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squintyfarmer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Infidelity, Pregnancy, Grief, Death, Toxic relationship, Classism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cultural appropriation and Drug use
Minor: Car accident and Fire/Fire injury
savvyrosereads's review against another edition
- 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
Literary fiction about the Stocktons, a wealthy New York family, as they grapple with their identities and issues of class and personal happiness.
What you have to understand about this book is basically nothing happens. It’s slow and character driven and heavily focused on rich people’s problems. If you don’t like those vibes, you probably won’t enjoy the book.
But if you DO like those vibes (and I very much do), then you might LOVE this one (and I did). The audio narration, by the incomparable Marin Ireland, was outstanding, and I was so entertained the entire time. The characters really grew on me, and I’m actually sad that I’ve finished the book and I can’t just go and check in on them. If you want a slower moving, but deeply engaging, character driven read, then this is definitely one to pick up.
CW: Death/grief; mental health; drug/alcohol use
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcohol, Mental illness, and Drug use
bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Drug abuse, Death, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
emma_sky's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Xenophobia
Minor: Drug use, Pregnancy, Car accident, Death, Toxic relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcohol
kdailyreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Pregnancy, Drug use, Death, Grief, Alcohol, Classism, Racism, and Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Bullying
Minor: Cursing, Vomit, and Fatphobia
cde10's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Alcohol and Drug use
ptitirodactyle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Maybe I’m too cynical but I didn’t feel compelled by the rich people become woke narrative. Being a white saviour to feel better about yourself without actually confronting your biases and privilege doesn’t make one a good person.
The book tried to tackle racism and classism as well but it all felt disingenuous. The lower class characters were actually middle class and quite privileged themselves.
I liked the first half of the book especially Georgiana’s hypocrisy calling herself a well-traveled woman while not knowing that the UAE is a country. The second half is where I lost interest.
As it was the author’s debut I would still be interested in reading her future works to see her evolution.
If you want to read a good complexly nuanced book about rich people in New York I would easily recommend Trust by Hernan Diaz.
Moderate: Death, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Drug use, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
desana75's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Death and Classism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Vomit, and Drug use
c_dmckinney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Grief, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Drug abuse, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship
notartgarfunkel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Infidelity, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Vomit, Death, Alcohol, Drug use, and Grief
Minor: Body shaming, Racism, and Fatphobia