Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Without Merit by Colleen Hoover

55 reviews

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

Um was this entertaining? Yes. Was this good? No 
This was honestly messed up from start to finish. If you don’t like miscommunication or no communication, this isn’t for you. I just can’t get over the way they didn’t talk about anything. Also, the step uncle things really weird especially the ending when he’s actually with someone and he was been in the family for a while. Um, the weird kiss like I don’t care a 13 year old should know better. I don’t understand that. The relationship was cute and I really liked him. Moby was the best part of this book. This does deal with really heavy topics so be prepared(attempted suicide, depression, agoraphobia).

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Outing, Incest, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Animal death, Vomit, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Grief, Infidelity, Islamophobia, and Mental illness

esther_nwaokoro's review against another edition

dark 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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Animal death, Suicide attempt, and Infidelity

Minor: Addiction, Homophobia, Cancer, Incest, Abandonment, and Ableism

lily_sutton's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Animal death, Terminal illness, and Incest

Minor: Homophobia

graff_fuller's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

My daughter, Mathilde sent me this book to read. So, when that happens...you read it.

We have a connection with books. We don't always agree with each other, but usually we "get" each other.

This book is about a dysfunctional family (Married with Children level) that don't communicate with each other. That's us in a way, but I have to say...we are NOT this bad. Promise.

They live in a church...which is divided into four partitions. Father/new wife, older son, Merit and Honor. Their's an office in there, too. 

I liked the twin sisters storyline (Merit/Honor). They are are polar opposites in personality, Older brother that is aloof, Father/husband that seems spiteful and careless. His new wife lives on the first floor with their youngest son (and the rest of the family), while his ex-wife lives in the basement (but never comes up). Then add to the mix a friend named Sagan and a drifter who arrives at the house unannounced named Luck.

Also, the names in this book are very exotic. Utah, Merit, Honour, Moby, Barnaby, Victoria (twice), Sagan and Luck. Really? This is a menagerie of names. Not one that seems real.

The story deals with depression, and the struggles with a family that doesn't communicate, which complicates EVERYONEof their lives in individual ways.. 

This was FAST read. I immediately loved the protagonist, Merit. I knew that the title of the book would have significance (and it did). Also a great reveal towards the end of the book, well played.

I enjoyed the dynamic of the family, though it seemed a little TOO cartoonish, but by the middle of the book...I had been sucked in.

Odd characters would enter this familys orbit, but then find a home there...not just in the house, but they became intrical parts of the story. 

By the end...a poingant story had been told. The problems with miscommunication and how dangerous that can be. AND that we need to find a friend...that will always have our back. 

THis was an odd story, but i enjoyed it. Thanks Mathilde.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Animal death and Alcohol

saoirse10's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

MINOR SPOILER ->

Great book ,a good few plot twists which is always a plus but on many occasions religion has been discriminated against by the characters in this book.Near the end of the book it became quite cringey by the way characters would talk (flirt) with eachother.Apart from the above it was an easy book to get through and I would recommend.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Vomit

Moderate: Medical content, Cancer, Alcohol, Animal death, Medical trauma, Drug use, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, and Panic attacks/disorders

ravenclaw_percabeth's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful 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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Animal death, Terminal illness, Incest, and Drug use

Minor: Murder, Genocide, Vomit, Car accident, Cancer, Ableism, Death of parent, Violence, and War

serene16's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide attempt

Minor: Incest, Animal death, Self harm, and Vomit

isco1428's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Death, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, and Animal death

aryexo's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-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: Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Self harm, Animal death, Mental illness, and Infidelity

_juuuuuulia's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-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

3.5

Not CH’s best. The ending felt like a PSA

for depression

and the mature themes were kind of just brushed aside.

Yay for mentioning therapy, but not yay for having the main character just forgive a sexual assault and years of trauma with a hug and then moving on from a suicide attempt like it didn’t happen.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Sexual assault

Moderate: War, Mental illness, and Sexual content

Minor: Biphobia, Infidelity, and Animal death