A review by eilimeee
The Places I've Cried in Public by Holly Bourne

challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5


Spoilers included 

I have many thoughts about this book. I will say I only started getting a little bit interested at about 80% of the book. 
Reese is so obviously an abuser, a very toxic man who did many bad things to Amelie and she got through it yes. But at the same time, I never found Amelie loveable. Even before Reese manipulated her. Many things she does just seem so stupid to me and ig a part of it is because I don’t know how much of an influence such a toxic person/relationship has on you but also idk. Like how she depends on Alfie to make her feel better? Even after she really hurt him? She didn’t deserve what she got of course im not victim blaming here but she still hurt him so much. Just by getting into a relationship with Reese when he didn’t have power over her yet. This was her own free will at that time. Also she keeps saying that she has no friends and that part is mainly her fault I would say. She doesn’t listen to Hannah who knows him and tells her that he’s not a good guy, and then she lets him talk about her in a bad manner, and then she spends all her time with him completely forgetting that they are friends? Idk that didn’t sit right with me. 
Also, I know it’s literally in the title but the fact that she’s crying like 50% of the book annoyed me. 
The part about her being raped broke my heart into a million pieces. And the way Reese does it and how it’s written taht was devastating I will admit. 
But overall I didn’t really enjoy the book as I just couldn’t stand the main character and her actions that made her look very selfish (when she wasn’t manipulated into doing it) 
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