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bookskatie's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Animal death
burnourhistory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse
Minor: Abortion
aharper's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Animal death and Abandonment
Minor: Abortion and Death of parent
heshanks'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? No
5.0
Excellent use of silence/blank space
I often get tired of format swapping, but this moves between narrative prose and play scenes and does it to *fantastic* effect.
Main characters encounter peril but do not perish.
Weird premise, beautifully told.
Graphic: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Abortion, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Dementia, Medical content, Body horror, and Death of parent
spellbindingtomes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment and Alcoholism
Minor: Drug use and Animal death
hocuscrocus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Unfortunately, the book lost me in part 2. It's a lovely story, but it felt like too far a meander from the gut punch that was part one. If it were up to me, I would have had just the first part, about half of the third part, and the epilogue.
All that said, I whipped through this book like wildfire.
Graphic: Blood, Dementia, Violence, Chronic illness, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Animal death, Death, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Confinement
Minor: Abortion and Infertility
tetrootz'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? No
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Body horror, Blood, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Medical trauma, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Death, Confinement, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Drug use
Minor: Miscarriage, Abortion, Infertility, Infidelity, Alcohol, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Alcoholism
gpfot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Pregnancy, Medical content, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Mental illness
stefcornell's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
4.25
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Grief, Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Medical content, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, and Suicide attempt
leahgustafson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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This book is organized into three parts, and to be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about the structure. The first part about Lewis and Wren was interesting, and I found their navigation of challenges as a newly married couple to be relatable. I appreciate how, as different people, they both approached and processed the situation differently. There is also good discussion/character reflection around the expectations or “picture” of one’s life not matching reality.
•
Part Two threw me off a little bit. I felt very engaged in the story of Wren’s childhood and how it shaped her in the present. However some things felt disjointed and didn’t seem to flow nicely together.
•
The ending of this story felt a little forced to me—like it was trying to tie everything up into a bow. I won’t go into detail because I don’t want to include spoilers, but I was left questioning how some things added up or the purpose of other characters/events in the story.
•
All in all, this book explores some big life questions such as—How can we continue to find meaning, joy, and purpose in an imperfect and uncertain life? Because of the world the characters live in, these questions are more accessible for readers to explore. However, this book didn’t flow as nicely for me, and there are some details I still have questions about.
•
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Graphic: Grief and Terminal illness