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medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt
challenging
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is mostly all vibes no plot, but the vibes were not great for me. It’s that kind of contemporary book where most of the characters are a combination of too cool, too pretty, too rich, too traumatized, and/or too dependent on substances to feel like real people to me. They are most definitely made up to be in a book exactly like this. Except for Eleanor.
Around a third of the way into this book is when I started considering DNF-ing, but then Eleanor showed up and I was back in the game! But then she disappeared again, and so did my interest. And then Anders had that moment in that public bathroom and I thought about not picking it up again. That entire scene was a big weird no thank you. There are also a lot of other uncomfortable to read explicit sexual scenes, which is also apparently a staple of this particular kind of contemporary novel.
I stuck with it and my final thoughts are these: The prose is incredible. I loved the descriptions and turns of phrase. I should have written them down to save and savor later. Eleanor’s story arc is the best one in the book by far, and she saved this book for me. I’m not sure that was enough for it to be a five-star read though. In a cast of characters whose sole purpose seems to be, to be interesting, the most interesting character is Eleanor, who isn’t trying to be interesting at all. Was that the author’s purpose? It worked if so, but also, it meant that the majority of the time I did not care about anyone I was reading about. So it also didn’t work for me, in the end.
Although I did like the end actually. It made sense and was satisfying. It could have been a four-star read for me, except for so much explicit, and sometimes disturbingly violent scenes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug abuse, Fatphobia
The sexual violence is imagined, but very explicit.
dark
emotional
funny
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
I have a penchant of reading books too fast. This book was so uncomfortably reflective that I had to rush through it or else I’d stop and never come back.
Mellors writes in the modern style, I first encountered when I read “Girl. Woman. Other.” It’s pervasive, a book on my tbr list, “I’m a Fan” is also written in a similar style. Morally grey characters who make morally ambiguous decisions. Cheat on their partners, humiliate themselves in public and are never sober.
I can never read more than a couple of these books a year. They’re too modern. I prefer confronting my emotions through several layers of illusion. This one, was brilliant however.
The characters are well-crafted, written with such empathy that it’s easy to see yourself reflected back in them, even the bad bits. Frank’s story particularly resonated with me.
Theme exploration in this book felt like a caress. It felt like someone had dug deep underneath my defences and helped rearrange things. Finishing this felt like I’d shaken something out of a favourite coat. I understand myself better now.
Mellors writes in the modern style, I first encountered when I read “Girl. Woman. Other.” It’s pervasive, a book on my tbr list, “I’m a Fan” is also written in a similar style. Morally grey characters who make morally ambiguous decisions. Cheat on their partners, humiliate themselves in public and are never sober.
I can never read more than a couple of these books a year. They’re too modern. I prefer confronting my emotions through several layers of illusion. This one, was brilliant however.
The characters are well-crafted, written with such empathy that it’s easy to see yourself reflected back in them, even the bad bits. Frank’s story particularly resonated with me.
Theme exploration in this book felt like a caress. It felt like someone had dug deep underneath my defences and helped rearrange things. Finishing this felt like I’d shaken something out of a favourite coat. I understand myself better now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria
Minor: Animal death
dark
emotional
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
Haunting and beautiful.
Cleo and Frank have had a shit childhood and although they’ve 20 years difference their darkness pulls them together to try to make light. Green card or not Cleo loves Frank and a few months after they met they get married.
This is really a story about the group of people surrounding the recent couple and Cleo and Frank themselves, a story where the characters move the plot, which is a picture of addiction, pain, broken childhoods, depression and to be an adult filled with grief and confusion, to still be finding yourself, to realise sometimes it takes forever, the journey is it, sometimes it’s laugh, friends, finding a support system.
I did saw myself in the details of many of them and none.
It’s weird, it moved me but it didn’t fill me, maybe my own grief and depression made a barrier between me and this grief stricken story so I wouldn’t hurt - it’s been a rough year.
Still, loved it just not immensely.
Cleo and Frank have had a shit childhood and although they’ve 20 years difference their darkness pulls them together to try to make light. Green card or not Cleo loves Frank and a few months after they met they get married.
This is really a story about the group of people surrounding the recent couple and Cleo and Frank themselves, a story where the characters move the plot, which is a picture of addiction, pain, broken childhoods, depression and to be an adult filled with grief and confusion, to still be finding yourself, to realise sometimes it takes forever, the journey is it, sometimes it’s laugh, friends, finding a support system.
I did saw myself in the details of many of them and none.
It’s weird, it moved me but it didn’t fill me, maybe my own grief and depression made a barrier between me and this grief stricken story so I wouldn’t hurt - it’s been a rough year.
Still, loved it just not immensely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Abandonment
Moderate: Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Toxic friendship
emotional
reflective
sad
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: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Suicide attempt, Sexual harassment
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
I really enjoyed this book. The entire bouquet of characters was really fascinating and well written- Though I can also understand how it could be too much for some people.
It was intense, it was overwhelming at times, it was coming of age. Your twenties. Deep Unhappiness. Finding yourself. Loosing others. I really enjoyed it (though the ending felt less “whole” than the rest of the book somehow. but i can live with that. i have learned to value the experience of enjoying the book more than the ending anyways).
It was intense, it was overwhelming at times, it was coming of age. Your twenties. Deep Unhappiness. Finding yourself. Loosing others. I really enjoyed it (though the ending felt less “whole” than the rest of the book somehow. but i can live with that. i have learned to value the experience of enjoying the book more than the ending anyways).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt
emotional
reflective
medium-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
I struggled with this book really, part of me enjoyed the story seeing each characters plot, the other part thought it was trying to be many things at once and felt a bit confused - not sure I’d recommend this one unfortunately.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book had so much potential. i think it did best when it didn't take itself too seriously; however, it tried to take itself too seriously too often. it isn't quite sure what it wants to be: drama? rom-com? coming-of-age? adventure? character study?
there were aspects i liked: i thought the time jumps were handled very well, and i enjoyed the different perspectives (eleanor's sections in particular were *chef's kiss*). the last section is definitely the strongest, and the part that i enjoyed the most. it was nice to read a book where the characters end up happy.
however, there were also many issues. cleo veers dangerously into mary sue territory many times, and a lot of the conflict doesn't feel authentic - it feels like the author needed conflict but wasn't sure how to have it happen organically. some of the characters were little more than stereotypes and fetishisations and honestly made me feel icky to read. i also didn't enjoy the way mellors writes about sex, it just made me uncomfortable.the way cleo's affair is handled also just grossed me out, and the text also completely glosses over it and tries to justify it as frank's fault .
i think there's a 5 star story hiding in there somewhere, and honestly it makes me feel bad knowing that this book took 7 years to write because it does feel, more often than not, like someone crammed their essay the night before it was due.
3/5
there were aspects i liked: i thought the time jumps were handled very well, and i enjoyed the different perspectives (eleanor's sections in particular were *chef's kiss*). the last section is definitely the strongest, and the part that i enjoyed the most. it was nice to read a book where the characters end up happy.
however, there were also many issues. cleo veers dangerously into mary sue territory many times, and a lot of the conflict doesn't feel authentic - it feels like the author needed conflict but wasn't sure how to have it happen organically. some of the characters were little more than stereotypes and fetishisations and honestly made me feel icky to read. i also didn't enjoy the way mellors writes about sex, it just made me uncomfortable.
i think there's a 5 star story hiding in there somewhere, and honestly it makes me feel bad knowing that this book took 7 years to write because it does feel, more often than not, like someone crammed their essay the night before it was due.
3/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt