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calicosun's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
full of vague spoilers tbh
- i liked that eleanor was in first person. it felt like we knew her intrinsically. she was the most ordinary and therefore she could speak to us directly
- i wish the sex was more descriptive
- i wish the self harm was too. i didn’t understand the gravity of the harm cleo had caused to herself until the mention of the scar that travelled from her write to her elbow.
- i liked that we got to know about frank’s 5, and queinten… all these people whose personal lives intertwined and segmented in fascinating fans of darkness and depth. the third person descriptions of the characters and their thoughts and feelings were done with so much clarity and vivid expression that made the reader really feel a connection to the character and their emotions.
- there was something about the segmented nature of eleanor’s sections that felt extremely personal,almost diaristic. there was a generosity to them that felt as though they weren’t meant for anyone else to read. i feel like the stars between sections represent lapses in time that also further this sense of a personal diary. that’s also why it feels so generous to. the idea that she has chosen to share so much of herself. releasing everything she writes her to everything outside of her control
- the resolve that the end was very satisfying
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Sexual violence
tolu_odejide's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I have a penchant of reading books too fast. This book was so uncomfortably reflective that I had to rush through it or else I’d stop and never come back.
Mellors writes in the modern style, I first encountered when I read “Girl. Woman. Other.” It’s pervasive, a book on my tbr list, “I’m a Fan” is also written in a similar style. Morally grey characters who make morally ambiguous decisions. Cheat on their partners, humiliate themselves in public and are never sober.
I can never read more than a couple of these books a year. They’re too modern. I prefer confronting my emotions through several layers of illusion. This one, was brilliant however.
The characters are well-crafted, written with such empathy that it’s easy to see yourself reflected back in them, even the bad bits. Frank’s story particularly resonated with me.
Theme exploration in this book felt like a caress. It felt like someone had dug deep underneath my defences and helped rearrange things. Finishing this felt like I’d shaken something out of a favourite coat. I understand myself better now.
Mellors writes in the modern style, I first encountered when I read “Girl. Woman. Other.” It’s pervasive, a book on my tbr list, “I’m a Fan” is also written in a similar style. Morally grey characters who make morally ambiguous decisions. Cheat on their partners, humiliate themselves in public and are never sober.
I can never read more than a couple of these books a year. They’re too modern. I prefer confronting my emotions through several layers of illusion. This one, was brilliant however.
The characters are well-crafted, written with such empathy that it’s easy to see yourself reflected back in them, even the bad bits. Frank’s story particularly resonated with me.
Theme exploration in this book felt like a caress. It felt like someone had dug deep underneath my defences and helped rearrange things. Finishing this felt like I’d shaken something out of a favourite coat. I understand myself better now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Self harm, and Misogyny
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Dysphoria
Minor: Animal death
jj_99's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Animal death
utalit's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Animal death, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, and Drug abuse
leila_scola's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death, and Self harm
Minor: Drug abuse
ellieyy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Infidelity, Alcoholism, Animal death, Blood, Death of parent, Dementia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Pandemic/Epidemic, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
ninarst's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual violence
babsi_222's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Spoilers!!!!
Soooo many ts songs reminded me of this book!!!
Deeply flawed characters and toxic relationships. Everyone struggles.
I Never liked Cleo and Frank‘s Relationship (i don’t like the age gap) and I don’t like them both that much. I like Cleo sometimes too, she can be relatable. The chapters are quite long but that didn’t bother me very much- the usual POV‘S are Cleo and Frank but you got like 1-2 chapters in the POV of Zoe, Eleanor, Quentin and Santiago
The two chapters that were Eleanor‘s POV i didn’t like, I don’t know why there were that many small paragraphs with stuff I don’t care about. Her and Frank‘s relationship was something I also never liked. A lot of things were predictable in this book but there were also plottwists so it’s fine if.
Quentin is very strange and I was always a bit scared of him tbh because he’s just so uncomfortable. I kneeew that Alex was bad for him tbh (I thought it was cute in the beginning in Quentin‘s POV but then in the other people‘s POV i saw the problematic)
I loveee Zoe. I think she was my fav person in the book. I could sympathies with her (more in the end not so much in the beginning) Santiago is I think the only unproblematic character in the book. I love him and I’m sooo happy for how his life‘s like now.
