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cjmarie28's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer
madilikestoread's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The ending was very unexpected! I cried multiple times, especially near the end of the novel. I loved that there’s multiple POV’s as well as Kate and Anna’s relationship. Overall, this is a beautiful book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Terminal illness, Grief, Death, Cancer, and Child death
Moderate: Car accident and Suicide
kaz_brekkerrr's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content
Minor: Blood, Vomit, Sexual content, Cancer, and Suicidal thoughts
captainrenjamin's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Child death
Moderate: Chronic illness
giuliana_ferrari's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
This book is an interesting ethical discussion on the implications of engineering a baby to serve as your child's donor. And although the borderline obsessive reasonings from the mother of the dying child are exposed in subtle and not so subtle moments, I felt like the author didn't want to take it as far as agreeing that Sara was in fact a bad mother. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, but both mother and father made it clear throughout the book their terrible choices that led to a young man becoming an arsonist and a younger child becoming nothing more than a petri dish to save the other sister's life. No matter how strongly they tried to defend themselves in their narratives, they neglected their older child for the sake of the sick one and literally designed a baby to serve a specific purpose. That's why I'm so bothered by the ending: Anna dies so Kate can live, and suddenly the mother is all grieving and suffering and wishing she could have Anna back, although she slapped her child for suing them and ignored and neglected her son . Although I understand their situation was a terrible, unpredictable, emotionally exhausting one, the family basically gave me a crash course in what not to do when you have more than one child and one is severely ill. And in all of this the author seemed content in defending the parents and voicing that a mother would do anything for their child, even if that means being a terrible parent. On and all the book could have gone to a deeper discussion of morals and rights of choice, but instead focused a bit too much on the soap-opera moments of cancer devastating a white middle-class family with religious undertones. Am I being unsympathetic? Maybe. But it could have been much more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Cancer, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Child death
caseylovett's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Blood, and Car accident
Moderate: Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit
zoejjj's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
4.0
Okay obviously I cried like a baby I have three sisters and if I was put in a position like this I have no clue what I would’ve done!! The part where Anna is in the shower and Kate is talking to her, saying I can lose you as a sister but I couldn’t handle losing you as a friend? I was trying to do chores while listening this and was cryinggg!!
Nobody in this book is hateable. Not even Sara. She is written as an incredibly driven woman who will stop at nothing to save her daughter. Unfortunately her other kids get forgotten in the process but she regrets, she makes it right. “This is her pond but my lily pads”? Shaving her head for Kate? Honestly Jesse got the wayyyy short end of the straw but he also almost killed someone.
The ending is… so so. I wish Jodi would’ve committed to Kate dying. In the end, Anna’s choice was taken away from her AGAIN. Was the whole lawsuit pointless? Maybe! Sure it’s (possibly) realistic bc life does not care but this book isn’t meant to be realistic like that. The ending is out of left field for the topics this book is dealing with.
Nobody in this book is hateable. Not even Sara. She is written as an incredibly driven woman who will stop at nothing to save her daughter. Unfortunately her other kids get forgotten in the process but she regrets, she makes it right. “This is her pond but my lily pads”? Shaving her head for Kate? Honestly Jesse got the wayyyy short end of the straw but he also almost killed someone.
The ending is… so so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Car accident, Drug use, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Child death, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content and Vomit
heathermarie08's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Chronic illness
Moderate: Medical content and Child death
shamely's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Il y a pour moi 2 aspects dans ce livre qui s'opposent assez bien.
D'une part, l'histoire qui est à la fois palpitante et poignante. J'ai voulu gazer à travers ce livre tant je voulais savoir la suite. Le sujet, au goût du jour, est aussi très stimulant et donne matière à réfléchir.
Il y a aussi les personnages qui sont attachants malgré leurs défauts. On a envie de tout leur pardonner... enfin sauf peut-être à la mère des enfants... quoi que ? Il est à la fois aisé et compliqué de compatir avec ces personnages et cette dualité rend le livre tellement vivant et émotionnel !
D'autre part, il y a le style d'écriture qui pour moi n'est pas au rendez-vous. J'ai trouvé beaucoup de passages denses de mots et lourds. Ça ne se lisait pas de façon fluide et aisée partout au même moment.
De plus, chaque chapitre relate le point de vue d'un personnage différent, parfois de façon linéaire à l'histoire mais souvent pas du tout. Sauts dans le passé et retour au présent sont sensés nous aider à comprendre la mentalité de tous et le dilemme de chaque personnage... mais j'ai trouvé que l'exercice n'était pas fluide, souvent pesant et frustrant. Certains points de vue n'apportent rien, sont ennuyant et apportent du mystère mal exécuté ( le passé entre Campbell et Julia est complètement mal exécuté, inutile et leurs points de vue ne m'ont jamais aidé à comprendre mieux l'un ou l'autre personnage... Le mystère autour du chien est de même ridicule et la façon de faire penser que l'épilepsie est une tare très mal venue à mon sens ).
En réalité, sans cette histoire qui était moralement prenante, je n'aurais pas continué le livre tant le style ne me convenait pas. J'ai tout de même un sentiment très positif en le finissant car j'ai réussi à me faire une place au sein de la famille Fitzgerald et à rire et pleurer tout au long des drames et bonheurs qui ponctuent leur vie.
Je recommande tout de même de lire ce livre et de se poser à la fin pour tenter de répondre aux questions qu'il soulève... Une bonne claque morale qui nous rappelle que la limite entre le bien et le mal n'est pas si nette !
D'une part, l'histoire qui est à la fois palpitante et poignante. J'ai voulu gazer à travers ce livre tant je voulais savoir la suite. Le sujet, au goût du jour, est aussi très stimulant et donne matière à réfléchir.
Il y a aussi les personnages qui sont attachants malgré leurs défauts. On a envie de tout leur pardonner
D'autre part, il y a le style d'écriture qui pour moi n'est pas au rendez-vous. J'ai trouvé beaucoup de passages denses de mots et lourds. Ça ne se lisait pas de façon fluide et aisée partout au même moment.
De plus, chaque chapitre relate le point de vue d'un personnage différent, parfois de façon linéaire à l'histoire mais souvent pas du tout. Sauts dans le passé et retour au présent sont sensés nous aider à comprendre la mentalité de tous et le dilemme de chaque personnage... mais j'ai trouvé que l'exercice n'était pas fluide, souvent pesant et frustrant. Certains points de vue n'apportent rien, sont ennuyant et apportent du mystère mal exécuté (
En réalité, sans cette histoire qui était moralement prenante, je n'aurais pas continué le livre tant le style ne me convenait pas. J'ai tout de même un sentiment très positif en le finissant car j'ai réussi à me faire une place au sein de la famille Fitzgerald et à rire et pleurer tout au long des drames et bonheurs qui ponctuent leur vie.
Je recommande tout de même de lire ce livre et de se poser à la fin pour tenter de répondre aux questions qu'il soulève... Une bonne claque morale qui nous rappelle que la limite entre le bien et le mal n'est pas si nette !
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Cancer
houimk's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? N/A
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer and Chronic illness
Moderate: Medical trauma and Car accident
Minor: Grief