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adyn'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
4.5
Vibes were exquisite, made me want to read shakespeare, loved the characters, plot made sense without being predictable. The pacing was also great, I think this would be a good book to get out of a reading slump. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is bc I’m stingy with 5 stars and it didn’t have a deep personal impact on me lol
The ending
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Blood, Alcohol, Murder, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Infidelity, Mental illness, Sexual content, Eating disorder, and Physical abuse
Minor: Transphobia
caitlinteresa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I usually love dark academia, but something about this was a miss for me. I didn't really care for any of the characters, sadly. They seemed very inconsistent and none of them made sense to me.
One major point of contention for me with this book is that I feel the author was trying to do too much. We really didn't need several twists within the last forty pages.
ALSO... WHY DOESN'T THE DIGITAL VERSION ON KINDLE UNLIMITED HAVE PAGE NUMBERS?? 😤
I wish I had liked this book, but sadly I need to give it two stars-- I didn't care for it, but it has potential.
Format: ebook on Kindle. Free on Kindle Unlimited
Moderate: Murder and Infidelity
bleme's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Drug use, Drug abuse, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Bullying, Addiction, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Minor: Suicide and Eating disorder
addythebookbat's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Grief
alex1252's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Suicide
kenalex15'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
3.5
Moderate: Suicide, Gore, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Blood
scottsland_yard's review
- 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
SPOILER AHEAD!!
The ending really upset me and I don't think in the way the author intended. While it was very poetic and intense, creating a huge tension that just ramped up and up toward the last page, I feel like the ending didn't justify the means. While ostensibly a story about murder and passion and rage, it was also obviously a story about love and self discovery. I think having the main character be bi-sexual and technically in a relationship with both Meredith and James (in a way) was really smart story telling to showcase the difficulty he feels in trying to figure out who he is, not only as an actor, but as a lover. What I didn't appreciate (and it's not really Rio's fault so much as it's a tired and hurtful trope shares by many authors) is that the majority of stories that feature a gay couple require that they go through torturous and heart-wrenching levels of trauma in order to move the story along. As a gay man, reading the tension between Oliver and James over and over with little to now pay off didn't feel exciting, it felt like torture. I was being led along like a horse with a carrot, the promise of the possibility of Oliver and James professing their feelings for each other or ending up together, only to constantly be whipped with sex scenes with Meredith and violence with Richard. In the end, when you think Oliver might finally get yo be happy with James, we're slapped in the face with the blunt honesty of Phillipa letting us know that James killed himself after not being able to bare the weight of the guilt of killing Richard (in self defense, btw) and his lover taking the blame for it. So Oliver once again ends up with Meredith and I was left furious. And the last page does little to bandage those wounds.
I was left feeling empty, tense beyond belief, and with a heavy pit in my stomach. While the story was very good and the book was extremely well written, I am sick of this trope. I'm sick of gay characters being used as the martyrs in stories or being included only to drive the trauma train. (OH, also include the only canonically gay character overdosing and almost dying too)
I yearn for stories of gay couples/characters that include all the tense will-they-won't-they that straight romances have, but for once, I'd like them to actually end up together. I've learned this is not the book for that.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, Death, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Hate crime, Eating disorder, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Violence, Grief, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Drug use, Cursing, Bullying, Addiction, Medical content, Torture, Suicide, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Sexism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Alcoholism
bbygirl21's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
But I am so glad that I pushed through, because from Act II until the end had me hooked. I was feeling all the emotions with this book once things started to pick up more.
This was an incredible read over I got into it. I loved the characters, faults and all. Aside from Richard. I don't think I could ever like him, but I think that's kinda the point, your not meant to like him.
The epilogue of this book got me though. I was close to tears several times throughout this book, but the epilogue was what got me. It's such a bittersweet ending. I'd for sure recommend, but like I said the first act was incredibly boring and difficult to get through for me. But once you get through that the book is great.
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Murder, Body horror, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Eating disorder, Medical content, Suicide, and Vomit
dearbhlanoonan's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Drug use, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Murder, Domestic abuse, Violence, Grief, Death, Blood, Addiction, Infidelity, Eating disorder, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit, Suicide, and Homophobia
icedpinecones's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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: Infidelity, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Drug use, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Violence, Blood, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, and Vomit