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decie's review against another edition
dark
tense
1.0
something about this book just rubbed me the wrong way. a big part of that was definitely the way disability was talked about/used almost like a horror element in parts....it feels like it's supposed to show the reality of life as a woman with chronic pain, but it just ended up pushing cure rhetoric and framing disabled people as crabby old hags with "dead legs" who are resented by their former loved ones until they are cured and "back to normal" for the happy ending
I am literally begging authors to stop using the magically disabled and tragically disabled tropes in their books. it really shouldn't be this hard.
I also felt like Awad was trying to have an unreliable narrator but made her so unreliable that half of the story was lost. we only needed one sentence from a onlooker's pov to make the entire book make sense, but we didn't get that. instead, we got a bizarre ableist fever dream without any clear messaging. wild.
I am literally begging authors to stop using the magically disabled and tragically disabled tropes in their books. it really shouldn't be this hard.
I also felt like Awad was trying to have an unreliable narrator but made her so unreliable that half of the story was lost. we only needed one sentence from a onlooker's pov to make the entire book make sense, but we didn't get that. instead, we got a bizarre ableist fever dream without any clear messaging. wild.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, and Alcohol
streamthief's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
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
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Medical trauma
astronut's review against another edition
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death
wrestleacademic's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Chronic illness
kam_pearson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug use, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Grief, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
clea's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
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.
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
Graphic: Chronic illness, Violence, and Medical content
Moderate: Addiction and Sexual content
bdingz's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
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
Graphic: Chronic illness and Self harm
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Addiction
kingsamong's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
lisa00's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content
bluberrybooks's review against another edition
challenging
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I enjoyed the story writing and the story itself. The way she talks about pain and how the doctors and people around her treat her is very real. Doctors dismiss and don't really listen to their patients. They all have their own idea of chronic pain that is flawed and treat their patients horribly in different ways wheather they mean to or not. I have chronic apin and I related to doctors/ physical therapists not really understanding or not having the knowledge to help me. There were many lines that's struck me.
I loved the magic and dream sequences. It felt like a thriller, comedy, drama and realistic fiction all at once. I love the different genres combined
All's well really captures chronic pain and how ignored and overlooked it is by everyone around you even family.
Spoiler...
I love the character development even if it was small with most of the characters like Briana and how Grace apologized Miranda grew as a character as well.
This review is not well written, but I loved it overall
I loved the magic and dream sequences. It felt like a thriller, comedy, drama and realistic fiction all at once. I love the different genres combined
All's well really captures chronic pain and how ignored and overlooked it is by everyone around you even family.
Spoiler...
I love the character development even if it was small with most of the characters like Briana and how Grace apologized Miranda grew as a character as well.
This review is not well written, but I loved it overall
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship