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placebogirl's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Racism, Homophobia, Misogyny, and Emotional abuse
samarakroeger's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Real Life honestly sometimes felt a little too real, certainly very raw and almost dejected. I'm glad I didn't read this while I was struggling to slog through my STEM degree and frequently felt like I didn't belong there. The Imposter Syndrome vibes are very very strong and honestly is a bit of a trigger warning if that would hit too close to home at the moment. If you're feeling very lonely and lost in the world, proceed with caution. I felt it perfectly captured the Midwestern microaggression flavor and casual racism/sexism/homophobia in a place that is "proud of being woke and liberal" but is still overwhelmingly white. Also, the frustration of advisor favoritism.
The writing style veered a little too close to purple prose for me at times. However, given that Taylor wrote this in a matter of weeks (!!!), I think its solid foundation could have benefitted from just a bit more editing.
I liked all the hints that it was set at UW Madison without ever mentioning it by name, which felt like a fun little easter egg hunt for Midwesterners. I feel like I have to be right because UW Madison is Taylor's alma mater and Real Life seems pretty heavily autobiographical.
All in all, I can see how this book would be divisive for people. There's nothing uplifting about this, there's no healthy relationships, there's no real conclusion or lesson to take away from it. It could be deeply triggering for some people, or verge on not being relatable enough to others. Personally, I liked it a lot, but I can't say I'd recommend this across the board.
Graphic: Pedophilia, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Racism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Self harm
Moderate: Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual content, and Homophobia
Imposter Syndrome and feeling incredibly lonely and hopeless in the world also prevalent themesnikki_readsss's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, and Sexual violence
cosycourtney's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Moderate: Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Racism, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Death of parent, Infidelity, Rape, and Child abuse
Minor: Eating disorder and Toxic relationship
rachbake's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Pedophilia, and Domestic abuse
raoulalexander'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Racism, Domestic abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Grief, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Vomit, Drug abuse, and Infidelity
strange's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, and Toxic relationship
nenesuxz'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Gaslighting
hbrown's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Violence, Domestic abuse, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Vomit, and Physical abuse
lavender_ani'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Child abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Homophobia