My fav scene is the one where Audrey, Cleo and Zoe spend time together (p 82- 91) especially the part when they went home to Cleo‘s (i think) ❤️❤️❤️
Cleo:
+ an artist
+ a feminist that puts people in their place
+ „ you want credit for not leaving me? Are you joking? Sorry Frank, but you married me…“ (p261)
+ she has a smooth way of feeling and she feels so much
- she complained about her pain when they had THAT fight but didn’t care about Frank‘s pin at all
- in general made some poor ass arguments in that fight
- „Could it be? Are we back here again? At Frank pity party?“ (p261) HUGE L
- compared her trauma to Frank‘s 💀
- had an affair
Frank:
+ changed for the better!
+ cares about Eleanor
+ finally cried in the end
+ supported Cleo financially
+ super rich but then not too cocky
- a man
- killed their pet that they loved and lied about it
- bought an illegal pet
- had an affair
- gave his sister money all the time
- alcoholic for the most time of this book
Zoe:
+ has her struggles but powerful
+ sweet and kind
+ the whole thing with Jiro :))
+ the way she connected w Cleo
+ idk but her sexual struggles make her so much more sympathetic
+ the scene were she layers on the ground next to Cleo (p 312) ❤️❤️
- asking her brother for money all the time
- doesn’t know how to spend money
„The parties, Sex, alcohol and drug use is so New York City aesthetic“…. Girl wtf no it’s literally not.
„ everyone we know in NY is an addict, aren’t they?“ (p355) lol yeah they are. The way drugs are used in the book is sooooo bad holy shit especially like Quentin and Alex and stuff but actually they all.
Soooo many ts songs reminded me of this book!!!
Deeply flawed characters and toxic relationships. Everyone struggles.
I Never liked Cleo and Frank‘s Relationship (i don’t like the age gap) and I don’t like them both that much. I like Cleo sometimes too, she can be relatable. The chapters are quite long but that didn’t bother me very much- the usual POV‘S are Cleo and Frank but you got like 1-2 chapters in the POV of Zoe, Eleanor, Quentin and Santiago
The two chapters that were Eleanor‘s POV i didn’t like, I don’t know why there were that many small paragraphs with stuff I don’t care about. Her and Frank‘s relationship was something I also never liked. A lot of things were predictable in this book but there were also plottwists so it’s fine if.
Quentin is very strange and I was always a bit scared of him tbh because he’s just so uncomfortable. I kneeew that Alex was bad for him tbh (I thought it was cute in the beginning in Quentin‘s POV but then in the other people‘s POV i saw the problematic)
I loveee Zoe. I think she was my fav person in the book. I could sympathies with her (more in the end not so much in the beginning) Santiago is I think the only unproblematic character in the book. I love him and I’m sooo happy for how his life‘s like now.
My fav scene is the one where Audrey, Cleo and Zoe spend time together (p 82- 91) especially the part when they went home to Cleo‘s (i think) ❤️❤️❤️
Cleo:
+ an artist
+ a feminist that puts people in their place
+ „ you want credit for not leaving me? Are you joking? Sorry Frank, but you married me…“ (p261)
+ she has a smooth way of feeling and she feels so much
- she complained about her pain when they had THAT fight but didn’t care about Frank‘s pin at all
- in general made some poor ass arguments in that fight
- „Could it be? Are we back here again? At Frank pity party?“ (p261) HUGE L
- compared her trauma to Frank‘s 💀
- had an affair
Frank:
+ changed for the better!
+ cares about Eleanor
+ finally cried in the end
+ supported Cleo financially
+ super rich but then not too cocky
- a man
- killed their pet that they loved and lied about it
- bought an illegal pet
- had an affair
- gave his sister money all the time
- alcoholic for the most time of this book
Zoe:
+ has her struggles but powerful
+ sweet and kind
+ the whole thing with Jiro :))
+ the way she connected w Cleo
+ idk but her sexual struggles make her so much more sympathetic
+ the scene were she layers on the ground next to Cleo (p 312) ❤️❤️
- asking her brother for money all the time
- doesn’t know how to spend money
„The parties, Sex, alcohol and drug use is so New York City aesthetic“…. Girl wtf no it’s literally not.
„ everyone we know in NY is an addict, aren’t they?“ (p355) lol yeah they are. The way drugs are used in the book is sooooo bad holy shit especially like Quentin and Alex and stuff but actually they all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Self harm, Sexism, Cursing, Death of parent, Outing, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Animal death, and Blood
minimicropup's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Atmosphere: 👌 Largely created through snippets of the characters’ thoughts and interactions, with detailed descriptions of locations peppered throughout in an effective way. It contributes to the overall setting and goings-ons rather than being distracting.
