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readwithbec_'s review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
2.0
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Thoughts: I attempted to like this book, yet its overall chaotic nature hindered my likeness for it. There were some parts of the book where I did not want to put the book down, but the majority of the book was a massive push to get myself through it. The Voss family's dysfunctionality was noteworthy, and the narrative encompassed a range of themes, creating a whirlwind of events. It was an easy read, but regrettably, is not my favourite CoHo book thus far.
Synopsis: The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptised Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the motherβs former nurse, the little half-brother isnβt allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, thereβs Merit. Merit Voss collects trophies she hasnβt earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into herβuntil she discovers that heβs completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix. Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that sheβs never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.
Please check trigger warnings before reading this book.
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Thoughts: I attempted to like this book, yet its overall chaotic nature hindered my likeness for it. There were some parts of the book where I did not want to put the book down, but the majority of the book was a massive push to get myself through it. The Voss family's dysfunctionality was noteworthy, and the narrative encompassed a range of themes, creating a whirlwind of events. It was an easy read, but regrettably, is not my favourite CoHo book thus far.
Synopsis: The Voss family is anything but normal. They live in a repurposed church, newly baptised Dollar Voss. The once cancer-stricken mother lives in the basement, the father is married to the motherβs former nurse, the little half-brother isnβt allowed to do or eat anything fun, and the eldest siblings are irritatingly perfect. Then, thereβs Merit. Merit Voss collects trophies she hasnβt earned and secrets her family forces her to keep. While browsing the local antiques shop for her next trophy, she finds Sagan. His wit and unapologetic idealism disarm and spark renewed life into herβuntil she discovers that heβs completely unavailable. Merit retreats deeper into herself, watching her family from the sidelines when she learns a secret that no trophy in the world can fix. Fed up with the lies, Merit decides to shatter the happy family illusion that sheβs never been a part of before leaving them behind for good. When her escape plan fails, Merit is forced to deal with the staggering consequences of telling the truth and losing the one boy she loves.
Please check trigger warnings before reading this book.
β β βββ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
karifaye's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Drug use, Cancer, and Animal death
denijaaa_s's review against another edition
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide attempt, and Animal death
Minor: Mental illness
ugh_itsjane635's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Terminal illness
spkysi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol, Cancer, Drug use, and Suicide attempt
cwatson1234's review against another edition
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Incest
ellissej's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- 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
3.0
This was a promising concept but one too many tropes were included. The characters were almost trying too hard to be complex and so lacked complexity in any authentic way. Certain of the characters, like Victoria - the stepmother, seemed to be "throw away" characters and it would have been great to have had more of her perspective and story told. I found the titular character completely unlikeable and found it problematic that her growth centred so wholly around her relationship with Sagan. Her attempted suicide was clumsily handled and inauthentic and it felt as though the story ended before it was actually over or fully told, I think it would have benefited from a proper epilogue. It also really bothered me the way the Syrian conflict was referenced in Sagan's backstory. The author had a great opportunity to also help educate people about this conflict and missed an opportunity to include resources at conclusion of the novel (as she did with the suicide / depression support). Probably my last Colleen Hoover book as this is now the fourth or fifth one that I've not quite enjoyed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Cancer, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
nbreezy17's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Suicide, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Vomit and Animal death
mickeyreads23's review against another edition
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Cancer, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Grief, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts
kat_rowlen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Would make for a good beach read! Will this book win any literary awards? Probably not. Will it keep you entertained? Definitely! The chapters were too long, but I didnβt mind it as much as I normally would because Iβd get so lost in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Incest, Mental illness, and Animal death