Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson

1 review

lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I received this as a gift from someone.
"Beyond the Point" is a heartbreaking story that follows three friends from when they meet at West Point, until they are in their mid-twenties. Dani, Hannah, and Avery had no idea that when they signed up to attend West Point to play basketball that they would be entering a military academy during the events of 9/11. Dani is the brilliant friend that everyone knows is going to end up some place great. Hannah's grandfather was a prestigious Army general, who tried to steer her away from West Point, but Hannah believes this is God's plan for her. Avery lives in the fast lane, and she sees West Point as the best path to take to have a better life.
When I first picked this up, I had no idea what it was about, but I just wanted to read it because it was given to me. Once I started to get into the story and realized it was about people in the military, and I was weary because I traditionally do not like stories about the military or war. But, to my surprise, it did not take me long to fall completely in love with these characters and their stories.
All three of these women were fascinating to read from, and had complex characters, which is such a feat to accomplish. However, I had a real soft spot for Dani's story specifically. Dani was set for success, and she did everything right to achieve her dreams, but life did not work out how she thought it would. To be someone so high achieving and to have everyone around her say how far she would go, only to be completely derailed upon graduation, was devastating. However, she was resilient, and I loved seeing her come to terms with what happened to her and build a new, better life for herself. I think she ultimately ended up where she was always meant to be.
I did almost cry when Hannah's husband was killed. I knew it was coming, but it still was such a devastating shock. She deserved so much better, and he was the perfect man for her.

This book tackles themes of friendship, sexism, and finding yourself perfectly. The characters each have adversity that they must overcome, which provided robust representation of for different walks of life. Each character had a strong narrative independently, and I felt like any one of these characters could have had their own book, and it would have been just as enjoyable of a reading experience.
I HIGHLY recommend this book, and I am very excited to pick up more from Claire Gibson in the future. 

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