Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

We Are All So Good at Smiling by Amber McBride

29 reviews

christinesmith205's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Death, and Suicide

Moderate: Bullying

smcaput2's review

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Grief, Death, Bullying, and Self harm

augustriver's review

emotional hopeful fast-paced

• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Mental illness, and Self harm

ladyhunbun's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

This book really connected with me as a therapist working with teens with depression as well as someone who was a teen with depression. At times I struggled with the pacing (though this got better once I picked up the audiobook). Overall a resonant book even if sometimes a little ethereal. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Racism, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts

joyreadsbuku's review

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

4 stars - TLDR: A book written in verse about 2 teens dealing with mental health (clinical depression) and the layers it has. Characters were likeable, pace and plot were okay, but the ending was too fast. Make sure to be (emotionally) ready for this one. 

Long(er) review: I liked the main characters (Whimsy & Faerry) and that they start talking to each other again. They go through the same trauma and help each other through it. I did not like how one parent basically told the mc to forget what happened, making the parent no help at all. But this is a reality for a lot of people, so it's important to raise this issue. 

Speaking of, another character in the book said "Black boys don't get to feel things", which is also a crucial point to speak on. I liked the Fantasy and Magical Realism, but sometimes the magical aspect felt like a lot, which leads to feeling so out of touch with reality. As a result, it's actually well done because that is how depression can feel for some. 

The middle was a bit long because it kept hovering over what happened in the past without explicitly saying what happened (it dragged on a little bit). If it didn't, it would leave space for the ending to be more explained.

Overall a good book, but please be prepared before reading this book and pay attention to the trigger warnings (which are mentioned in the beginning of this book, and are in this case; depression, self-harm, trauma, death, panick attacks, grief).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death, Mental illness, and Suicide

Moderate: Self harm

serenity667's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Racial slurs, and Suicide

percyvale's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Racism, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Death, Racial slurs, and Mental illness

thebookkeepers's review

dark emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

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

5.0

Hauntingly dark. This is the exact kind of poetry book I love! This was unique in that it covers some contemporary issues of clinical depression & self harm behavior but folded within a fairy tale setting hidden within the real world. It was deeply nuanced & has layers of symbolism to dissect. Absolutely loved it & the audiobook was narrated by the author. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Self harm, Suicide, Death, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Suicide attempt

annamorgan27's review against another edition

dark emotional sad fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Mental illness, Body horror, Blood, Child death, Death, Suicide attempt, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders

liorallen's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Death, and Self harm

Minor: Suicide attempt