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born_reading's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- 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? No
3.0
, rape,
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Incest, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Rape, Violence, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Infidelity, Death of parent, Cursing, and Adult/minor relationship
belleslibrary1012's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
As someone who has always loved print, I failed to see or understand the appeal of audiobooks. Then, I had a baby who turned into a toddler and I realized if I wanted adequate reading time for myself, I was going to have to put books in my ears. This is my second one ever and I will say the narrator really does make or break a story in an audiobook. This narrator was incredible and sucked me in whether in the kitchen, at the store, or amidst a hailstorm of flying toys and loud noises.
I will also say I never truly understood the need for trigger warnings because don't you know what you're reading already? Why is it necessary? This book drastically and forever changed that for me, given it did not have one and absolutely should. The author does a tremendous job don't get me wrong, but she purposefully buries the lead and heads the reader off to expect what they see in front of them as the focal point and that is just not true. The true crime in this crime story is not the one written in the back cover blurb, but instead lies just above the words, pulling you in and then just when you start to believe it, takes it away making you think you're reading into things. This was sad and tragic and beautiful and terrifying in so many ways. Though it is not a book I can revisit again, it is one that was very well written.
I will also say I never truly understood the need for trigger warnings because don't you know what you're reading already? Why is it necessary? This book drastically and forever changed that for me, given it did not have one and absolutely should. The author does a tremendous job don't get me wrong, but she purposefully buries the lead and heads the reader off to expect what they see in front of them as the focal point and that is just not true. The true crime in this crime story is not the one written in the back cover blurb, but instead lies just above the words, pulling you in and then just when you start to believe it, takes it away making you think you're reading into things. This was sad and tragic and beautiful and terrifying in so many ways. Though it is not a book I can revisit again, it is one that was very well written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual content, Violence, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence
pollyhall's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Deportation, Drug use, Grief, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Infidelity, and Rape
saramoser's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
<spoilers>A extremely troubling and tough read about sexual assault, statutory rape, child abuse and grooming. Told from the view of the accused rapists sister, who sustained abuse most of her childhood and into adulthood and had covered this traumatic upbringing with falsified stories that she had conjured in her mind-to protect herself and her family. This read takes you inside the mind of the victim, while looking at how a family can react when they have abusers and trauma deep rooted in the family, but are able to cover this up with money. A lot of reviews low stars simply because they don’t like the ending, the ending lacked justice. But in the world we live in, isn’t that often the case? <spoilers>
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Classism, Infidelity, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Mental illness, Drug use, Cursing, Violence, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcoholism, Car accident, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, Grief, and Rape
meeklovestoread's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I went into this book thinking it was going to be much different than it was. I thought Billy's case would take center stage and that we were going to see how we got here and how things unfolded and although that is what happened, I still can't help but think Billy's case took a back seat to Cassie's emotional issues (ofc they're more complex than emotional issues, but I don't want to give anything away). I'd first like to start by saying that I think the author is a good writer. There were some great quotes in here such as "Tap deeply enough, and you'll find we're all monsters below the surface" (236). I do like how this book was written and I do appreciate the author's attempt to tackle such a troubling issue; however, I don't like how the author formatted the story.
I do see what the author was going for by having Billy's case coincide with Cassie's own internal issues, however, I think the author should've just stuck to one topic because I feel like it all becomes a bit convoluted as the book goes on. Although the case is centered on Billy and his actions I still don't feel like Billy's character was flushed out enough for us (the reader) to make the assertion of his guilt or innocent. All we had was Cassie's biased depiction of who Billy was and not much from him directly. And based on their interactions, Billy seems to contradict the perception that Cassie has in her head (maybe that was the point, I'm not sure). I also feel like the true facts of the case and Billy's relationship with Diana were also unclear, especially toward the end. I'm still not sure what really happened.
