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stevie_in_the_stacks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death and Suicide
jaylee_books's review against another edition
Unfortunately, I had to DNF at page 245. I wanted to finish this book, but I just can't. It's so repetitive and feels like reading the same page over and over again.
Nothing really happens. Her husband dies and we watch the main character grieve. That's it. She makes no effort to do anything about her grief. She stays in bed all day refusing any help from family and friends, loses her job, and then takes a vacation to stay in bed and ignore her family and friends from a hotel.
Also, none of the characters were interesting or memorable. I found myself forgetting who the characters were and their relation to the main character.
I understand this book was not meant to have any twists or big events, it was just meant to be about grief and loss, but I feel like the author could have made the same point with a much shorter book.
Nothing really happens. Her husband dies and we watch the main character grieve. That's it. She makes no effort to do anything about her grief. She stays in bed all day refusing any help from family and friends, loses her job, and then takes a vacation to stay in bed and ignore her family and friends from a hotel.
Also, none of the characters were interesting or memorable. I found myself forgetting who the characters were and their relation to the main character.
I understand this book was not meant to have any twists or big events, it was just meant to be about grief and loss, but I feel like the author could have made the same point with a much shorter book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Drug use, Pregnancy, and Vomit
tiffany596's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I have mixed reviews about this book. The book itself was not a bad book, it was a very slow and difficult read. Unfortunately i found the book to be extremely repetitive. But that is what grief is, it is repetitive and it is painful. After undergoing a similar lost exactly 1 year ago, I put off reading this book for about 4 months. There was not much as to how she would cope or how life would eventually move on for her. Again, it wasnt a bad book, it just is probably one i wouldnt want to read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Grief
wlreed312's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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
I really enjoyed this, but it was very rough in places. Watching Eve go through her grief for her husband who committed suicide is real and heartbreaking. The emotions displayed are raw and honest, and I loved Eve's family (especially Junior). I think the journey she goes on is something anyone who has grieved a love one can relate to, even if the circumstances of the death the reader experienced is totally different than Eve's loss. I do wish Q's depression had been slightly more fleshed out. The anger that Eve and her family express is understandable, but it would have been nice to have a secondary character talk a bit more about mental illness. As someone who has struggled with suicidal ideation for the majority of my life, it was hard to see that anger directed at a character who we don't know much about how long he had been fighting to stay. Again, I do think the anger is understandable, and I know how much anger is a part of grief. The book is incredibly strong, that was the only area I thought could have been a bit better. Excellent debut, but definitely take care when reading, especially if stories dealing with grief are hard for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Suicide
Moderate: Racism and Alcohol
Minor: Death of parent
silversparkles50's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide and Grief
elisabethshelby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Whew.
This is undoubtedly both a beautifully written story about loss and grief and finding your way through the pain of your spouse dying, and a heavy, heartbreaking tale of the main character losing herself and her own life, so to speak, in discovering her spouse dead.
**CW** Suicide
It should be noted that this book is based heavily around Quentin's suicide, and the grief associated with that. The book goes into some details about how he died. I would warn that the reader should probably be a good head space to enjoy this book. I had to push this book back into my TBR pile when I was having my own anxiety issues.
That being said - I'm not sure I've ever read a book that so accurately and beautifully describes the grief a human can feel. The ups and downs that Eve felt as she came to terms with her husband's sudden departure is so painful to read because it is so relatable to the reader - her emotion is palpable on every page, and though I didn't agree with every choice she made throughout the novel, I understood that her decisions were being made when her emotional well being was at its lowest.
This book is a strong recommend read for me, though I'm not sure I'll be able to sit through a rereading of it anytime soon. Add this to your TBR pile this year, you won't regret it.
This is undoubtedly both a beautifully written story about loss and grief and finding your way through the pain of your spouse dying, and a heavy, heartbreaking tale of the main character losing herself and her own life, so to speak, in discovering her spouse dead.
**CW** Suicide
It should be noted that this book is based heavily around Quentin's suicide, and the grief associated with that. The book goes into some details about how he died. I would warn that the reader should probably be a good head space to enjoy this book. I had to push this book back into my TBR pile when I was having my own anxiety issues.
That being said - I'm not sure I've ever read a book that so accurately and beautifully describes the grief a human can feel. The ups and downs that Eve felt as she came to terms with her husband's sudden departure is so painful to read because it is so relatable to the reader - her emotion is palpable on every page, and though I didn't agree with every choice she made throughout the novel, I understood that her decisions were being made when her emotional well being was at its lowest.
This book is a strong recommend read for me, though I'm not sure I'll be able to sit through a rereading of it anytime soon. Add this to your TBR pile this year, you won't regret it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Vomit, and Alcoholism
Minor: Abortion
bookbunny's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, and Grief
mayrow26's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Grief, Suicide, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Death, Pregnancy, and Self harm
katrod's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Sometimes I really shoot myself in the foot by not reading or remembering book blurbs.
This book is about a woman who just lost her husband to suicide, and having recently lost a friend to suicide, it wasn’t the right choice. Proceed with caution if you’ve lost a loved one or have any difficulty with mentions of suicide.
The grief in this book is overwhelming. It’s like you’re swimming in the ocean and all of a sudden you’re being pummeled by wave after wave with no relief or break to come up for air. It feels like drowning.
There wasn’t much else in this book except the processing of her grief and I just wasn’t ready.
This book is about a woman who just lost her husband to suicide, and having recently lost a friend to suicide, it wasn’t the right choice. Proceed with caution if you’ve lost a loved one or have any difficulty with mentions of suicide.
The grief in this book is overwhelming. It’s like you’re swimming in the ocean and all of a sudden you’re being pummeled by wave after wave with no relief or break to come up for air. It feels like drowning.
There wasn’t much else in this book except the processing of her grief and I just wasn’t ready.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Self harm, Blood, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
taykealook_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
5.0
I shed a tear during every single chapter of this book, softly weeping at my desk while Adoja Andoh narrated probably the saddest book and ever read and with her soothing voice, and a friend basically holding my hand during our buddy read did I make it out alive. Onyi Nwabineli is a powerhouse author and I don’t know if I have read her equal. The rawness which Eve walks through her grief, has fundamentally changed the way in which I will hold space for people grieving in my own life.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Self harm, and Grief