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andalucia'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
3.5
Moderate: Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Incest, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Classism, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Religious bigotry
jleigh98's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Incest, Gaslighting, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Rape, Pedophilia, and Religious bigotry
defeating_my_demons'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
Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Death, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death
sarahholliday's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
If I had to describe the story in a single word, it'd be: BLEAK. A relentless study in just how gross and awful humans can be, there's also the added weight of climate change, broken-down familial relationships, and an oppressive sense of hopelessness.
But that might be why the ending (I won't spoil anything here, don't worry) is so beautiful. There are no "easy" answers or perfect happily-ever-afters, but there is hope. Bieker forces readers to sit in the truly miserable, to face the realities experienced by so many, in order to point out the ability of love, kindness, and beauty to exist in the most unlikely of places. There's no sentimentality in that idea, either. Just a simple yet deeply-rooted conviction that things can be truly awful and occasionally wonderful all at the same time.
This is definitely not a book for everyone, but it'll go on my recommendation list nevertheless and I'll be waiting to run across the right reader.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Suicide, Alcohol, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Rape, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, and Gaslighting
gotabookforeverysituation'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Incest, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide, Child death, Death, Alcoholism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident, Abortion, Confinement, Vomit, Bullying, and Blood
lycheejelly'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abandonment, Alcohol, Incest, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Blood, Car accident, Cursing, Abortion, Cancer, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Fatphobia
rileyharrell's review
- 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
2.5
Okay I did not NOT like this book, but I did not LIKE this book either. I am unsure about my feelings for this book. This story contains so many trigger warnings that I feel like it isn't the best forum here on Goodreads to even list them all. Anyways this has such a unique writing style that it took me a minute to get into. However, once I did, it went pretty smoothly. Some of the characters were hard to read and follow, so not really sure where their story went. I didn't feel that it was very character-driven or developed, and I felt that it wasn't necessarily plot-driven either? All of the characters, including Lacey May felt really underdeveloped and this book didn't really give them any room to grow. You could tell Bieker really wanted them to grown and definitely gave them an opportunity to do so, but it fell short in the writing of developed characters for sure.
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Gun violence, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Torture, Trafficking, and Violence
deezy's review
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Incest, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Pregnancy, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship