Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - When We Were Bright and Beautiful

Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

When We Were Bright and Beautiful by Jillian Medoff

30 reviews

born_reading's review

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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,

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belleslibrary1012's review against another edition

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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.

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katiejohns's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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brookiet1220's review

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dark emotional tense medium-paced

3.25

The main plot point of this domestic thriller is the sexual assault trial of Billy Quinn, the narrator’s brother. It was interesting to see her evolution of fully supporting her brother to concluding he did it. The first third of the novel felt longer and more boring than the other two thirds. The wealth and privilege conversation is throughout the novel. Readers may find Cassie’s sudden transitions from recounting the events going on around her to her memories or subconscious jarring. Even before the true identity of Marcus is revealed, her recollections of their relationship give readers the “ick”.

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f0urtw3nty's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

Definitely proceed with caution in reading this material if you're an SA survivor or feel you might be triggered by a detailed SA prosecution.

I didn't understand where the book was going for about 75% of it, but I was compelled to finish it, and I'm glad I did. I was afraid I'd wasted my time about halfway thru, but felt satisfied when the twist was brought to light.

The first two acts of the book are heavily character based. There's a lot of exposure, it's mostly focused on memories and painting family history and dynamics. It was slow for me in the sense that I wanted more plot movement, but I figured all this set up wasn't for nothing, and it did end up being purposeful.

This story is certainly not for everyone. Probably not appropriate for most SA survivors, unless they identify with Cassie, the main character's experience. However, I do think this is a heavily nuanced story about race and socioeconomic politics and privilege, about family complexities, about the human need to feel loved and wanted, and about how the actions of an abuser can be internalized by those close to the abuser. This story very much walks the fine line that is SA is often not black and white. It is extremely complex on all sides. It does that while also maintaining a more realistic stance on how the scenario might play out in today's cultural climate.

I think the intent of the Billy plot was a bit lost on me upon finishing the book, but maybe that was the point? I personally think with things like SA prosecution, open-ended storytelling isn't the most responsible route, but it does give the reader the opportunity to reflect as if they were a jury member themselves. I also believe that while I could see the purpose of this being focused on a wealthy, white family, more could have been done to demonstrate marginalized struggles directly.

All in all, I personally enjoyed the complexities of this book and Cassie's story in particular, though it was slow for me. This might be an interesting story for those who want to reflect on the complexities of intimate relationships and how trauma affects them, who want to learn why some people protect their abusers, and/or who like litigation focused stories in general. Maybe not the best choice for you if you prefer heavily plot-driven narratives, if you like faster paced stories, if you're sensitive to SA content, or if you're more interested in reading about the struggles of disadvantaged people rather than examining how advantaged people benefit from their social status.

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saramoser's review

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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>

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