Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

35 reviews

adearajean's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

A little slow and the character's decisions feel plot-driven and not authentic. Took me a little while to get into because there are a lot of characters and names. I didn't feel connected to some immediately and you have to care about the characters since there's little plot. 

I did not like the redemption of Elizabeth. It was forced and not deserved.

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Abandonment, Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug use, Incest, and Addiction

cake_cats_books's review

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Addiction, and Abandonment

katrinarose's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? No

4.0

Such a sweet story of love, overcoming trauma, and found family. It took me a bit longer than I expected to connect with the characters but it was a platonic slow burn and by the end I got emotional for all of them! 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Child death, and Abandonment

Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual assault

pjv's review

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Abandonment, Drug abuse, and Death of parent

emmawiechs's review

emotional mysterious 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Grief, Abandonment, and Child abuse

smiti_nathan's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Addiction

em_hudson03101's review

emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, and Violence

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

---

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

---

Content Warnings

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

Minor: Addiction

chimichannika's review

challenging reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This book was really quite good and ended on a beautifully hopeful&optimistic note, made all the more meaningful because of all that the characters had been through in their lives, but a HEAVY disclaimer to proceed with extreme caution if you are a survivor of domestic abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, or have religious trauma, as this book does heavily deal with those themes. 

The premise of the book—without giving specific spoilers—, in the end, is people with varying kinds of horrible pasts living next to each other, by chance, and making this charming corner of the world a better place through their gradually deepening bonds of friendship and camaraderie. It ends on a hopeful note, and is truly about the love permeating throughout, but it does extensively handle those potentially-triggering/retraumatizing topics, at length, for multiple portions of the book. 

I still consider it a good book, but would only recommend it to specific people with specific disclaimers, and also a note to please care for your own well-being if any of those topics can be especially triggering or distressing. I’m off to go seek out some comfort media because I physically reacted to the way some of the content triggered me, and need to go un-tense my muscles now. 

And yet, the book had portions of charming and sleepy loveliness in it too, the way the characters began forming this “group of misfits” was so sweet, and the last couple chapters were so satisfying, showing where the characters were at now. 

One other thing— I mentioned in the content warnings section a brief description of animal violence— the animal is okay, it survives, is loved, and treated very well after it’s rescued. just wanted to note that the animal is more-than-okay ♡ 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Child abuse

Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Child death, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Abandonment

Minor: Animal cruelty, Stalking, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug abuse