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brynniek's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Infidelity, Grief, Racism, Death, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Child death, Bullying, and Emotional abuse
katharina90's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
The characters are unlikeable with zero redeeming qualities, there's so much abuse and trauma being inflicted that was triggering for me, and in the end it feels like there's no real resolution and no accountability for what these people did to one another.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexism, Racism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Violence, Child death, and Racial slurs
Minor: Suicide and Homophobia
ada_elisabeth's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
5.0
Celeste Ng's Everything I Never Told You has been nominated for (and won) countless awards since its publication in 2014. I would like to honor it with my own personal award: the first piece of assigned reading to ever make me cry.
I'm not sure if I'm just in a really emotional mental state these days, but it seems like everything I read now makes me cry. At least that means that ✨sad book season✨ is turning out to be a smashing success. My tears over the final pages of this book can't be entirely chalked up by my incredibly emotional reading habits: Celeste Ng's writing is some of the most layered, tense, and deeply emotional I've ever read. Her control of language impressed me in Little Fires Everywhere, but it really shone here. Another thing Ng does incredibly well is control of plot: I feel as though a storyline as complex as the one featured in EINTY could very quickly spiral out of control, but it was perfectly executed here in a way that allowed it to spiral into a hurricane of chaos when the moment was right but still be reigned in later. I really appreciated the multiple perspectives and eras; they led to a complexly layered history that made the actions of characters feel real and the tension palpable. The final thing that made this book so special was the incredible character writing. Each character felt like a real person, especially Jack, Nath, and Hannah, and the deeply personal way in which Ng told each of their stories made it that much more heartbreaking. My only critique of the entire novel is Lydia: something about her five-year-old self just did not seem plausible to me. Everything else was perfect, but I had a difficult time believing that a five-year-old child who could barely read and hadn't yet started school would do the things Lydia did, but perhaps that is simply because I have never experienced what Lydia did.
We've had countless discussions about this book in English, and our refrain has come to be "everyone in this family needs therapy!" I could not agree more with my peers; the Lees need some serious help. The scene in chapter six wherein Lydia basically promises her life away to Marilyn is painful and jarring, the scene where James hits Nath is traumatizing, and nearly every scene involving Hannah made me want to cry. Lydia never got the therapy she so desperately needed, and I (and the rest of Honors English 10) urge the other members of the Lee family to seek help immediately.
I teared up twice while reading the final chapter; once for Hannah, and once for the whole situation. Hannah deserved so, so much better. Poor baby. She, unlike Nath, is young enough to build some sort of relationship with her parents, but the poor little thing is desperate for any scrap of love and it shows. I rarely wish that books would go on longer than they do, but I wish there was an epilogue in this where readers could see Hannah being happy. :(
I read the last five chapters of this book sitting outside in the backyard while the chickens ran around, which definitely set a mood, but I'm not sure if it was the mood. Oftentimes I find that I cry more to books when I'm in the right place, but I was tearing up over this even as the rooster crowed three feet away from me. The ending was painful in the best (and worst) way. I loved the openness the ending had while still maintaining a sense of closure. I loved the whole Nath/Jack resolution. I loved the James/Marilyn moment. I loved it all. It was perfect. 5/5 stars.
"They will think of her often... When, a long, long time later, [Nath] stares down at the silent blue marble of the earth and thinks of his sister, as he will at every important moment in his life. He doesn't know this yet, but he senses it deep down in his core. So much will happen, he thinks, that I would want to tell you."
I'm not sure if I'm just in a really emotional mental state these days, but it seems like everything I read now makes me cry. At least that means that ✨sad book season✨ is turning out to be a smashing success. My tears over the final pages of this book can't be entirely chalked up by my incredibly emotional reading habits: Celeste Ng's writing is some of the most layered, tense, and deeply emotional I've ever read. Her control of language impressed me in Little Fires Everywhere, but it really shone here. Another thing Ng does incredibly well is control of plot: I feel as though a storyline as complex as the one featured in EINTY could very quickly spiral out of control, but it was perfectly executed here in a way that allowed it to spiral into a hurricane of chaos when the moment was right but still be reigned in later. I really appreciated the multiple perspectives and eras; they led to a complexly layered history that made the actions of characters feel real and the tension palpable. The final thing that made this book so special was the incredible character writing. Each character felt like a real person, especially Jack, Nath, and Hannah, and the deeply personal way in which Ng told each of their stories made it that much more heartbreaking. My only critique of the entire novel is Lydia: something about her five-year-old self just did not seem plausible to me. Everything else was perfect, but I had a difficult time believing that a five-year-old child who could barely read and hadn't yet started school would do the things Lydia did, but perhaps that is simply because I have never experienced what Lydia did.
