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aksmith92's review
- 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
Casey is battling with the idea that you can be a creative and live happily - she's watched many friends give up their goals and dreams to do something to earn money or continue a status quo. We watch as Casey goes through life navigating the grief of her mother's death, her very complicated relationship with a distant father, working at the restaurant to ensure she pays her bills, trying to write a novel where she seems to get stuck, and navigate dating and falling in love after a rocky relationship. We see Casey trying to get her life together, even as she begins dating two different men and begins to conclude a book. It's about Casey's fictional life; I ate this one up!
What I loved: Lilly King can write a book, that's for sure. I was engrossed in Casey's life, particularly her writing journey and the idea that even back in 1997, living creatively can be painful in America. King could intersect grief, love, family, and mental health very well while still making a realistic story. It was nice to have more of a literary and contemporary fiction novel end on a relatively good note. While this was not a happy story, this book made me feel good, and I appreciated all the nuances King gave Casey and her little bubble of a life.
Lastly, it was satisfying to read a book about a thirty-something who navigated her youth and continued working through some past traumas and journeys as someone more mature. As someone around her age, that felt relatable, and overall, it was done well.
What could've made it five stars: This novel was a trope in itself—a white, sad, broke girl who takes on the city and tries to make it. These types of stories are really hit or miss for me, and while this hit, I still kept thinking about this trope/subgenre. I can't articulate it well, but we've read this story before. However, I will say that just because it has been done before doesn't mean I hated this book by any means.
Additionally, there were times when the writing tried to be a bit too profound, and Casey would go on with metaphors, similes, and analogies. Sometimes it was just a lot.
Lastly, while there was a focus on Casey's mom and how her death impacted her and continued to impact her, I felt disconnected from that narrative a bit because we didn't get a ton of information about the memories with her mom other than a bit of abandonment. It's a minor qualm because overall, I felt that everything was done well, including Casey's grief, but at times, it felt like King put this subplot in there to make Casey even sadder. While acceptable for a novel like this, its execution didn't always feel right.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to seeing what King puts out in the future!
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Grief, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Abandonment, Cancer, Gaslighting, Cursing, Infidelity, Misogyny, and Sexual content
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, and Infertility
charlotte_marchand's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Rape
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Like, babe, what? You didnt need to go that hard fr
All that being said for some reason i didnt hate it and vaguely even enjoyed reading it?
‘you get trained early on as a woman to perceive how others are perceiving you, at the great expense of what you yourself are feeling about them. Sometimes you mix the two up in a terrible tangle that's hard to unravel.’
Graphic: Pedophilia, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Cancer, and Suicidal thoughts
sholtie's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
laurenlee2158's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, and Abandonment
storielore's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Pedophilia, Cancer, Sexual assault, and Sexism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Rape
hanngigi's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Medical content
Moderate: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, and Pedophilia
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Sexual assault
jamiejanae_6's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Misogyny, Death, Grief, Medical content, Death of parent, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Minor: Infidelity and Infertility
fanny_brtl's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Casey is a writer struggling with life, drowned in debt and working like a fiend in a restaurant. Her mother died recently, and we're following her trying to navigate through life. I was pleasantly surprised seeing romance wasn't the only focus point of the book.
Lily King portrayed really well Casey's emotions and struggles, and described the experience of working as a waitress perfectly. It was interesting seeing a main character evolve in such a stressful environment, I personally never read something like that. Maybe this is why I enjoyed the book this much : because it felt real, deeply rooted in everyday life. Even if from time to time I found myself a bit lost with all the background characters, I found them relevant and their relationship with Casey added something to the story.
Regarding the romance, I'm not particularly fond of love triangles, but this one was executed nicely, even though neither Oscar nor Silas really stood out to me. I wasn't here for the love relationship but more for the relationships in general : Casey and her Mom and how she deals with her death, her brother who lives far away, her friendship with Muriel (who I think deserved a bit more attention) and Harry... and I personally love reading books about books and the book industry in general.
Anyway, it was a great book which explores interesting topics and makes you reflect slightly about life. I think my favorite quote was "It's always a choice between fireworks and coffee in bed", referring to the love triangle Casey was stuck into. Reading this sentence hit me home and I'll remember it for a while.
Graphic: Death of parent and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Terminal illness and Suicidal thoughts
sabrinames's review
- 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
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts