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kstericker's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Infidelity, Death, Violence, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Domestic abuse
kait_sixcrowsbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
2.0
I just finished this within the last fifteen minutes, and...it’s a book? Overall, it was okay, but the more I think about it, the more I’m coming to the conclusion that it’s just too...disjointed, I suppose. The story didn’t feel smooth, but instead felt like many smaller stories that didn’t fit quite right in the grand scheme of things.
For example, there is a significant subplot about the main character’s (Amy) weight/body image/eating disorder (huge trigger warning for that, by the way, I was not prepared for it) that...never really gets resolved? A bit connected is the subplot with the main character’s friend from her childhood that, again, didn’t really resolve itself. It basically ceased to exist once Amy got what she needed from them.
And that ~twist ending~ about 5-10% before the end of the book had me reeling, and not in the good twisty kind of way. To me, it was there purely for shock value, and like the other components of this book, it didn’t fit well with the overall plot.
Going back to Amy for a moment, I do want to emphasize that if you’re sensitive towards anything to do with body image and eating disorders, I’d definitely be aware that the book is told from the first-person perspective of someone who deals with both, both in the present story and in their childhood. Like I said, I definitely wasn’t prepared for it, and even as someone who never personally dealt with an eating disorder, it made me feel uncomfortable at times.
I will say that while I didn’t like most of what this book tried to do, I was pretty interested in the scuba diving aspect — as someone who never did it, it was definitely different, and I enjoyed everything about it! Everything else? Meh, not so much.
For example, there is a significant subplot about the main character’s (Amy) weight/body image/eating disorder (huge trigger warning for that, by the way, I was not prepared for it) that...never really gets resolved? A bit connected is the subplot with the main character’s friend from her childhood that, again, didn’t really resolve itself. It basically ceased to exist once Amy got what she needed from them.
And that ~twist ending~ about 5-10% before the end of the book had me reeling, and not in the good twisty kind of way. To me, it was there purely for shock value, and like the other components of this book, it didn’t fit well with the overall plot.
Going back to Amy for a moment, I do want to emphasize that if you’re sensitive towards anything to do with body image and eating disorders, I’d definitely be aware that the book is told from the first-person perspective of someone who deals with both, both in the present story and in their childhood. Like I said, I definitely wasn’t prepared for it, and even as someone who never personally dealt with an eating disorder, it made me feel uncomfortable at times.
I will say that while I didn’t like most of what this book tried to do, I was pretty interested in the scuba diving aspect — as someone who never did it, it was definitely different, and I enjoyed everything about it! Everything else? Meh, not so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Car accident, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Homophobia and Infidelity
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