Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - I'll Be You

Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

I'll Be You by Janelle Brown

8 reviews

ajpotz's review against another edition

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4.0

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nbreezy17's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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dianapiskor's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book was not a bad book. If anything, I felt like it was well written and the premise of the story was interesting, if unoriginal. I enjoyed the dual POV between the twin sisters Sam and Elli.

I think my big problem with the novel was the way it was marketed. It’s labeled as a thriller, and I found it to be less like a thriller and more of a family drama. Because of the thriller label, I expected much more from the book than I got, which I don’t believe is the author’s fault. I saw where the book was headed most of the time. The ending felt lackluster and rushed and I would have liked it to be more fleshed out.

Big takeaway here: this book is more of a family drama with some crime elements mixed in.

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thespinystacks's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

This book is filled with tropes all thriller lovers enjoy; timeline jumps, narrators you’re concerned about, POV switches, and cults.

I devoured this and really really enjoyed it. It’s not necessarily groundbreaking, but it delivers twists and turns you can’t always anticipate so it made for a fun ride!

There are a few content warnings I’d recommend checking out if you’re a sensitive reader.

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ncoletti's review

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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chaptersofchase's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Thank you, Random House, for the gifted copy of I'll Be You {partner}

Genre: Fiction
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 4.26.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆.5

"It's so easy for good intentions to get undone by unspoken sentiments; a history of small bumps piling up until you have an insurmountable mountain of issues."

I'll Be You is a darker look into the lives of identical twins who found fame in Hollywood — I got all the Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen vibes from this story. Unfortunately, I think many people will go into this book with the expectation that it's a thriller/mystery, but, in my opinion, it is neither. It falls into the literary fiction category. It's always tricky with books that fall out of the genre they're advertised as being in - I think it impacts the book's overall rating. Do you agree?

A lot of I'll Be You circled around the history of Ellie and Sam. What their childhood was like on set and, at one point, their lives went in different directions, and Sam fell into her addiction. At the heart of the story is two sisters struggling to find their place in the world after being thrust into the spotlight early. Their parents did not help the situation, and I was frequently annoyed with their mother and her "new age" beliefs, costing their daughters their happiness and confidence. I wanted Sam to find her peace and for Ellie to find herself — it had me thinking about the price many young adult stars pay for their 15 minutes of fame.

👯‍♀️ Identical Twins
🎬 Hollywood
⏳ Slower pace
🕵🏽‍♀️ Mysterious Disappearance
✌🏼 Part One & Part Two

❌ - infertility, drug dependency

I recommend you read I'll Be You if you enjoyed reading The Favorite Sister or The Good Sister.

Do you have any siblings? If so, are you all close? I have a brother and a sister — I wish we all lived near one another because I think we'd be a lot closer than we currently are.

______

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alysonbookishthoughts's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No

2.5

Content Warnings

booksbytheglass's review

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challenging dark slow-paced

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

2.0

maybe I just wasn’t in the right mind set to read this one, but again, these are my thoughts and views only.

elli and sam, identical twins and former child actors, haven’t spoken in almost two years. sam turned to drugs and drinking at an early age and struggles with her sobriety so much that elli and their parents basically cut her out of their life. which is why sam is so surprised when her mom gets a text from elli asking for help with elli’s daughter and then … elli disappears. with her parents in denial that something’s wrong, it’s up to sam to put the pieces together on where elli went and what went wrong in their relationship.

I absolutely loved the premise of this one!! it was mysterious and eye-catching, but it went in a completely different direction than I was anticipating.

sam and elli were such fleshed out characters, identical twins with totally different personalities, and I was excited to see both sides of the story told by them. the flashbacks into their childhood were by far my favorite parts of the book.

the plot line just seemed to drag for me. once sam discovered where elli was (which was like 50% of the way through the book), it just seemed repetitive until the end. it was a very strong motive that didn’t need drilling in the reader’s head - especially when it’s so icky like it was - no spoilers!!!

thank you to netgalley and random house for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. this one is definitely an acquired taste - if you loved every vow you break, you’ll love this one!

rating: 2 stars
wine pairing: san jose cabernet sauvignon

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