We've had countless discussions about this book in English, and our refrain has come to be "everyone in this family needs therapy!" I could not agree more with my peers; the Lees need some serious help. The scene in chapter six wherein Lydia basically promises her life away to Marilyn is painful and jarring, the scene where
I teared up twice while reading the final chapter; once for Hannah, and once for the whole situation. Hannah deserved so, so much better. Poor baby. She, unlike Nath, is young enough to build some sort of relationship with her parents, but the poor little thing is desperate for any scrap of love and it shows. I rarely wish that books would go on longer than they do, but I wish there was an epilogue in this where readers could see Hannah being happy. :(
I read the last five chapters of this book sitting outside in the backyard while the chickens ran around, which definitely set a mood, but I'm not sure if it was the mood. Oftentimes I find that I cry more to books when I'm in the right place, but I was tearing up over this even as the rooster crowed three feet away from me. The ending was painful in the best (and worst) way. I loved the openness the ending had while still maintaining a sense of closure. I loved the whole Nath/Jack resolution. I loved the James/Marilyn moment. I loved it all. It was perfect. 5/5 stars.
"They will think of her often... When, a long, long time later, [Nath] stares down at the silent blue marble of the earth and thinks of his sister, as he will at every important moment in his life. He doesn't know this yet, but he senses it deep down in his core. So much will happen, he thinks, that I would want to tell you."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Child abuse
duntothewood's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Abandonment, Racism, Grief, Racial slurs, and Physical abuse
Minor: Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Outing, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
owl_eerie's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Traumatizing the whole way through; it was excellent. Lesson on having empathy for the things people do to try and make their family happy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Abandonment, Child abuse, and Xenophobia
maddie_0930's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It was cute and had good diversity but it was boring and a hard read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Death
Moderate: Alcoholism and Child abuse
Minor: Bullying
ventellina's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Grief
jaidenmarie11's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
MY GOD.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Death, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
holliesatchell's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Grief, Sexism, Bullying, Racism, Toxic relationship, Outing, Racial slurs, and Suicide
borrowmybookjacket's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It's a great book, but Ng tells very human stories and that can weigh on you as you read sometimes. There are good resolutions ultimately, not much is left hanging except for I guess the potential of a relationship. It's a book that you can feel the hurt coming from, but you actually feel satisfied with it in the end. Not happy. Satisfied.
<spoilers>
I found it so easy to relate to everyone here. Not as much the father may be as much of his struggle was racial and let's be real, I'm a squishy white woman, but my parents have a strained dynamic, I have these kind of relationships at varying times with my mother, my father, and my siblings. I am the youngest, tip-toeing around and listening to what was happening in the house. Can't be noticed, won't be noticed. I am the ignored brother with unrealistic goals even though I was clearly working well toward them without people seeing. I am Lydia, struggling under pressure to be Good and Correct and Doing What Is Expected. My parents didn't know I didn't have friends like that and I clung to moments of attention. I think many folks have.
<spoilers>
I found it so easy to relate to everyone here. Not as much the father may be as much of his struggle was racial and let's be real, I'm a squishy white woman, but my parents have a strained dynamic, I have these kind of relationships at varying times with my mother, my father, and my siblings. I am the youngest, tip-toeing around and listening to what was happening in the house. Can't be noticed, won't be noticed. I am the ignored brother with unrealistic goals even though I was clearly working well toward them without people seeing. I am Lydia, struggling under pressure to be Good and Correct and Doing What Is Expected. My parents didn't know I didn't have friends like that and I clung to moments of attention. I think many folks have.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Physical abuse, Violence, Suicide, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, and Infidelity
Minor: Murder, Vomit, Alcohol, and Blood