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megelizabeth's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Reading this a few years after its release, I couldn't help but feel it didn't quite live up to all the hype, but I still enjoyed it overall. It's well-written with an interesting plot and fun set of characters, and it's of course very witty and full of a very specific British humour which I appreciated. It's also a great combination of gripping and fast-paced on the one hand, and then complex, layered, and bittersweet on the other, with important things to say about ageing, relationships, and illness and death.
My main issue with this book is that there's a significant part of the ending which just didn't make sense to me at all, in terms of a certain character's actions and the impact that these then have on the plot. Maybe I was missing something, but it just seemed so out of character for me that it was difficult to look past, particularly as otherwise I found the various strands of the mystery to be wrapped up in a satisfying way.
On a lesser note - and perhaps more of a personal preference - I wish that more of the story had been told from Joyce's point of view and particularly that the police officer characters had been less prominent.
I'm not sure if I'll pick up the next book, as there were definitely elements of this that I really liked and I do enjoy Osman's writing style, but there were also big drawbacks for me. I suppose time will tell!
Graphic: Blood, Suicide, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Racism and Sexual assault
purplesaturday'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
Minor: Gun violence, Drug use, Murder, and Violence
aphraclare's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Minor: Murder, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Violence, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Grief, Death, Cancer, Child death, Blood, Dementia, and Suicide
nick_thebucket's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
The characters were very lovable, and for a mystery novel there really weren't that many loose ends.
Graphic: Dementia and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Terminal illness, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death, Chronic illness, Murder, and Suicide
Minor: Alcohol, Gun violence, Medical content, Abortion, and Child death
maddi_aaa's review
- 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
3.25
Graphic: Murder, Child death, Suicide, Gun violence, Death, and Pregnancy
cooliuscaesar451's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug use, Grief, Child death, Mental illness, Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Ableism, Drug abuse, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug use, Deportation, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Racism, War, Cancer, Misogyny, and Classism
Minor: Pregnancy, Animal death, Addiction, Homophobia, and Gun violence
oliverreeds's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Murder, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Suicide
adelita18'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
4.0
Graphic: Murder, Gun violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Mental illness
agoldendear's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Dementia, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Fatphobia
prairieraven's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Dementia, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child death, Death, Deportation, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Murder, Police brutality, Sexual assault, Trafficking, Alcohol, and Car accident