Reviews with content warning for Death - Lemon

This is a very quick and haunting read, thought-provoking about classism and its effect on families, their trauma and grief.

Hae-on is a high schooler and is found murdered. Her case has gone cold. Her defining characteristic is her overwhelming beauty, paired with her vapid personality. We switch from the POVs of her younger sister Da-on, and two of her classmates, who each give us pieces to essentially solve the puzzle.

There are big leaps in timeline, and undefined switches in POV, which might be confusing, but I really appreciated the effect it gave -- stumbling around in memories, trying to make sense of it all. Without spoilers, I can say Kwon Yeo-Sun beautifully balanced that fine line with the reader, giving us just enough to understand each character's personality, backstory and role in the murder. You're forced to overcome your own prejudice to see clearly what's right in front of you.

Give this a read if you're in the mood for a short book, Korean authors and stories, and darker plots.

Content Warnings

tashtasher's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

orlagal's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

breckenthereader's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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? No

2.75

Content Warnings

rainbowarpaint's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense

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? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

ropey's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

4.0

There are many things unsaid in this book. By the very end, I had to sit and let the words simmer for them to settle. My main gripe is it tried too hard to be existential and atmospheric that it blurred out its characters to the point of flattening them.

Maybe Da-on stole Taerim's baby tit-for-tat after Taerim killed her sister out of jealousy. Hye-eun's beauty is often alluded to, something that enraged Taerim and attracted Jeogjun, her boyfriend at that time, and now husband. The baby perhaps even looked like Hye-eun which changed the husband's behavior so drastically. This is just my theory, though. I appreciate the author for leaving it open-ended that way so the reader is left to fit the pieces together.

Content Warnings

def_ni's review

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emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Content Warnings

katndrsn's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

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