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msrae89'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
3.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Self harm
Moderate: Racism, Medical content, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol
ehoustonmyatt's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Self harm, Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Sexism, and Racism
catch__up'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
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Abandonment
Minor: Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, and Sexual content
deckleeditproof'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
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Lesbophobia and Racism
chasingpages1's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Self harm, Racism, Abandonment, Sexism, Mental illness, Alcohol, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Death of parent, Drug use, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Blood, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness
saeruh's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Racism, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content
aimnorth's review
- 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
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Racism, Lesbophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, and Sexual content
klimatyczny_bluszcz'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
3.75
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Racism, Self harm, and Sexism
stacy837's review
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Self harm, Alcohol, and Panic attacks/disorders
clemrain's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
The cover art is gorgeous and that alone can give the book one star, but the rating goes down a star because this gorgeous cover lead me to a terrible novel.
I really wasn’t expecting to give this a 0 star rating. I have a point system that I calculate my star ratings on, and then change the number based on gut feeling. Not super mathematical, but my points added to 0 and so did my gut.
I want to say I’m disappointed because this novel wasn’t what I wanted it to be. But I didn’t have any expectations going in. So, it truly just wasn’t a book for me.
There are too many characters. None of them are fleshed out. I don’t think the author thought about the characters past what type of POC, LGBTQ+ or mental illness rep they were going to be. Most characters feel redundant, and between all of them there is no plot. A character based novel is good too, but this book wasn’t that either. It ran on a singular theme (loneliness) and read like a first draft.
The main character, Grace Porter, is truly so annoying. The entire time she complains about being a WOC and that’s the only reason she’s supposedly not succeeding. While simultaneously, having a picture perfect beginning to a romance, parents that support her financially, and friends that love her so much. She’s also explicitly stated as attractive. She’s on the cover and she’s gorgeous. A good solid foundation in succeeding. It almost comes across like internalized racism that she can only name her being half black as the reason to why she didn’t get a job offer.
Maybe the point flew over my head.
As a WOC myself, I understand very well how looking a certain way can cost opportunities. But majority of those losses come in bigger systematic issues which Grace doesn’t face in this novel—let’s say, in a greater extent. There are micro aggressions detailed in the novel and they did a good job illustrating what it is like being a WOC in STEM. However, it’s hard to relate to a supposed systemically oppressed main character that can easily afford trips to New York and Orange groves when they want to runaway from their very small problems like not succeeding in the very first job interview they went to.
She gets called out on her BS by her brother but the brother retracts the statement, says sorry a million times and Grace doesn’t learn anything from it. Where’s the character development?
I’d talk about the other characters, but honestly they’re all annoying too and I can’t actually distinct them from one another.
The writing style is so millennial. There’s no other way to describe it. Even that though, isn’t a death sentence to its writing. What really kills it for me is the the utter loss of literary technique. There’s repetition, but it isn’t used effectively enough to evoke emotion. There are metaphors, but truly too many and they lose their significance and don’t cause a pang. Etc. every literary devices I picked up on just wasn’t effectively used. The dialogue is unnatural. Does this author have siblings? Because siblings do not converse like that. In short, the writing style wasn’t for me.
The pacing was slow. Unbearably slow. The plot jumped in directions that made no sense. One scene didn’t naturally bridge to the next. Truly, I thought I was missing pages at points. The entire time I was reading this I wanted the book to be over. I don’t DNF books, which is the only reason I finished it. But I was close to making this my first DNF.
The themes of loneliness are some of my favourites to read. However, this book was so corny. The radio show starting by asking if someone is out there. A bit on the nose. Comparing loneliness to shunned creatures is a beautiful concept. But it’s terribly executed in the book and hardly a new concept. Frankenstein is bicentennial.
I’ve seen this book described as a coming of age. I think the reason I’m so harsh with this book is because it’s about a 29 year old. Girl you’re not having a coming of age. You have a whole ass PhD.
Loneliness in your 20s is a concept not much written about. Or at least not much I’ve read on in nonfiction. I wish the author had focused on the age group she was writing and wrote her story true to that. This read like YA about 12 year olds.
Ending had literally nothing to do with the novel and didn’t conclude the story at all.
I really want to add a positive in here. I really really do. But the pretty cover compliment is all I have.
I hope the author writes their next novel with good research, a plot chart, and many revisions. Maybe even get a new editor.
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: War, Lesbophobia, and Grief