Similar to Billy, many of the characters are so unlikeable which isn't a determining factor for me in terms of classifying a good book; however, not only were the characters unlikeable but they were also flat. There still wasn't much depth to them which is jarring considering the pacing of this book is so slow you'd think it would give time to flesh out the characters. In the end, I felt no sympathy toward anyone (minus Cassie). I already figured the verdict was going to give Billy a not guilty plea just based on how the book was going so I wasn't surprised when that happened, but what annoys me is that not only did Billy receive a "not guilty" verdict he also went on to live his life and went back to his regular routine as if the past couple months were just some bump in the round that he encountered. Billy does no self-reflection and seems to not feel an ounce of remorse for what he's done. So, what was this supposed to portray that the rich always win? I don't see what the author was going for when she made this decision.
I do appreciate Cassie's internal conflicts. I found them to be quite a realistic approach to how someone in her situation would approach and view things. Also, I reveal that Lawerence is the whole that abused Cassie was very underwhelming only because I felt like it wasn't built up properly. If he was the perpetrator all along then why did she keep referring to him as "Marcus Silver" in the beginning even in her internal monologues? Was this supposed to represent some form of dissociation or denial? And also her mom (Eleanor) what was that about? She still seems manipulative to me. Honestly in the end I was hoping Cassie would leave all of them and start fresh.
I do see what the author was going for by having Billy's case coincide with Cassie's own internal issues, however, I think the author should've just stuck to one topic because I feel like it all becomes a bit convoluted as the book goes on. Although the case is centered on Billy and his actions I still don't feel like Billy's character was flushed out enough for us (the reader) to make the assertion of his guilt or innocent. All we had was Cassie's biased depiction of who Billy was and not much from him directly. And based on their interactions, Billy seems to contradict the perception that Cassie has in her head (maybe that was the point, I'm not sure). I also feel like the true facts of the case and Billy's relationship with Diana were also unclear, especially toward the end. I'm still not sure what really happened.
Similar to Billy, many of the characters are so unlikeable which isn't a determining factor for me in terms of classifying a good book; however, not only were the characters unlikeable but they were also flat. There still wasn't much depth to them which is jarring considering the pacing of this book is so slow you'd think it would give time to flesh out the characters. In the end, I felt no sympathy toward anyone (minus Cassie).
I do appreciate Cassie's internal conflicts. I found them to be quite a realistic approach to how someone in her situation would approach and view things.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Rape, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Classism, and Pedophilia
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Sexual content, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Car accident
deagaric's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Yikes, I had mixed feelings about this book. The first 2/3rds really made my skin crawl. I completely understand that the characters might be intentionally unlikable, but the comments about 1) building staff being considered as "not people", 2) calling black employees "brother", 3) making multiple comments along the lines off "society is just gunning for white males" (???), and so on and so forth really made this book difficult to get into.
On top of that, Cassie heavily sexualizes her own brothers to the point that I do not understand why those parts were included. She describes how "sun beams off her brother's chest, making him look like a Greek God", and how she leans her head on her other brothers chest in bed while he's only "wearing boxers." What kind of bizarre sibling closeness is this. She even sexualizes a physical, scary fight she had with her younger brother.
As you all know from the abstract, one her brothers has been accused of a brutal rape incident, and is now on trial. Cassie, naturally, does everything she can to help her brothers case. Along the way, she does everything wrong, which drove me mad with frustration. "Do not talk to any media , reporters, or investigators without a lawyer present." Easy enough. Nope, Cassie does a 3 hour private interview on her own in her apartment. "Dress demure for court--" Cassie rips off her sweater and unbuttons her shit in court "because let them look." Then is shocked when her family is angry with her.
All of that being said, Cassie's aggravating personality almost makes sense given her toxic upbringing. She was raised in an adopted family full of infuriating people. Her dad is a millionaire who is blatantly ignorant and makes racist and classist comments, her older brother is jerk with a bad temper and zero ambition, her younger brother has ambition but also has a bad temper and is, most importantly, an accused rapist. So I'll cut Cassie some slack.
Either way, the book picks up by the final third. In Part III, we finally get to the court case itself and all of these flaws are brought to light. Minor character growth happens, resolutions arise, and things wrap up. It actually started having many twists and turns (some of them deeply disturbing) and becomes more of an engaging read. Solid 3/5 for me.
On top of that, Cassie heavily sexualizes her own brothers to the point that I do not understand why those parts were included. She describes how "sun beams off her brother's chest, making him look like a Greek God", and how she leans her head on her other brothers chest in bed while he's only "wearing boxers." What kind of bizarre sibling closeness is this. She even sexualizes a physical, scary fight she had with her younger brother.
As you all know from the abstract, one her brothers has been accused of a brutal rape incident, and is now on trial. Cassie, naturally, does everything she can to help her brothers case. Along the way, she does everything wrong, which drove me mad with frustration. "Do not talk to any media , reporters, or investigators without a lawyer present." Easy enough. Nope, Cassie does a 3 hour private interview on her own in her apartment. "Dress demure for court--" Cassie rips off her sweater and unbuttons her shit in court "because let them look." Then is shocked when her family is angry with her.
All of that being said, Cassie's aggravating personality almost makes sense given her toxic upbringing. She was raised in an adopted family full of infuriating people. Her dad is a millionaire who is blatantly ignorant and makes racist and classist comments, her older brother is jerk with a bad temper and zero ambition, her younger brother has ambition but also has a bad temper and is, most importantly, an accused rapist. So I'll cut Cassie some slack.
Either way, the book picks up by the final third. In Part III, we finally get to the court case itself and all of these flaws are brought to light. Minor character growth happens, resolutions arise, and things wrap up. It actually started having many twists and turns (some of them deeply disturbing) and becomes more of an engaging read. Solid 3/5 for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, and Rape
Moderate: Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Incest
Minor: Death of parent, Drug use, and Sexual harassment
alexisgarcia's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i don’t really know how to feel about this. some parts were super introspective and interesting and others were boring and kinda gross. some of the commentary felt like it was supporting the suspected rapist. it didn’t feel unbiased at some points. idk..
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Violence, Death, Grief, Infidelity, Sexism, Abandonment, Classism, Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Rape
kcbatts's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Stalking
Minor: Infidelity
lex_mags's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Toxic relationship, Incest, Infidelity, Sexual harassment, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
jennifer_bush_73's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is one of the most disturbing books I’ve read in a long time. I had nightmares after I finished it, and then I couldn’t sleep for the rest of the night.
When We Were Bright and Beautiful starts out like it’s going to be a story about whether or not Billy, the good-looking, privileged youngest son of the wealthy Quinn family, raped his ex-girlfriend (shades of Brock Turner), as told by the family’s adopted daughter Cassie. But it turns out that this is a story about the family’s secrets, which are much worse than acquaintance rape, which is horrifying in its own right.
The final twist is a gut punch.
When the Quinn family is measured against the old AA adage, “We're only as sick as our secrets,” the Quinns are very sick.
It’s a compelling story, but be aware of the triggers before starting. (Rape, violence, child sexual abuse, grooming children, mental illness).
When We Were Bright and Beautiful starts out like it’s going to be a story about whether or not Billy, the good-looking, privileged youngest son of the wealthy Quinn family, raped his ex-girlfriend (shades of Brock Turner), as told by the family’s adopted daughter Cassie. But it turns out that this is a story about the family’s secrets, which are much worse than acquaintance rape, which is horrifying in its own right.
The final twist is a gut punch.
When the Quinn family is measured against the old AA adage, “We're only as sick as our secrets,” the Quinns are very sick.
It’s a compelling story, but be aware of the triggers before starting. (Rape, violence, child sexual abuse, grooming children, mental illness).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Death of parent, Pedophilia, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent and Drug use