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kmsander4's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
The weaving of storylines, perspectives, and timelines is something I'm not usually a fan of but this book is nearly flawless in that sense. Garmus' style was so smooth I could easily transition from the voices of Elizabeth to Calvin to Six-Thirty to any of the other incredible side characters with ease.
It's also a beautiful story about life and how it goes on. Through pain and heartbreak, loss and immeasurable growth, it continues. And it also paints a spectacular picture of what family means. Whether it's biologic or filled with neighbours, friends, dogs, and acorns, it is perfectly yours - imperfections and all.
It's also a beautiful story about life and how it goes on. Through pain and heartbreak, loss and immeasurable growth, it continues. And it also paints a spectacular picture of what family means. Whether it's biologic or filled with neighbours, friends, dogs, and acorns, it is perfectly yours - imperfections and all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
wolfebh's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- 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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Suicide, Sexism, Misogyny, Abandonment, Rape, and Sexual violence
cocaworm1017's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
A must read for every woman, and preferably all as well. Every page was better than the last and only marked it as 4.75 instead of 5 because the ending felt rushed. Overall, this book will go down as one of my favorites.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Grief, Death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Rape, Violence, and Misogyny
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Vomit
welaneyding's review against another edition
Needlessly triggering
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Suicide, Death of parent, Death, Homophobia, Bullying, Grief, Rape, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
dclements19's review against another edition
challenging
funny
inspiring
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Homophobia, Suicide, and Sexual harassment
coolbaud's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Suicide, and Death
ali_vangundy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, and Sexual assault
bird_nerd's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars
Absolutely loved this audiobook: the story, the performance, the characters.
The combination of the story written by Bonnie and the voice performance by Miranda was absolutely phenomenal.
I accidentally stumbled upon this book and I’m so glad I did.
Absolutely loved this audiobook: the story, the performance, the characters.
The combination of the story written by Bonnie and the voice performance by Miranda was absolutely phenomenal.
I accidentally stumbled upon this book and I’m so glad I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual assault and Suicide
afternoondreamer's review
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was a wild ride for me. I finished the book soo quickly and couldn't get myself to put it down. Its such an emotional story: funny, sad and anger-inducing at the same time. You really find yourself rooting for the main character and her loved ones.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Death, Grief, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, and Sexism
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide, Body shaming, Religious bigotry, and Car accident
killerwhaletank's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
There is one word for this book: tedious. I really don’t get the hype around it, I thought it was a slog. It is also not funny or romantic or humorous. I found most of the book quite sad.
To be fair, it’s not horrible but I did not connect with the characters. I never warmed up to Elizabeth or Calvin or their brief romance. The majority of the cast in book is extremely unpleasant to Elizabeth and there aren’t many “good” characters in the book. (Sometimes I can’t blame them because I find both Elizabeth and Calvin unpleasant as well.) There are a few supporting cast members (her TV producer, her neighbour, a little bit of the Reverend) that save the book from just being a few hundred pages of “everyone in the world other than Elizabeth and Calvin are completely unenlightened a$$holes”.
Yes, the dog is unbelievably anthropomorphic. If you can’t handle that, you’ll hate it. I actually enjoyed that part. I wasn’t sure at first about it, but the dog ended up being the most interesting and probably well-rounded character in the book, and really grew on me.
Yes, the daughter is an unbelievable level of genius. If you can’t handle that you’ll hate it too. I didn’t love it, but next to the dog, Mad was probably the next most rounded character. I rolled my eyes more than a few times.
I really hated that most of the men that featured in the story were basically rapists and jerks except for one or two. And speaking of rapists… trigger warning, there are not one, not two, but three separate instances of sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, or references to past sexual assaults in this book. Does it inform Elizabeth’s character at all? No, not really, except that it’s the story to why she always has a pencil behind her ear? For the level of trauma and effect it had on her life, I didn’t think it was really dealt with at all.
And for the religion part of it… I am not a religious person, but I don’t care if others are. Even as a non-religious person, I found this book’s anti-religion message kind of grating. It wasn’t because of the message itself, but it left me with the impression that the author thought anyone who believes in religion is somehow lesser than Elizabeth and her super wonderful woke and enlightened way of seeing the world.
Overall, meh. I don’t recommend it and found it a slog to get through. But, I can see where others would enjoy it, so if you did love the book, I wouldn’t be staging an intervention for you or anything… It just wasn’t for me as there was no one to really feel connected to.
To be fair, it’s not horrible but I did not connect with the characters. I never warmed up to Elizabeth or Calvin or their brief romance. The majority of the cast in book is extremely unpleasant to Elizabeth and there aren’t many “good” characters in the book. (Sometimes I can’t blame them because I find both Elizabeth and Calvin unpleasant as well.) There are a few supporting cast members (her TV producer, her neighbour, a little bit of the Reverend) that save the book from just being a few hundred pages of “everyone in the world other than Elizabeth and Calvin are completely unenlightened a$$holes”.
Yes, the dog is unbelievably anthropomorphic. If you can’t handle that, you’ll hate it. I actually enjoyed that part. I wasn’t sure at first about it, but the dog ended up being the most interesting and probably well-rounded character in the book, and really grew on me.
Yes, the daughter is an unbelievable level of genius. If you can’t handle that you’ll hate it too. I didn’t love it, but next to the dog, Mad was probably the next most rounded character. I rolled my eyes more than a few times.
I really hated that most of the men that featured in the story were basically rapists and jerks except for one or two. And speaking of rapists… trigger warning, there are not one, not two, but three separate instances of sexual assault, attempted sexual assault, or references to past sexual assaults in this book. Does it inform Elizabeth’s character at all? No, not really, except that it’s the story to why she always has a pencil behind her ear? For the level of trauma and effect it had on her life, I didn’t think it was really dealt with at all.
And for the religion part of it… I am not a religious person, but I don’t care if others are. Even as a non-religious person, I found this book’s anti-religion message kind of grating. It wasn’t because of the message itself, but it left me with the impression that the author thought anyone who believes in religion is somehow lesser than Elizabeth and her super wonderful woke and enlightened way of seeing the world.
Overall, meh. I don’t recommend it and found it a slog to get through. But, I can see where others would enjoy it, so if you did love the book, I wouldn’t be staging an intervention for you or anything… It just wasn’t for me as there was no one to really feel connected to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Rape, Religious bigotry, and Death
Moderate: Bullying and Abandonment
Minor: Suicide