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hannah_the_bookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
Moderate: Murder and Violence
Minor: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicide, Sexism, Death, and Blood
alexschrade's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Murder, Blood, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Suicide and Pregnancy
Minor: Sexual assault
lifewithjoce's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Suicide, Fatphobia, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault
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
katietregs's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The murder mystery aspect does have good payoff, and the characters are rich and lovable. I think it suffers from too many POV characters up front and not enough storyline events to justify the story’s overall complexity.
That said, it’s an impressive first novel from Osman with good mystery and great characters.
Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Fatphobia, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault
Minor: Bullying and Eating disorder
salma_175's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Suicide, Sexual assault, Murder, and Violence
silver_valkyrie_reads'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? No
4.25
The story also raises some moral issues to chew on, and while I like how most of them are handled, I did think there was a bit too much approval (unless it was just meant to be tired acceptance?) of suicide/killing of someone because they are old/tired/incapacitated.
That said, I'm quite intrigued to continue the series at this point!
Moderate: Dementia, Grief, Murder, Terminal illness, and Suicide
Minor: Sexual assault, Infidelity, and Child death
poirot's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Alcohol, Dementia, Drug abuse, Murder, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Medical content and Misogyny
Minor: Child death and Sexual assault
mo_za11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Graphic: Death, Murder, Terminal illness, and Suicide
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Death, Sexual assault, and Grief
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