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caitlin27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-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? Yes
3.25
breadforsong's review against another edition
5.0
I just really really identify with Suze and I'm so glad she has a plan now ðŸ˜
kba76's review against another edition
4.0
One of those books that felt like coming back to a familiar friend, though everything had moved on a little.
A couple of years on Suzanne is now 19, still very much in the process of recovery and just about to start living alone. She gets a bedsit in Brighton and returns to the place that made her so happy, though her best friends Rosie and Caddy are about to leave for university.
The actual situation Suzanne is in is upsetting, but not unfamiliar to many. It was mildly amusing to see her going through the process of learning to be independent, but I still felt rage at what she had been through at the hands of her family.
I was fascinated by the way Barnard wrote about the therapeutic relationship, and the after-effects of trauma. It all felt far too intense at times, and the ins and outs of the story didn’t always appeal as much as I’d hoped they would. However, Matt has to go down as one of the loveliest characters I’ve read about for a while, and I have a new soft spot for Dilys.
I’m very grateful to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my thoughts, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy to pass on to those I know who loved Beautiful Broken Things.
A couple of years on Suzanne is now 19, still very much in the process of recovery and just about to start living alone. She gets a bedsit in Brighton and returns to the place that made her so happy, though her best friends Rosie and Caddy are about to leave for university.
The actual situation Suzanne is in is upsetting, but not unfamiliar to many. It was mildly amusing to see her going through the process of learning to be independent, but I still felt rage at what she had been through at the hands of her family.
I was fascinated by the way Barnard wrote about the therapeutic relationship, and the after-effects of trauma. It all felt far too intense at times, and the ins and outs of the story didn’t always appeal as much as I’d hoped they would. However, Matt has to go down as one of the loveliest characters I’ve read about for a while, and I have a new soft spot for Dilys.
I’m very grateful to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy in exchange for my thoughts, and I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy to pass on to those I know who loved Beautiful Broken Things.
el_loves_books's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you Netgalley for the early digital copy. All thoughts are my own.
I am a blubbering mess. The tears were held back for so long but now I've reached the end they are flowing!!
I was so excited to get to this book. I remember reading Beautiful Broken Things in my tent at VFest, 2016 and that was an emotional roller coaster, so I was hoping this companion novel would not disappoint.
This is one of those books I just couldn't help skipping ahead to see what happens and then running back to see how it built up, yet on the contrary to that, it also got to the point where I didn't want to know what happened because my heart couldn't take it. This was mostly down to Suze's self sabotage when all I could think was "you deserve this, please believe it. Please let people in", which I totally understand was easier said than done.
So of course, seeing Suze, Caddy and Rosie grown more had me so conflicted; there were times when I loved them and times when I thought they were selfish, made stupid choices and were irritating and then it clicked that they're so realistic. They're flawed in different ways and it was just me, adjusting to seeing them as adults and how they handled life, that was the struggle. They are relatable and feel so real and raw and they did things that made my heart race and made me laugh along and it honestly felt like I was with them on this journey. The fact that I'm typically weary of books set a few years later is enough to emphasise how well I believe this was done, overall.
We are seeing this whole book from Suzanne's perspective so I actually looked at some of the older characters differently than I think I did in the first book. Especially when Rosie and/or Caddy we're concerned. There were times where I thought they were going to argue and I realised it was just teasing, but all I could think of is how that would annoy me if someone spoke to me like that xD But to be fair, I feel during these times there was a level of tension. I also found it a little strange to see how Caddy's personality developed once she started uni. She came across unsettingly hardfaced at times, which I mean is completely justifiable in relation to how Suze pushes people sometimes. Nevertheless, all their growth was amazing and fascinating to explore and the new characters had so many layers too.
I loved that music had such a big theme in it, different kinds, both in the form of Dilys and Matt and of course Suze. I think this was in the first book too, with playlists etc. It just made me happy and learning more about it from Suze's perspective gave even more depth to her character. I didnt think we could get any deeper but she is so complex, as is the whole story. I actually wish I had listened to the chapter songs as they came, but I'm going to have an amazing time listening through them all, especially hearing some of the songs I've not heard before.
And also the underlying respect the nurses and carers got was such an amazing theme here too.
The amount of times my throat got so tight with emotion, trying not to cry, I'm surprised I still have a throat left!
