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rachelsbookishlife's review against another edition
1.0
** spoiler alert ** This book took me 4 days to finish. I generally read a book in 1 to 2 days. I had no desire to continue picking this up, and usually i would DNF, but i made a promise to see it through. And that i did. So this 1 star comes scathing from my computer so i can rant to you all about how terrible Grace is. This book is everything but the kitchen sink, there is absolutely way too much going on. Grace is not redeemable, even with her tragedies. Grace is a miserable human being, as well as everyone around her. Her husband betrays her, her daughter is worst than an angsty teen. I don't think there was a good discussion on women's bodies as there was a constant focus on Grace's body and the discussion around the grooming from her daughter's teacher was also just poorly done. The author wanted to put so much stuff in that everything was only mildly touched on, instead of picking 1 or 2 big topics and really making sure they talked about the detriment of those topics. I did not like that she didn't want kids, but instead got pregnant and changed her mind. So you know just like everyone in society says. Not only that she then goes on to just not be a good mom. She slaps her daughter, she has weird thoughts about her body, she stops being a mom for 5 weeks and then just comes back and everything is supposed to be normal. Not to mention her current day timeline where she beats the crap out of a car because SHE HAS TO BRING HER DAUGHTER A CAKE! insert confused face meme here... But of course it's because she is Perimenopausal... because you know women and their hysteria and all.
The only thing i will give her is that she reported her daughter's teacher for being a POS.
The flow was clunky, the chapters confusing. It has 3 perspectives, 2 of them are past timelines - 1 is 4 months before and after and the other is 2002 and after, and it has a current day timeline. All 3 timelines are frantic and baffling, as they have flashbacks that come without warning. The current day timeline is all in the place of 1 day, which just adds to the chaos of this book. In the end, this book is nothing like Where'd You Go Bernadette, or Ove or Brit Marie or any other quirky character that isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Grace was insufferable and i will not change my mind.
The only thing i will give her is that she reported her daughter's teacher for being a POS.
The flow was clunky, the chapters confusing. It has 3 perspectives, 2 of them are past timelines - 1 is 4 months before and after and the other is 2002 and after, and it has a current day timeline. All 3 timelines are frantic and baffling, as they have flashbacks that come without warning. The current day timeline is all in the place of 1 day, which just adds to the chaos of this book. In the end, this book is nothing like Where'd You Go Bernadette, or Ove or Brit Marie or any other quirky character that isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Grace was insufferable and i will not change my mind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Cursing, Death, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Grief, and Pregnancy
sincerelykiwi's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.25
It took too long to get what was driving Grace’s actions and, of course, when we get there it’s heartbreaking.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Grief and Child death
kc_sears's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Grief, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Medical content, and Car accident
franklola's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.25
You will cry and cry and cry and cry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, and Police brutality
Moderate: Abandonment and Infidelity
Minor: Gaslighting, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, and Bullying
llothspeich's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I like that the frenetic pace of the book mirrors the main characters unraveling.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia, Child death, and Grief
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
clotalksbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a tough one to review, as overall I did like it, and the narrator does a very good job. However, I did struggle a little.
The timelines shifting really confused me, and I would often forget where we were in time which made some scenes a tad confusing.
The pacing was a little jarring as well - some of the scenes we got barely any time with and I wanted a little more explanation. The day itself lasted forever and was the most infuriating part of the book. There were just too many events that happened on that day and Grace's reaction to each was a little...befuddling.
I think this may be better if I were to reread it now knowing what happens so I can pay more attention to the detail. Because despite the criticism, the characters are interesting, there is a lot of depth, and it really explores grief in an illuminating way.
I'm not a mother, but it has certainly made me reflect on my relationship with my mum.
Overall, good, but I think I would have preferred it if told linearly.
The timelines shifting really confused me, and I would often forget where we were in time which made some scenes a tad confusing.
The pacing was a little jarring as well - some of the scenes we got barely any time with and I wanted a little more explanation. The day itself lasted forever and was the most infuriating part of the book. There were just too many events that happened on that day and Grace's reaction to each was a little...befuddling.
I think this may be better if I were to reread it now knowing what happens so I can pay more attention to the detail. Because despite the criticism, the characters are interesting, there is a lot of depth, and it really explores grief in an illuminating way.
I'm not a mother, but it has certainly made me reflect on my relationship with my mum.
Overall, good, but I think I would have preferred it if told linearly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Child death
Moderate: Sexual content and Child abuse
staylorreads's review
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Grief
Moderate: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Infidelity, Adult/minor relationship, and Death
Minor: Body shaming
lingoreads's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Grief, and Child death
Moderate: Sexual assault
taralpittman's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.75
This was unexpectedly poignant, charming, heartwarming AND heartbreaking. I seriously considered DNFing this one, but the last quarter of the novel was incredible and I’m glad I stuck with it. Extremely relatable, I think, for anyone who has navigated the perils of teenage angst and, especially, a huge loss with complicated grief - my heart was stolen by Grace and her family.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Grief
tracikennedy25's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Adult/minor relationship, and Grief