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The premise of this book was good and interesting. However, the execution of the plot was lacking. It was a decent book and I have nothing particularly bad to say about it except for that I don’t think it necessitated the page length. Maybe it is because I’ve recently read a few books about mortality, but this book didn’t really stand out for me. Some people love it though. It just wasn’t for me. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to a friend.
0 🌶️
* please disregard grammatical errors due to voice texting. Thanks.
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Infertility, Infidelity, Pregnancy
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent
Audiobook Narration: 5 🌟
There is a huge number of characters, each of which gets introduced to the reader in very little time, only to disappear and reappear in choppy, random, little chapters. The characters are unlikeable... Apart from the Death Lady! The chapters from her point of view saved the book. Half of them are dreary and awful, too, but there are a few beautiful, reflective words told in her whimsical voice.
The writing is lengthy and meandering. The book is far too long and the middle part was largely unreadable. The premise has been done in better ways (see: The Measure). However, the final part of the book was written in a beautiful and moving way. The narrative voice of the Death Lady is charming, especially the descriptions of celebrities!
Despite considering to DNF or return it, I made it through the book as quickly as possible so it could be over. I hated how the sensitive subject matter was handled and I will most definitely not repeat the entire experience. However, there were a select few beautiful pieces of writing in there that raise it to 2.75 stars.
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content, Violence, Pregnancy, War
Moderate: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Pregnancy, Alcohol, War
I was surprised to read in here about the Korean adoptees. It was recently news to me, a scandal I thought was broken by PBS and AP, but apparently, this was better and sooner known in Australia.
The main character feels like what I’m headed toward - I have longevity in my family. I expect to see a lot more than I want in my lifetime. Perhaps that’s why her story resonated with me so much.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence
I do think Cherry’s chapters could have been pared down as the book did drag a bit in the middle, but the payoff and the connections made it worth it in the end
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent
Moderate: Child death, Infidelity, Terminal illness
Minor: Violence, Car accident
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Suicide, Vomit, Stalking