Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

The Last Romantics by Tara Conklin

6 reviews

okayletsread's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

3.0

I feel torn with rating this literary fiction novel. On one hand, it's beautifully written with well-crafted prose that makes a slower-paced book feel like a breeze to read. However, there were certain details about the plot, formatting, and characters that, quite frankly, irked me. 

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't think the future timeline from Fiona was necessary. It didn't add enough to the book. I would have loved more stories from the four siblings' childhood—especially during "the Pause," as they called it—but most of the book explored their shared adulthood experiences. 

Some readers enjoy a buttoned-up ending that tells you everything that happens to every character, but I am not that reader. I was hoping it would end on a less obvious note. Certain characters made wildly uncharacteristic decisions at the end, but I won't gold that against the book itself. 

Still, the writing is so wonderful that it makes me very glad I spent time with the Skinner siblings. Fans of Ann Patchett and Richard Powers may be interested in this family tale.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment and Death

Moderate: Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Addiction

evawhite's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, and Addiction

kathleendayle's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Abandonment, and Death

Moderate: Sexual assault, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, and Death of parent

Minor: Cancer, Medical content, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Stalking, and Terminal illness

236girls's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

yall the PROSE! love within a family feels exactly like this bc sometimes we feel things that are hard to explain and do things for reasons that are difficult to put into words!!! would have been a five but the ending felt rushed and there were questions i still had about the climate crisis in 2079

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, and Bullying

sostner's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Death, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, and Pregnancy

rozereads's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Addiction, Grief, and Sexual assault