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challenging
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bad plot with some interesting parts popping up a few times. The only reason that I actually bothered to finish it was to see how the conflicts were resolved, and ... safe to say I was disappointed lol. If the author has focused on just Cleo, Frank, Eleanor and Anders the book would have been more solid, but instead 30% of it was dedicated to side characters. The story of the side characters really didn't add to the main storyline, so .. could have easily been chopped and nothing would be missing.
The author does have a way of digesting hard themes with her easily flowing writing style, which made this book actually readable.
Wouldn't recommend this to anyone, but I am going to see what the author comes up with next 🪩⚡🤍
The author does have a way of digesting hard themes with her easily flowing writing style, which made this book actually readable.
Wouldn't recommend this to anyone, but I am going to see what the author comes up with next 🪩⚡🤍
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Alcohol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Dementia, Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual assault
Lovely writing and beautifully nuanced characters. But it is so obvious when going into POCs’ POVs that the author is white. The conversation between POC characters, specifically the one between a Japanese man and a Black woman, are especially uncomfortable to read. There is also a chapter that focuses on a character’s weight loss journey, with many comments and themes that can be harmful. An overall gorgeous book, but another example of it being better for authors to either be more careful or to simply write what they know.
emotional
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
I think this is what adults call big feelings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Eating disorder, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, Blood, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicide attempt
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This feels weird to rate bc it was compellingly readable to the point where I couldn’t put it down. But at the same time, it made me feel awful and I didn’t really care about any of the characters. 2.25 stars is a reasonable compromise I guess.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Drug abuse, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Moderate: Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Review contains minor spoilers.
This book feels like a fever dream. The manic-pixie artist struggles with the darkness that hovers over everything she does. When she meets older, alcohol-loving, fun guy Frank they explode in a fever dream of drugs and parties and attempted domesticity.
Just to say, I enjoyed this book. I was compelled to keep reading, I wanted to know what happened. I didn't love every aspect of it, for example, the characters (who are decently explored - most named characters get at least one of their own perspective chapters) are mostly horrendously cliched. Cleo's best friend, Quentin, for example, is a gay man addicted to drugs, dabbles in promiscuity and toxic relationships and gender presentation. Santiago, the gentle, overweight friend who loves to cook and hates how he looks. Anders, the aging model who sleeps with literally everyone without ever seeing them as human. It feels a little clumsy and I would've enjoyed a bit more complexity from them. The main exception being Eleanor, a character introduced tremendously in a montage-of-sorts chapter of her first day at her new job, who is a delight to read and root for.
Frank's seemingly endless supply of money from his ad agency conveniently assuages all of the money problems in the novel. Even when characters are "broke", their financial safety doesn't ever feel at risk. Zoe comes the closest to true poverty, but even then, we see it's because she doesn't want to ask for help, rather than having no feasible avenues.
I enjoy later when Frank challenges his notion that Cleo is a good artist merely because she's tortured enough to be. I did not find redemption in Cleo's character and, in fact, she's the character who declined most for me in terms of likeability. Her final "art" piece is not bad as it is. Making Frank experience it is a punch to the face of her possible redemption.
The book is hinged upon the reader believing this unbreakable bond between the two main characters, this undeniable draw and relation. And yet, save for about 2 hours, the first 6 months of their getting to know one another happens entirely off-page. This works for world building, but in a book that relies so heavily on the importance of the central relationship, it feels lazy and half-baked. Show me that they can't live without each other, don't tell me.
This book feels like a fever dream. The manic-pixie artist struggles with the darkness that hovers over everything she does. When she meets older, alcohol-loving, fun guy Frank they explode in a fever dream of drugs and parties and attempted domesticity.
Just to say, I enjoyed this book. I was compelled to keep reading, I wanted to know what happened. I didn't love every aspect of it, for example, the characters (who are decently explored - most named characters get at least one of their own perspective chapters) are mostly horrendously cliched. Cleo's best friend, Quentin, for example, is a gay man addicted to drugs, dabbles in promiscuity and toxic relationships and gender presentation. Santiago, the gentle, overweight friend who loves to cook and hates how he looks. Anders, the aging model who sleeps with literally everyone without ever seeing them as human. It feels a little clumsy and I would've enjoyed a bit more complexity from them. The main exception being Eleanor, a character introduced tremendously in a montage-of-sorts chapter of her first day at her new job, who is a delight to read and root for.
Frank's seemingly endless supply of money from his ad agency conveniently assuages all of the money problems in the novel. Even when characters are "broke", their financial safety doesn't ever feel at risk. Zoe comes the closest to true poverty, but even then, we see it's because she doesn't want to ask for help, rather than having no feasible avenues.
I enjoy later when Frank challenges his notion that Cleo is a good artist merely because she's tortured enough to be. I did not find redemption in Cleo's character and, in fact, she's the character who declined most for me in terms of likeability. Her final "art" piece is not bad as it is. Making Frank experience it is a punch to the face of her possible redemption.
The book is hinged upon the reader believing this unbreakable bond between the two main characters, this undeniable draw and relation. And yet, save for about 2 hours, the first 6 months of their getting to know one another happens entirely off-page. This works for world building, but in a book that relies so heavily on the importance of the central relationship, it feels lazy and half-baked. Show me that they can't live without each other, don't tell me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence
Moderate: Sexual violence
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Minor: Transphobia
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Self harm, Sexual violence
Moderate: Drug use, Eating disorder, Toxic relationship