I only ended up highlighting one quote, but I would highlight the whole book if I could. Barnard is a writing genius. There were multiple times where I just couldnt help smiling for Suze, but there was a specific scene which I felt was too listed. I thought at first it was an intentional writing style, which I still think it was, but I still would have preferred to have been living it more than feeling like "we did this, after we did that, then this". I totally understood that perhaps this was Suze's voice as she was spiralling into turmoil and panic and the build up to bad things, which is a very interesting tool and I do like it, I just felt like it was a bit overused in that one chapter and so offhandedly felt a little lazy, which I know it wasn't.
However, despite that, Barnard isn't flowery, or poetic necessarily (all good things in small doses for me), but she doesn't need to be. She's raw and blunt with her writing and how her characters voice themselves and it's honestly beautiful and hits me harder than a lot of the other writing styles can.
Near the end it started to hit me, these books have made me feel some slight nostalgia. It reminds me of how I felt when I read books like Kiss and My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson. I realise now that I briefly mentioned this for the first book too. So that, mixed in with all the emotions this novel has made me feel again is why I must say that Barnard is a phenomenal author.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
I am a blubbering mess. The tears were held back for so long but now I've reached the end they are flowing!!
I was so excited to get to this book. I remember reading Beautiful Broken Things in my tent at VFest, 2016 and that was an emotional roller coaster, so I was hoping this companion novel would not disappoint.
This is one of those books I just couldn't help skipping ahead to see what happens and then running back to see how it built up, yet on the contrary to that, it also got to the point where I didn't want to know what happened because my heart couldn't take it. This was mostly down to Suze's self sabotage when all I could think was "you deserve this, please believe it. Please let people in", which I totally understand was easier said than done.
So of course, seeing Suze, Caddy and Rosie grown more had me so conflicted; there were times when I loved them and times when I thought they were selfish, made stupid choices and were irritating and then it clicked that they're so realistic. They're flawed in different ways and it was just me, adjusting to seeing them as adults and how they handled life, that was the struggle. They are relatable and feel so real and raw and they did things that made my heart race and made me laugh along and it honestly felt like I was with them on this journey. The fact that I'm typically weary of books set a few years later is enough to emphasise how well I believe this was done, overall.
We are seeing this whole book from Suzanne's perspective so I actually looked at some of the older characters differently than I think I did in the first book. Especially when Rosie and/or Caddy we're concerned. There were times where I thought they were going to argue and I realised it was just teasing, but all I could think of is how that would annoy me if someone spoke to me like that xD But to be fair, I feel during these times there was a level of tension. I also found it a little strange to see how Caddy's personality developed once she started uni. She came across unsettingly hardfaced at times, which I mean is completely justifiable in relation to how Suze pushes people sometimes. Nevertheless, all their growth was amazing and fascinating to explore and the new characters had so many layers too.
I loved that music had such a big theme in it, different kinds, both in the form of Dilys and Matt and of course Suze. I think this was in the first book too, with playlists etc. It just made me happy and learning more about it from Suze's perspective gave even more depth to her character. I didnt think we could get any deeper but she is so complex, as is the whole story. I actually wish I had listened to the chapter songs as they came, but I'm going to have an amazing time listening through them all, especially hearing some of the songs I've not heard before.
And also the underlying respect the nurses and carers got was such an amazing theme here too.
The amount of times my throat got so tight with emotion, trying not to cry, I'm surprised I still have a throat left!
I only ended up highlighting one quote, but I would highlight the whole book if I could. Barnard is a writing genius. There were multiple times where I just couldnt help smiling for Suze, but there was a specific scene which I felt was too listed. I thought at first it was an intentional writing style, which I still think it was, but I still would have preferred to have been living it more than feeling like "we did this, after we did that, then this". I totally understood that perhaps this was Suze's voice as she was spiralling into turmoil and panic and the build up to bad things, which is a very interesting tool and I do like it, I just felt like it was a bit overused in that one chapter and so offhandedly felt a little lazy, which I know it wasn't.
However, despite that, Barnard isn't flowery, or poetic necessarily (all good things in small doses for me), but she doesn't need to be. She's raw and blunt with her writing and how her characters voice themselves and it's honestly beautiful and hits me harder than a lot of the other writing styles can.
Near the end it started to hit me, these books have made me feel some slight nostalgia. It reminds me of how I felt when I read books like Kiss and My Sister Jodie by Jacqueline Wilson. I realise now that I briefly mentioned this for the first book too. So that, mixed in with all the emotions this novel has made me feel again is why I must say that Barnard is a phenomenal author.
Pick it up, give it a go and enjoy! >(^_^)<
Gén
haleycounts's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this book in less than 12 hours and it was so much better than the first... ugh I wish this series had a third book
esme_may's review
emotional
hopeful
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
This was really good but it was a difficult reading experience at times because it hit so close to home
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
aliza_'s review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75