Scan barcode
indiahaze's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Mental illness, Grief, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Abandonment, Addiction, Death of parent, and Suicide
Minor: Animal cruelty, Stalking, and Cancer
sjxa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
It handles its difficult themes, well, I wouldn’t say ‘delicately’ so much as thoroughly. It spanks them and sends them home to their mamas. Which I appreciate.
People keep saying that this book is gross, often in good reviews, and I guess it is, but I think really it’s SEXY. It’s ‘gross’ parts are bodily, obsessive, and cosmically kinky.
Greta is completely lovable in her obvious flaws and bad behaviour, and I quickly bacame just as obsessed with Big Swiss as she is. So much so that I was pining for more of her tall blonde coldness in the last act, and as the book ended I didn’t know if I found the ending itself dissapointing for a lack of her, or wether I was just dissapointed that the book was over.
I did actually take a quater of a point off for this. I’m sure something else could’ve been done with that very last leg, but not all books can be perfect.
It’s a completley addicting read with vibrant characters that makes you believe in a more interesting world.
PS: I accidentally fancast La Grande Dame from RPDR France and then UK vs The World as Big Swiss, Kimiko Glenn (who I aged 10 years with the power of my mind) as Greta, and Harriet Walter (-10 years) as Sabine (who I LOVED and kind of want to be when i grow up). These castings would be impossible for obvious reasons but are somehow the only right answer.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Toxic friendship, Blood, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Stalking, Death, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Minor: Rape
rathatbrat'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Trying to understand where I am with this, but my feelings are all over the place.
I would say the first half is very addicting, the transcripts are fun to read, the format makes me feel the fly 🪰 I sometimes wish to be.
On the other hand, the second half felt a bit loose(?), it does seem a bit lost, without direction.. there's tension but I wish the consequences were harsher.
I mean, even when in a relationship, Greta kept thinking of her as Big Swiss — not Flavia.
I was expecting the plot to blow up, to escalate and get a more harsher direction.
Although the ending was underwhelming, I don't dislike it.
I think it makes sense for things to be more "cold warish" due to their dinamic.
Also, I think it makes the book a bit more unsettling (?)
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction
the_lesbrarian's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Infidelity, Mental illness, Medical content, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Stalking, Suicide, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Grief, Violence, Animal death, Death, and Abandonment
silver_lining_in_a_book's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Greta considered her own behaviour around red flags. Her habit was not to ignore them so much as to ingest them, a somewhat laborious mental production that involved placing them in a stockpot with butter, herbs, and mirepoix; cooking over low heat without browning; adding red meat, additional red flags, a jug of red wine; and voilà, four hours at a lazy simmer later, an extremely rich red-flag stew that she forked into her mouth every day like a fucking moron, sometimes for years on end.
Oh no... I hate to do this but I should have seen the signs when in the first few pages we were making horribly racist comments (particularly about Japanese and Chinese people), making fun of anorexics (trigger warnings would have been appreciated) and strangely glamorising suicide.
I had such high expectations for this book! It had so much potential when it came to humorously discussing some very morbid and taboo topics but instead, it turned into a very uncomfortable semi-erotic, semi-thriller novel. It failed at the thrill, it failed at the romance, it failed at the eroticism and it did not even begin the discussion of important topics like relationships, infidelity, suicide, depression, therapy and trauma.
I am not sure I have ever given a book 1 star, but there is a first time for everything and I believe it is well deserved in this case. The 1 star is being awarded solely to the beautiful US cover and its designer; it's the only thing Big Swiss has going for it. I am so incredibly thankful I decided to check this out of the library because I would have probably torn the sex-scene pages out if it were my own copy... they were so unpleasant to read. Not to mention that I am generally fine with erotic scenes! I will never be able to get the image of a slightly moist origami rose between a woman's peach-fuzz-covered legs out of my head. Thank you, Jen Beagin, for making me hate both origami and peaches now (though the latter was ruined by Call Me By Your Name a while ago).
Anyway, I somewhat regret pushing through this sorry excuse for literature, but at least I can confidently say that it sucked and I truly truly TRULY do not understand the hype here... how many trees have been sacrificed for this exactly? I would like to petition for their restoration; they didn't deserve this.
Graphic: Vomit, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Excrement, Sexual violence, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Racism, Blood, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Sexism, Physical abuse, Eating disorder, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Addiction, Suicide, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Mental illness, Death, Cursing, Violence, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic relationship
katierosecrane's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
There were parts where I was confused about where it was going. Those were the parts that were harder to get through. But this book is made for all weirdos out there.
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Self harm, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Infidelity, Medical content, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, and Sexual content
plumdustsuns's review against another edition
0.25
There was no linear string of concentration. Went from flavia’s trauma to random affair to Greta’s random descent into jealousy without showing that she had a tendency to be as much and that her mom was the same way. The blasé way of ‘I didn’t care that my mother offed herself’ in the last therapy session versus her using and being bogged down and sad by this trauma was not only conflicting but distasteful. Also Om randomly caring about her when she’s just his transcriptionist and his care/their friendship not even being handled before?? It’s not plausible/would have made for a better plot line and betrayal and made sense when he offered her sessions if they were friends or friendly. He said ‘Lmao’ when she said her house was cold and rain was coming in. And he suddenly cares?
And Keith was made out to be such a big deal and the stalker narrative and it barely did anything/added anything into the story? It wasn’t even resolved in the end properly?
Greta saying she had been SA’ed but it never coming up for her own intimacy issues? And it was just an offhand mention??
Also racist humour and just… so much wrong with this book, man. And how Flavia reacts to/keeps coming back to Greta doesn’t quite make sense. Also Greta gaslighting Flavia that adultery was worse than what she did? No???
Absolute fucking disappointment. Just a lazy and unfocused book.
Graphic: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Stalking, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Emotional abuse, Animal death, Self harm, Drug use, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Racism, Sexual violence, Gun violence, Infidelity, and Physical abuse
crptainkirk's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
Minor: Drug use, Alcoholism, and Eating disorder
heyitsmoog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Animal cruelty, Blood, Child abuse, and Addiction
agiecummings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I appreciate when the main character decides to go to therapy and work out their issues, but the manner in which the main character of this book, Greta, comes to that conclusion was not my favorite thing that has ever happened.
It’s funny and well written but people had hyped it up a lot and I didn’t think it lived up to that entirely.
Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Alcoholism, Addiction, and Animal cruelty