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cc_shelflove's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Man, am I glad that’s over. This book was not good. I was intrigued at its start as I was introduced to the following four people:
• Adam, a seventy-year-old man who has ceased taking his medications for bipolar disorder in an effort to harness his lifelong research on whales;
• Ken, an arrogant, rich man who, from the outside, seemingly has it all;
• Abby, an up-and-coming artist who has become pregnant by a married man; and
• Steph, a Boston police officer whose biological father has just been revealed to her after years of her mother’s lies.
As you can see, there are several secrets spiraling around these characters. To be honest, that’s all you need to know about this book. The remaining painstakingly slow pages crescendo to Adam’s seventieth birthday party, and it is no surprise to the reader when all of the secrets have reared their ugly heads. There was no character development and the individuals were all just as shitty as they were when the book started. Blah. Would not recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Mental illness, Incest, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Abandonment
vavocado's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Can we say that this book is the best thing I've read so far this year? Oh sure, why not. It has involved, fully fleshed characters that give you legitimate reasons to love/hate in equal measure. It has DRAMA. And while I am not one for an overly-loaded storyline, it balances well and unloads on the cast in appropriate ways. The only reason it didn't get a full 5💫 is how real life events were sprinkled into the plot to date it in a way that didn't serve the book in a meaningful way.
This is my book of the summer beyond a shadow of a doubt.
This is my book of the summer beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Child abuse
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