Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Butter

I truly disliked everything about this. Even if we approach it as a book that covers topics that I don't like or agree with, it could still be good — but this wasn't. It was so slow and so long. So much ick with all the body shaming and other TWs, I am sort of annoyed that I pushed through and finished the audiobook (sped it about to 2 to get through it). It was also kind of hard to keep all the characters in check, they all sounded the same

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grunbean's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

This is a book that you will devour. Yes, that is an intended pun.

The use of food in telling this story pulls you in, and I struggled to put it down. I also struggled to stop my mouth from watering! I’ve seen some comments on the slower parts being too filler like. For me, every page has a kind of story of its own. I don’t think there’s a word in this book that is accidental, or coincidental. The translation is written beautifully. This with the story makes this a book I think I’ll return to again!

I would be curious to discuss this at a book club, as I find myself wondering Kaiji is a murderer. I think she is.

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kimib79's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

3.0

This book started off strong and then just dragged on and on. It could have been 300 pages or perhaps fewer. Her married friend is bat crap crazy, fyi.

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dorothy_shack's review against another edition

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There was a lot of talk about body size/shape/changes due to changes in diet/societal stuff about bodies and food that I’m honestly not in a good place to read, now or ever. I came for food descriptions, not breathless depictions of how gross-but-somehow-alluring a chubby probable-murderer is.

The writing itself is evocative and well-done, so if you’re up for a lot of discussion about Japanese societal expectations of women’s bodies and behavior, you might enjoy this more than I did.

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nix_jinx's review against another edition

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challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective 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

4.0

The writing and, by extension, the translation, are phenomenal. I loved how the the descriptions of food were woven into so much of the character's perspective.
Ultimately, this felt like an exploration of psychological manipulations, the subtleties and insidiousness. You have a character who overtly attempts to exude control over those who come into contact with her, but then you also have all the different influences who seek to control more subtly. Having the stark contrast of women fighting to live for something other than the men in their lives, and those fighting for the status quo in which men are all that matters was uncomfortable and powerful.

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whatzoreads's review

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challenging dark emotional informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.0

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amalas_bookstop's review against another edition

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informative mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

4.0

This was a really cozy mystery, a slow burn.

The is novel opens with Rika she is a journalist who has the opportunity to interview Kaji who is waiting for a retrial for three murders she was convicted of. The author also includes a side plot of Rikas friend Reiko and their journey as well.

I came into this story expecting a little bit more of the murder plot and figuring out if Kaji actually murdered three men. However, this book very much focuses on Rika and her discovery to know more of herself as she goes through these series of interviews with Kaji that focuses on great cuisine and its nuances.

The author uses this story to really ask the question, what is indulgence, especially when it comes to Japanese women, food, and relationships. In fact this book probably could have been 100-200 pages shorter without the extreme focus on every meal Rika either ate or made. Her coming of age story as an adult woman was definitely the highlight of the story. Kaji was used to help her break out of the traditional norms society places on women and to help her come to terms with childhood grief.

The writing was very descriptive and beautiful and the translation was well done. I would often want to get up and eat something extremely buttery as I read this story. However if you are looking to read this for more thrill or horror this is not the book.

I definitely recommend that you read this book with a nice steaming bowl of buttery rice and soy sauce. It will not disappoint!

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katndrsn's review

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reflective 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

5.0

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