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particledamage's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.75
Seeing good reviews for this books feels like I am on another planet.
This book is genuinely dreadful. It is both rushed and a slog. It is both biphobic and bisexual, racially inclusive and racist, about misogyny and sexist. It's preachy but only ever about like... basic decency things we all agree about. Finding out the author is straight and white clarified the book for me, truly felt like someone had just lovingly pried open my third eye so I could see the truth of the matter.
I honestly don't even think I can neatly summarize all of my complaints here. I sent myself emails with incoherent notes to myself about every new thing that set me off--her "soulmate" being emotionally abusive in patterns identically to her physically abusive spouse. The weird bullying about coming out as if was a CW show handling its first gay plotline and not about two grown women in the 50s and 60s. The weird contrived bit where whenever someone needed to get exposed for something, everyone would suddenly become letter-writers so that the letters could be found. The plot twist that was so insanely stupid I dropped the book.
The way that not only did the book pause to go on diatribes to know that terms like "whore" are bad but also spent an entire chapter knowing every single historical event that has happened, Evelyn was on the right side of it. She's complicated and obsessed with herself and money and glory but don't worry, she was right about Vietnam and treats her hired help well.
God, her character was repugnant but mostly in a dull way. Every character in this story was uninteresting, heinous, or both. Even Harry gets ruined in the end and he was the single enjoyable character the entire way through.
Just... what an awful experience. I'm speechless.
Read it just in a day though, so at least there's that.
Moderate: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Death, Cursing, Biphobia, Abortion, Sexism, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, Car accident, Cancer, Outing, Physical abuse, Incest, Homophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Classism, Toxic relationship, Racism, Pedophilia, Infidelity, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Eating disorder, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy
ogl00's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Child death, Grief, Suicide, Addiction, Incest, Sexual content, Car accident, Lesbophobia, Sexual violence, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Homophobia
nehanaomi's review
- 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
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Medical content, Alcoholism, Child death, Misogyny, Cancer, Alcohol, Death, Car accident, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Biphobia, Lesbophobia, Abortion, Outing, Suicide, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Alcoholism, and Blood
Minor: Miscarriage and Incest
kcmag1's review
3.0
So while I did enjoy the story, what kept me from really loving it was the writing. It felt too distinctly modern to be anything but a book from the 21st century. I’m not referring to the LGBTQ or other progressive themes in the book really; I found the actual dialogue to feel too current and lack the feel I would associate with Golden Age movie stars. That could be somewhat explained by the story being told in retrospective by an older Evelyn, but it doesn’t explain how even the newspaper excerpts felt like someone intentionally trying to write like a mid-century journalist. I also found the final few chapters to be a bit rushed.
Also related to the writing, I did not engage with the characters, though I found them interesting. I believe that is because there was no mystery to them. Every one was described so thoroughly - often from the moment that they were introduced - that nothing surprised me or made me want to know more about them. Even with Evelyn, clearly the most complex of them all, the author seemed to be working so hard to convey that she was complex that it made her still seem one-dimensional.
I’m inclined to think I would have like this book more if it was fully the biography that Monique wrote for her. It would have allowed for Evelyn to retain some mystery and allure as a smart and savvy young actress, only to have vulnerable and truly immoral side revealed slowly. It could contribute to this allure of Evelyn that readers are constantly told about, yet do not get to experience for ourselves. It also would have allowed for a little bit more of showing (not telling), which I think this book desperately needed. It still could have included Monique’s perspective, even though I found her character to be flat and predictable.
The best thing I can say about this book, and I mean it truly, is that it could be a really good movie.
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Abortion and Incest
inthemoonforcheese's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Outing, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Car accident, Child death, Chronic illness, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Incest, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, and Violence
danirc_'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
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Suicide, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Outing, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcoholism and Biphobia
Minor: Drug use, Gaslighting, Incest, and Pregnancy
kcarney86's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Chronic illness, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Outing
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Incest
skudiklier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Body shaming, Car accident, Misogyny, Racism, Outing, Homophobia, Biphobia, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Sexual content, Vomit, Pregnancy, Infidelity, Eating disorder, Death, Cursing, Classism, Miscarriage, Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, Terminal illness, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Fatphobia
Minor: Police brutality, Pedophilia, War, Incest, Drug use, Death of parent, and Addiction
jennifermoyas'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual content, Body shaming, Cancer, Classism, Domestic abuse, Death, Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Suicide, and Terminal illness
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Death of parent, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, and Blood
laurenleigh's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Car accident, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Sexism
Moderate: Abortion, Incest, Blood, Terminal illness, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Infidelity, and Death