Review by measlibrary - All's Well

measlibrary 's review for:

All's Well by Mona Awad

4.5

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I thought that this book was fantastic. I was really excited to read a book by Mona Awad & I have heard a lot about her writing being like a fever dream, & I totally agree. This book was so insane & anxiety inducing, haha. I loved the way she was able to weave together all of the elements present. She did such a great job at depicting what it is like to live with chronic pain/illness & it being hard for those who do not also experience it to believe it or understand it. “Invisible illnesses” can be so hard to both experience & be around. I absolutely related being chronically ill myself & was saddened to see Miranda feel so hopeless & sad in her life. I related absolutely to relationships being affected & just feeling awful all the time being exhausting on those around you as well. I thought Awad did a phenomenal job making that come across & showing how difficult it is for all parties involved, but especially the one experiencing the pain itself.

The magical realism/witchcraft element of this was also fantastically terrifying. I loved it & was also horrified by it. The concept of Miranda being able to give her pain to those who hurt her the most was diabolical but also amazing.

In the end, I really enjoyed this book. It did have a bit of a slow start & it was hard to follow/like a protagonist that was so caught in negativity & had basically given up, but by the end of the book she grows & learns & is a completely different person. I loved seeing her from the beginning of the book to the end. Miranda truly got to understand her pain in a new way & I was happy with how it all resolved. I rate this book 4.5/5 stars! 🌟

Content Warnings