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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Explores how the internet has changed millennial women, their role in relationships, their prospects and their desires.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Reading this felt like reflecting on half memories. What what’s a memory? What’s fiction? Did all of us that grew up in the 2000s have the same fucked up relationships with the internet and our perception?
The first half of this book makes for an incredible read & I won’t be the only one that the story will resonate with, in fact, I think any woman who has grown up around the internet will understand/relate to the anxieties and experiences described. At times, it made for an uncomfortable read only because I could connect so much with the anxiety of the protagonist, especially when it described the struggle of navigating friendships both online and offline
The second half, however, I felt merged into more of a coming-of-age, One Day-esque romance. It was still interesting to see how the early online experiences shaped/impacted the protagonist as she got older, but I struggled to connect with this part as much and I didn’t feel it had the impact the beginning had.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this ARC!
The second half, however, I felt merged into more of a coming-of-age, One Day-esque romance. It was still interesting to see how the early online experiences shaped/impacted the protagonist as she got older, but I struggled to connect with this part as much and I didn’t feel it had the impact the beginning had.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for a copy of this ARC!
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
I loved the premise of this book and the first half had me gripped and in awe of how perfectly it encapsulated a whole generation’s experience growing up at the dawn of the internet. I found the shift towards the relationship aspects of the story a little less captivating.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
“a coming-of-age story set in the digital era” STFU.
i really did not like this. yes, it is written by a woman, and yes, the traumas that the female main character endures are accurately and respectfully portrayed. but NO!!!!! who wants to read all that? oh my fucking god. the narrator was just repeatedly abused and disrespected. that never makes for a good story (in my opinion). like yeah, young girls are exploited—doesn’t mean i have to read about it. and this novel was not marketed as that kind of story…. so…. what? and oh my god, i hated that stupid metaphor about her having a hole in her stomach. if that sounds insane, that’s because it literally was. on every other page this bitch mentioned the hole in her stomach. and no, it was not an ulcer! it was a metaphor for darkness inside her. actually SHUT UP. then, at the 75% mark the book sort-of pivots into a romance between her and the childhood best friend. this was SO unpleasant to read, because it was clearly intended to be a sally rooney-esque miscommunication situation, but it had the emotional depth of a middle school group chat discussing who kissed who during spin the bottle. i also feel like the narrator’s trauma from the first section of the book remained unresolved and the love story happy ending just “fixed” her problems. ughhhhhh. i was excited about this book (it’s set in dublin). what a flop
i really did not like this. yes, it is written by a woman, and yes, the traumas that the female main character endures are accurately and respectfully portrayed. but NO!!!!! who wants to read all that? oh my fucking god. the narrator was just repeatedly abused and disrespected. that never makes for a good story (in my opinion). like yeah, young girls are exploited—doesn’t mean i have to read about it. and this novel was not marketed as that kind of story…. so…. what? and oh my god, i hated that stupid metaphor about her having a hole in her stomach. if that sounds insane, that’s because it literally was. on every other page this bitch mentioned the hole in her stomach. and no, it was not an ulcer! it was a metaphor for darkness inside her. actually SHUT UP. then, at the 75% mark the book sort-of pivots into a romance between her and the childhood best friend. this was SO unpleasant to read, because it was clearly intended to be a sally rooney-esque miscommunication situation, but it had the emotional depth of a middle school group chat discussing who kissed who during spin the bottle. i also feel like the narrator’s trauma from the first section of the book remained unresolved and the love story happy ending just “fixed” her problems. ughhhhhh. i was excited about this book (it’s set in dublin). what a flop
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Raw is really the only way to describe this book. Prasifka’s writing is powerful, honest, and really draws you in. The 2nd tense helped to paint me as the main character which was hard and emotional in so many ways. I related to a lot of the things that happened in her upbringing - her thoughts, experiences, struggles.
I read a lot of reviews saying they thought the ending was a typical “girl falls in love with a boy and all her problems go away” so I was feeling weary of how I would find the ending. I didn’t find this to be true though - I thought she started her healing outside of the relationship which then meant she was able to FINALLY admit she was in love with this boy and then the healing continued within the relationship
Overall, a very powerful, relatable read that has left an impression on me.
Overall, a very powerful, relatable read that has left an impression on me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment