Reviews

Confidence by Rafael Frumkin

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btdill's review

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dark funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

tuai's review

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dark

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Everyone in this novel is an unrepentant piece of shit, and I love it.

This is not a novel about eating the rich, it's a novel about trampling everyone in your way to become the rich. It manages to make you empathize with a main character that's unequivocally The Worst and also pitiful and sad and an asshole and just a boy in love. I've really enjoyed it.

brashcandicoot's review against another edition

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tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

dufremde's review against another edition

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funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

my reading experience for this "theranos but gay" satire was that it gave same vibes as a vice dot com longread (rip) or podcast, which means it was incredibly propulsive and digestible but I also felt like the author left a lot on the table in terms of juicing up the details. as in, I truly think a fanfic girlie could have turned this into something show-stopping, a primo jacob elordi/timothee charmander script waiting to happen.

ok but in all seriousness, the biggest issue I had with the whole cult of personality premise was the fact that Orson was so painfully mid and I never believed for one second in his charm or magnetism. Ezra did so much crime for this man and it's a mystery why. the deteriorating eyesight subplot-slash-metaphor also produced diminishing returns as the story progressed, although the actual descriptions were top-notch.

priceliketag's review

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challenging dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Started out very, very strong, but quickly lost his way in the back half. Still enjoyable overall though.

jordanwilde's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I picked this book by just looking at the cover photo. I was pleasantly surprised by the plot. I thought that progression of the plot was well thought out, as well as the character development. It's one of those underdog stories where you want to root for them, but a part of you hates them, too. I thought the ending was a bit abrupt, but I liked it.