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sofipitch's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Difficult to sum up in a short or coherent summary. The way this is written is more reminiscent of a 19th century romantic novel, which I really enjoyed but that might be off-putting to some. At the same time it feels old it still captures the same feelings many queer ppl have today. Stephen is an incredibly compelling character, justing following her makes for a good story. Stephen often feels at the mercy of who she is surrounded, incredibly loved by some, but when she loses them she becomes worse than alone. The biggest disappointment in this novel is the prejudices the author did bake in, racism, classism, antisemitism. For a book that the big blinking neon theme is equality and tolerance, it's more casual cruelties feel starker.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Transphobia, Dysphoria, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Suicide, Racism, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Antisemitism, and Classism
Minor: Drug abuse
tired_ghost's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Such a hearbreaking book, Stephen's — the main character's — struggles with her gender expression and sexuality felt very close to me, being a non-feminine lesbian myself, it was such an intimate experience to read my own thoughts on the pages of the book. Won't go into spoilers, but I really loved sweet and tender moments between Stephen and her loved one, some scenes made my heart melt and my cheeks hurt from all the smiling. I loved the way love was portrayed as something gentle, tender and cozy, it felt very authentic and matched my own experiences with love. I didn't give the book 5 stars, because I didn't like the treatment of the characters of colour in one chapter, it just felt racist to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Death of parent, Infidelity, Grief, Death, Suicide, Chronic illness, and War
Minor: Outing, War, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Animal death, and Injury/Injury detail
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