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dearreader_booktok's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-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
the_readingkoala's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.0
msmagoo502's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
faeriesparks's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, this was a phenomenal book.
It's a quite short book which took me almost a month to read but right from the beginning I realised I wanted to take my time with this story. When I wasn't reading it, I found myself thinking about these characters throughout the day.
Everything I Never Told You was so interesting - with the 70s setting, the Chinese-American family, their struggles, the circumstances of some family members. Loved it and definitely recommend this!
It's a quite short book which took me almost a month to read but right from the beginning I realised I wanted to take my time with this story. When I wasn't reading it, I found myself thinking about these characters throughout the day.
Everything I Never Told You was so interesting - with the 70s setting, the Chinese-American family, their struggles, the circumstances of some family members. Loved it and definitely recommend this!
klhammy's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed the story and plot, but found that I wasn't very attached to any of the characters.
noriam_reads's review against another edition
5.0
This is what we call "showing instead of telling" I loved it.
sabsfil's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
slentz97's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
Could be artificially low because I listened to audiobook on a long car drive. Maybe would have liked it better if I read it and not all at once
carlyxdeexx's review against another edition
5.0
I guess my love for Celeste Ng has been confirmed. This book feels more micro than LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, but both books share some key similarities: starting from a central event near the end, exploring familial complexities and discomforts and how people are shaped by them, jumping between third-person limited perspectives of each character. In both books, we’re given a simple tragedy, like a single line on a page, and then we are gradually provided with the nuance surrounding the tragedy, the many other lines and shading that form a large, hyperrealistic sketch.
I will agree with some of the other reviewers who mention the book’s downward spiraling, its saddening and maddening trajectory. It can be difficult to read, seeing the signs coming together, desperately wanting the characters to talk candidly with each other, knowing they can’t or won’t for some reason or another, which is always how that works. I was surprised at the small burst of hope in the ending, the hope that comes with time and patience and the careful peeling away of layers. Is that a spoiler? I dunno. Better safe than sorry I guess.
I hope to see more novels by Ng, or a short story collection—I noticed she has some short stories under her belt. Her writing is compelling, poetic, lucid, and I love how deeply rooted her work is in the personal and in relationships.
I will agree with some of the other reviewers who mention the book’s downward spiraling, its saddening and maddening trajectory. It can be difficult to read, seeing the signs coming together, desperately wanting the characters to talk candidly with each other, knowing they can’t or won’t for some reason or another, which is always how that works. I was surprised at the small burst of hope in the ending, the hope that comes with time and patience and the careful peeling away of layers. Is that a spoiler? I dunno. Better safe than sorry I guess.
I hope to see more novels by Ng, or a short story collection—I noticed she has some short stories under her belt. Her writing is compelling, poetic, lucid, and I love how deeply rooted her work is in the personal and in relationships.