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hankatcol's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Drug abuse, Incest, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Abandonment
erinreadsslow'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
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Death of parent
stefs1974'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
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, Grief, Death of parent, and Classism
butlerebecca'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? It's complicated
5.0
This is exactly how you write stories of trauma - with reflection and compassion, and balanced with a gorgeous prose defined by its fine-tuned attention to detail
Check the trigger warnings because there’s some graphic stuff in this book but if you can stomach it it’s absolutely worth the read
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis and Pregnancy
lashanda's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
The jacket cover description also talks about how Betty copes with her family's horrors through writing. I was arguably most intrigued by this, but this plotline was almost non-existent.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Death, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism
lgiery'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
2.5
Additionally, some scenes of abuse, violence, racism, and sexism seemed unnecessary and insensitively executed. There is also so much cruelty packed into this book with very little human complexity.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Homophobia
lerix4relur's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death and Rape
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Incest, Racism, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug abuse and Abortion
mbrunner's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Abortion, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
libbyyjo's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
ashleykhoffman's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Everything was nice to read, but there was no pressure for me that was keeping me reading. There were LOTS of dramatic moments, but no ongoing pressure or singular thing I was rooting for or hoping for. It just felt like getting slapped in the face every other chapter for 50 chapters. This family was put through the wringer; Betty, too, was put through it, but she seemed to be the lone member of her family who persevered and rose above in the end.
I've come to realize that memoir-style stories are just not my favorite, but if you're looking for something full of emotions and lots of triggering scenes that will make you gasp and a wicked surprising ending dramatic climax... you'll love this.
Graphic: Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug abuse, Miscarriage, and Toxic relationship