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mscalls's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Genocide, Infidelity, Outing, Toxic relationship, Islamophobia, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Lesbophobia, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Eating disorder
mirireads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Biphobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Infidelity, Addiction, Violence, Sexual content, Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Mental illness
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Drug use, Death, and Drug abuse
lizzierose147's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
The book is also refreshingly sex positive, even in the several relationships that arent explicitly sexual that the main character describes. Her mothers balance of biphobia and homophobia is also fascinating, the terms and conditions along which she is clearly desperate to be disappointed and yet still make room in spite of her prejudices for love and acceptance of her daughter are a great example of queer family dynamics for the 21dt c.
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Addiction, Alcohol, Biphobia, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Mental illness
erinalt90's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
The ending is disappointing and the book overall is just - sporadic? I don't know. It doesn't work in my opinion.
I never read reviews for books before/during. But all the reviews who also gave it around 2-3.5 stars I agree with completely.
There were also tiny conflicting details/inconsistencies in the set up/characters. At one point someone is referred to as a "classmate" and three sentences later - while talking about the same character- they are referred to as "coworker." They are small little details but there are enough of them that they start to add up.
TW: potential child abuse
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There was also an entire section with another character and pregnancy/child fetish played a role and it was just- weird.
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Classism, Colonisation, Cultural appropriation, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
202claire's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Biphobia, Colonisation, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Outing, and Religious bigotry
whatannikareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i enjoyed the short in-between chapters that took us into her palestinian heritage and childhood memories.
that being said, this book felt very fragmented, as if there were three different plot lines that weren't really woven together seamlessly. the writing is in first person, which made it feel a bit too simplistic--telling rather than showing. a bit past halfway, it just felt like the author was listing her relationships without going into enough depth for me to care. and the main character herself isn't really likable; she doesn't necessarily have to be, but it was hard for me to see the point in why she was dealing with the conflicts in her life. the ending just kind of ended, and didn't make me feel emotional or anything.
i think there were too many conflicts the author wanted to focus on--the strained relationship with her mother (which i wish we saw more of), her love addiction rehab journey, her toxic role in her relationships-- and i think the author would've benefitted from sticking to one or two conflicts and building a more linear plot around them.
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Death, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Outing, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
yayokay's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Biphobia, Adult/minor relationship, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, and Drug use