Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

34 reviews

r_j_setser's review against another edition

inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

"Book lovers can spot a wrapped book a mile away." 

This was a beautiful and fun book! Zoey, Charlotte, Mac, and Oliver kept me laughing, feeling comforted, and fully engaged in their story. It was simple, but in a complimentary way. The story and characters had such a depth to them without making you feel bogged down by their pasts or struggles. It was such a beautiful way of portraying the complexities of people and how, when you find the right people, those struggles that typically isolate you can have the same power to knit you together and create strong bonds. I loved how natural the communication was for these broken people and it just felt so much like "finally" finding people who will stay on your side through thick and thin. Zoey and Charlotte's friendship was so comforting and healthy, too. Exactly what female friendships should be. 

The mysterious undertones kept me flipping the pages. The food--oh my goodness. I would buy a cookbook of recipes from this book (and other Allen books!). Since finishing Other Birds, I've started The Girl Who Chased the Moon (also by Sarah Addison Allen) and her food descriptions set my mouth to watering. 

The romance was so sweet and comforting, too. The kind that makes you feel like watching your best friend fall in love with someone who is PERFECT for them. There are several mentions of casual s3x from background characters but there's nothing shown on page. Overall, I adored this book and as I mentioned above, I immediately started another book by this author because I wanted more. This would be a great summer read!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Abandonment, Domestic abuse, and Addiction

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Child death

Content/trigger warnings: Little to no cursing. No spice. No gore.

There are a few heavy topics about one character escaping a cult where a child died. A couple of characters deal with the mental illness of being abused (sexually) as children. One character grows up with a narcissistic and mentally ill mother and there are several sad and complicated conversations dealing with that.

tamara_joy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

A sweet book, happily not saccharine though.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief and Mental illness

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Alcohol, Death, Drug abuse, and Stalking

melshoo's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Minor: Death of parent, Child abuse, Drug use, Child death, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Abandonment

staylorreads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Addiction, Death, Grief, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Incest, Sexual assault, Stalking, Physical abuse, and Violence

raptorq's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Mental illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, and Child death

ariana3's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This one was okay. I didn't really understand or know what the point of the book was for a lot of it.

A girl moves to this condo complex where her now dead mother used to live. She never fit in with her dad, stepmom, and step-siblings. Other residents are reclusive until the most annoying resident dies. The girl, Zoey, gets the residents to talk and be friends.

A story about the ghosts of our past impacting our present lives/futures and letting go of them. Meh

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Abandonment, Death, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

Minor: Infidelity and Animal cruelty

themorethatyouread's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Child abuse, Abandonment, Grief, and Incest

Minor: Addiction

mayaep's review against another edition

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

fun character study book- the plot picks up towards the end 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Mental illness

Minor: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Addiction, Stalking, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Death of parent

rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition

hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Drug abuse

Minor: Child abuse and Sexual assault

Hoarding

sharkgirl45's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Addiction, Grief, Mental illness, Drug abuse, and Death of parent