Reviews with content warning for Cursing - This Is How You Lose Her

This was fast read, which I appreciated! I thought it had sweet moments, and I liked it overall, but it didn't leave a profound impact on me. I found the random perspective shift in the middle a little jarring.

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starrysteph's review against another edition

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funny reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

This is a collection of short stories - but all linked to and interwoven with the life of one specific character, Yunior.

It's difficult to love Yunior; he doesn't seem to evolve much and treats those in his life (especially the rotation of women throughout the collection) quite poorly. But he has this sense of cheeky optimism that is endearing - and this shines through in the more haunting portraits of Yunior and his brother and parents.

I'm not sure if I would call these "love" stories. There are no happy endings here, and each story heavily features infidelity and machismo and the general mistreatment of women.

The language was both raw and effective. Yunior's got an incredibly well-defined voice. And the last short story, The Cheater's Guide To Love, where he finally owns his mistakes and accepts some responsibility for his challenging relationships, is by far my favorite.

CW: infidelity, cancer, adult/minor relationship, alcoholism, cursing, drug use, misogyny, chronic illness, fatphobia, racism, classism, grief, suicidal thoughts, sexual content

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chillstock's review against another edition

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challenging sad tense fast-paced

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

3.5

It turns out to be what you expect. When you read a myopic book about a man’s flaws, they seem to feel pointing out that they have flaws is as good as saying something about them.

That being said, the reader will walk away with a number of themes explored, including intergenerational trauma and how that shit can make you an asshole. There is a LOT of toxic masculinity, slut shaming, misogyny, and racism in this book. A LOT. Again, that’s the point, but would that the dude has something insightful to share about how he becomes less of a shit instead of just saying he is a shit and that it’s meaningful to put together a book about all the women he’s hurt where the implication is that none of it is his fault cause he’s had a tough life.

Well written. Just… so much toxic masculinity, and while that was the point, it seems the author wasn’t aware of how much additional toxic masculinity and misogyny he still has even in his “I learned my lesson” voice.

Anyways, I hate reading books about men who suck, and how they just kind of suck, but like, in a profound way, you know maaaaaan?

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noahee's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

4.0

uh kind of feels like misogyny is the plot?

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