Awad

⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie which we ascribe to heaven.”

I was REALLY looking forward to this book and I hate to say it, but I’m mildly disappointed. I struggled through the first 25%, enjoyed the next 60%, and then struggled through the last 15% (that equals 100 right?). Anyway, there’s just a lot going on in this book. I love Shakespeare and I love books that handle tough issues in a creative way. Mona Awad did an excellent job of building the main character, Miranda. However, I feel like the other characters fell a little flat. I understand that Awad was critiquing how doctors view women and their pain, but I feel like this message was watered down by Miranda complaining about other things. Also, I am somewhat confused. Toward the end, a lot of things about Miranda’s history and her relationship with Ellie are introduced that are never fully resolved. On a romantic scale, there’s no explanation as to why she is seeing Paul and what exactly is happening with Hugo. I have seen All’s Well labelled as a dark comedy, but I don’t see it. It seems to be more tragic and a psychological thriller. Overall, this book was dead in the middle for me. The parts I enjoyed, I really enjoyed. The parts I didn’t enjoy, were hard to get through.

I really don’t know if I recommend this book or not. I believe everyone’s opinion is valuable and that you should read a book to develop your own opinion.

CW: Suicide, Murder, Drug Use, Drinking, Chronic Illness

Content Warnings