Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

41 reviews

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.

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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

theverycraftyvegan's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Child death

sarahemhavens's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

Begrudgingly and not, I’m giving this five stars. So many things made me violently angry in this book. The mom? Absolutely can’t stand her. She should thank her lucky stars she’s fictional and her name is Sara, no h; because oooooh if I met that lady I’d slap her SILLY. Jodi Picoult, I love you and your writing is phenomenal and incredibly impressive (research skills: 😗🤌), but you’re sick and twisted for this one. And I’m sick and twisted for loving it. Pls just read this book and experience this for yourself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Terminal illness

ultraviolet98's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.25

While I won't spoil the ending here, this book doesn't have an answer to the question it poses, and while some may think that's a flaw, I rather think that's the whole point. It's a good ending--not satisfying, but good. 

I also have no idea why the author included so much of the sordid past between Julia and Campbell, especially the more racy parts of Campbell's inner dialogue. Whether they were in love and what her skin smelled like, or the birthmark under her breast really had no relevance at all to the central question or themes of the book, was distracting, and felt really crass to include in a story like this.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Mental illness

obsessor_of_books's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Vomit, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Grief, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

green_amaryllis's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Car accident, Terminal illness, Child death, and Death

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Vomit

mirandyli's review against another edition

emotional informative sad medium-paced

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

2.5

This is a pretty sad but unrealistic book that nevertheless brings up some interesting ethical questions.

Anna is her sister Kate's "savior sister," meaning she was born to specifically as a genetic match for her sister, who has leukemia. Anna is now 13, and needs to donate a kidney in order to save Kate's life. Kate tells her she doesn't want to live anymore in a twist at the end, but Anna dies anyway in a car crash and is pronounced brain dead, donating the kidney before she dies. Pretty unrealistic story, but sad and thought-provoking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Cancer

jenna_justi2004's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Child death, Death, Drug use, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Body horror, Car accident, Blood, Cancer, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, and Medical content

thebowandthebook's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.25

Hard book. Difficult subject. Handled okay, but found the subplots very meh, and dramatized. 

irritated with how Jess's misdeeds were handled, and the graphic picture of his braces was disturbing. In addition, the sexual subplot with Campbell and Julia annoyed me, it became less about the case and more aggressive sexual tension. Lastly, how Campbell didn't seem to have any remorse for the accident, no apologies, just oh yeah she'd want to donate her kidney... didn't seem realistic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Car accident, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Grief, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

bethanyhacquoil's review against another edition

emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Car accident, Self harm, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism