Reviews with content warning for Gaslighting - Twilight

I reread this for the first time as an adult, having only read it one other time as a 12 year old. It was fun rereading it as an adult, and doing it as a buddy read as well, but yikes this book is problematic. Red flags everywhere, Bella is so unlikable and annoying, and the writing can be so over-descriptive that it honestly takes you out of the story. As a reread/buddy read, it was enjoyable, but I think we can all agree that Twilight is definitely nothing to write home about.

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jourdanicus's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

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

3.25

A reread because of course I was all up in this series as a teen. Ya know, I didn't hate it this time. I'm reading through the lens of horror and it's kinda working for me. Of course it's angsty and dramatic but Bella is 17, I think we were all at least a little angsty and short-sighted around that age. Obviously I do not care for the promotion of toxic romantic relationships but I do think there's at least something to get out of this series. It's a cultural touchstone whether we like it or not.

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celisabeth's review against another edition

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emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

With this type of subject matter, the story could have been completely campy, but instead was surprisingly beautiful at times. I thought that Twilight exhibited a surprising depth of emotion, intimacy and even sensuality without ever resorting to anything explicit. I think the intimacy was owing in large part to the amazing level of communication between Bella and Edward. These two teen protagonists affected more stark honesty in their communication than many adult characters in romance novels, rarely holding anything back from each other. Edward was even forthcoming about who and what he was far sooner than I ever expected him to be. The sensuality was conveyed through simple things like smiles, kisses and touches and most importantly their beautiful dialog. The first two-thirds of the book moves at a rather languid but steady pace owing to the extensive character and relationship development. After that, it almost instantly turns into a taut suspense/thriller when Bella's life is threatened. Even though the book is written entirely in first-person from Bella's perspective, I thought the author did a good job of conveying Edward's thoughts and feelings too, through extensive use of dialog. As an aside, I really liked the small-town atmosphere of Forks.

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sarah_speaks's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-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

3.0

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ellaticonstellation's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny slow-paced

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

4.0

This is fine. Sure, there are a lot of corny moments at the point of cringe, but still okay. I don't like the super long chapters; not a fan.

Bella has a funny mind. She's opinionated, clumsy, and awkward and I love that. I also like that she reads books for fun. Oh, I also love the part where she prepares and cooks in the kitchen a lot of times.

Edward on the other hand is toxic basically. The horrors of the vampire life aren't mentioned that much, it might have been interesting.

Jacob was chill and funny.✨

By the way, didn't Bella even realize that she might have liked or loved Edward because it's part of the vampire stuff? I mean, teenage hormones, I guess? But yeah, I sensed that she had a death wish.

Poor Charlie, he had no idea.

Oh well, thanks, Stephenie❤️

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sav_22's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-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? It's complicated

3.0

Decided to reread this, I read it in middle school and used to be a fan but decided to revisit. Whether you like or hate it, its such a landmark in pop culture; I never take it seriously, it’s a fun read if you just like shallow paranormal romances.

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cryptidofcreation's review against another edition

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funny mysterious reflective relaxing slow-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

I feel like there isn't even a need to write a review, because who doesn't know Twilight by now.
Like many, I have a complicated relationship with the Twilight saga. It is so bad but so good.
It is a terrible book, but it's unintentionally so unhinged and funny.
It also really puts me in the mood for fall! Especially when having the movie soundtrack play in the background while reading.
When I read it for the first time when the books first came out I read Twilight in Dutch.
This was my first read through in English and I have to say I was surprised to find out that Stephenie Meyer isn't a bad writer! The writing style is easy and enjoyable to read in my opinion. However, I will forever be convinced Stephanie was meant to be a thriller/horror author who for some reason stumbled into the romance genre.

All and all, I had fun rereading Twilight and will be rereading the rest of the series.
When the book first came out I read a bit of midnight sun. I was told it justifies a lot of Edwards actions when you read the story from his perspective. It did not. It made it worse. I love this dumpster fire of a book series.

Read at your own risk. You will never be the same.

Ps: Alice is and always will be the BEST character

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