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ksilvio's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Pregnancy, Rape, Eating disorder, Police brutality, Abortion, Alcoholism, Death, Addiction, Racism, Fatphobia, and Sexual assault
brynpemery'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? It's complicated
3.25
Graphic: Racism, Sexism, Abortion, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Rape, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abandonment and Sexual assault
msperception's review against another edition
Graphic: Racism and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault
repunzee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Police brutality, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Death of parent
onabookban'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
everamplify's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Murder, Police brutality, Rape, Sexism, Abortion, Gaslighting, Pregnancy, Alcoholism, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Racism, Misogyny, Death of parent, Child death, Slavery, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Racial slurs
mal_reads_books's review against another edition
- 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? No
2.25
The writing was messy, disjointed, and oddly paced. The two storylines didn't mesh well, and the transitions between Kitty's and Elise's chapters were jarring. There was a lot more telling and info-dumping than showing. There were too many characters and subplots that didn't add value to the plot, especially in the present day. The first two chapters were the worst. I had to reread parts and was ready to quit the book early, but I stuck with it because this was the book club's pick of the month. Kitty's parts were more readable and interesting than Elise's, but still had the aforementioned issues.
I would have enjoyed this more had Elise's parts been eliminated. I understand why the author included the modern timeline, but Kitty's story would've been fine alone, with maybe an epilogue with the St. Johns. I also would have liked to see more of Kitty's acting career and later life and was disappointed her chapters ended in the 1960s. The ending felt rushed and anticlimactic, leaving a lot of loose ends.
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Alcoholism, Rape, Sexism, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Body shaming, and Classism
Minor: Vomit and Blood
jladamnic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Rape
mdal26's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
That being said, I wish that the storyline in the present had gone deeper - I forgot at times that the story had two timelines because there was a strong focus on the past, and the present felt disconnected at times. In particular, at the end, I wanted to understand the impact and implications of what had happened in the past on the present day characters.
Moderate: Infidelity, Death of parent, Police brutality, Slavery, Colonisation, Rape, Alcoholism, Cancer, Classism, Bullying, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Racism, Grief, Racial slurs, Death, Domestic abuse, Vomit, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, and Abortion
abicaro17's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Miscarriage, Police brutality, Abandonment, Alcohol, Cancer, Death, Hate crime, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Medical content, Violence, Body shaming, Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Rape, Sexism, Slavery, and Vomit