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allison87's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I feel like if Netflix Eloise read this book she would promptly throw it into the fire and scream.
Phillip is a piece of work. Anger issues, SA of his late wife while she was suffering from post pardom depression, absent fathering, asking for a wife for the express purpose of getting a homemaker/nanny/warm body but withheld that fact for an entire year of courting.
Once they are together and married, consent is hazy. He's not interested in her as a person but as a body. To the point where he hardly lets her speak/avoids her all day prior to bed time. (When Eloise has a major concern about the children's care, instead of pause his pursuit of her body to listen to her, he throws a tantrum and leaves.) So, yeah, it's extremely romantic?
I get that these were issues that were/still are common. But that doesn't make it conducive to a love story. It's more horror than anything. Even if this were written in the 1800s it would still come off extremely bleak and hardly romantic.
Shondaland has a ton of work ahead to turn this story into anything good. Personally I would scrap most of it.
Phillip is a piece of work. Anger issues, SA of his late wife while she was suffering from post pardom depression, absent fathering, asking for a wife for the express purpose of getting a homemaker/nanny/warm body but withheld that fact for an entire year of courting.
Once they are together and married, consent is hazy. He's not interested in her as a person but as a body. To the point where he hardly lets her speak/avoids her all day prior to bed time. (When Eloise has a major concern about the children's care, instead of pause his pursuit of her body to listen to her, he throws a tantrum and leaves.) So, yeah, it's extremely romantic?
I get that these were issues that were/still are common. But that doesn't make it conducive to a love story. It's more horror than anything. Even if this were written in the 1800s it would still come off extremely bleak and hardly romantic.
Shondaland has a ton of work ahead to turn this story into anything good. Personally I would scrap most of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Ableism, Child abuse, Rape, Suicide, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
annahamburger's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Rape, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Child abuse
Moderate: Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Grief, and Misogyny
Minor: Ableism, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Violence, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Blood
anyashadows's review against another edition
sad
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Misogyny, Child abuse, Sexism, Ableism, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
the_vegan_bookworm's review
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Sexual content, and Suicide
Moderate: Ableism and Alcohol
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