Main POVs: 👌
-a 24 year old recent fine art graduate who presents as carefree, confident, and adventurous but is harbouring a deep sense of shame, depressive disorders, and unhealthy ego. They blame everyone and everything for their struggles. We get to see them slowly evolve and where it comes from in their past
-a 44 year old functional alcoholic and advertising entrepreneur who is successful and perhaps a “charming” drunk but painfully immature and people-pleasing in a shallow way. We also see them evolve and where this tendency comes from
-a witty, intuitive, cynical 37 year old television/film writer recently forced out of their job and now living with their elderly wise-cracking parent
Show’n’tell: ❤️
So much show! Though half the time you aren’t quite sure what you’re being shown, it adds to the story. Like bringing a neon crayon set in an unlabelled package, revealing them individually, then passing them around the class.
Reading Journey: 👌
People-watching on the NY subway from early morning ‘til late night. There will be moments of boredom, confusion, cringing, heartwarmth (?), and laughter.
Great match if you like:
-literary fiction with character-driven narratives that are infuriating, hilarious, and inspiring
-believable outcomes (follows MCs over a two-year period)
-character studies involving addiction, mental illness, and childhood trauma
-NYC party vibes with consequences included
-a sprinkling of randomness
-wrong time and place romance
Vibes: 😅🥺🥴
Format: Library E-book via Libby
Main POVs: 👌
-a 24 year old recent fine art graduate who presents as carefree, confident, and adventurous but is harbouring a deep sense of shame, depressive disorders, and unhealthy ego. They blame everyone and everything for their struggles. We get to see them slowly evolve and where it comes from in their past
-a 44 year old functional alcoholic and advertising entrepreneur who is successful and perhaps a “charming” drunk but painfully immature and people-pleasing in a shallow way. We also see them evolve and where this tendency comes from
-a witty, intuitive, cynical 37 year old television/film writer recently forced out of their job and now living with their elderly wise-cracking parent
Show’n’tell: ❤️
So much show! Though half the time you aren’t quite sure what you’re being shown, it adds to the story. Like bringing a neon crayon set in an unlabelled package, revealing them individually, then passing them around the class.
Reading Journey: 👌
People-watching on the NY subway from early morning ‘til late night. There will be moments of boredom, confusion, cringing, heartwarmth (?), and laughter.
Great match if you like:
-literary fiction with character-driven narratives that are infuriating, hilarious, and inspiring
-believable outcomes (follows MCs over a two-year period)
-character studies involving addiction, mental illness, and childhood trauma
-NYC party vibes with consequences included
-a sprinkling of randomness
-wrong time and place romance
Vibes: 😅🥺🥴
Format: Library E-book via Libby
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug abuse, and Drug use
Moderate: Abandonment, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Chronic illness
Minor: Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Toxic friendship, and Vomit
Addiction includes alcoholism (and recovery), food addiction (and recovery), relationship addiction/codependent friendships, meth, and heroinsabmanosa's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
I think this is a good book, full of very unlikeable, almost cartoonish characters. Despite that, I was hooked onto the story, and the change in POVs was something I think worked for the book. Normally, I love hearing every thought, action etc. a character has when something big is happening, but in the case of this book (and other similar books, like Sally Rooney's), I thought the gaps and jumps worked, so that a longer, broader story could be told without clogging it up with too much drama.
The change in writing style for Eleanor was jarring at first, but really made sense to me as I continued. It shows how different she was, how human, mundane, "average" compared to the rest of the people Cleo and Frank ran around with. I think that was an important distinction to make.
I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but I liked how their perspectives blended in finally. It was satisfying, in it's own way.
One thing that rubbed me the wrong way was the way Quentin's character was treated. Though most of the characters were stereotypes, the way Quentin's storyline was treated felt very cruel. We only get one POV from him, we get to empathize with him, and then he's shown to go totally off the rails and is described in such a way that I feel like stereotypes LQBTQ+ folks. It was weird, and hearing about how his story "ended" in the last chapter off-handedly was a bit painful.
I don't think I came out of this really liking any of the characters, but I did like the story and where it took me.
I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but I liked how their perspectives blended in finally. It was satisfying, in it's own way.
One thing that rubbed me the wrong way was
I don't think I came out of this really liking any of the characters, but I did like the story and where it took me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Mental illness and Sexual harassment