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caterina_1212's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.0
The most stressful book I've ever read. At first I thought it was absurdist but it became to messy and real.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Child death, Chronic illness, Dysphoria, and Pregnancy
kajasversion's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book was a miss for me. It tried to establish for the whole first half that this wasn’t another one of those novels with storylines and yet in the part two that is exactly what happened. The writting also felt foreign to me and i could in no way connect to it. The thoughts in the first part were for the most part a huge miss and just a bunch of nonsense stuck together. Part two however was more readable and enjoyable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Chronic illness
marla_a's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abortion, Medical content, Miscarriage, Child death, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Grief, Death, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Mass/school shootings and Toxic relationship
Minor: Bullying
benjaminj1996's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
3.0
Good grief. Erm…? Right…
This is another one of those books that's actually very short but you can tell took a lot of work because it's written by a poet in a similar way to how poetry is written. Every single word placed and thought about in such detail. And I commend it for that. It starts of about a woman who spends her whole life on social media and how this changes her way of thinking and her perspective on the world. Then, in the second half, something tragic happens in the real world which flips her perspective back and perhaps helps her manage to take a healthier perspective on life - perhaps it's a comment on how it really would take something hugely traumatic to fix our brains.
The thing is, both halves were really unpleasant. There was hope and beauty in there too, yes, but largely very unpleasant. The first section made my brain feel broken (a sign of good writing) but in a bad way, and the second half was just desperately sad (owing to more good writing). I will say though that as I might have predicted, it sometimes did verge on the overly-pretentious. It's certainly not an accessible read, I don't think.
The other criticism I have is one that a lot of people have said about this book - the two halves do feel very separate. I don't think the second would work without the first, and there is some linking between the two, but I found that that area wasn't explored very much. And I also think that the book ended before it could have - before a conclusion of some kind could be reached, or even just a reflection on the things we've been through with the character. It felt oddly unfinished and disparate where it seemed to be trying to do the opposite.
And so despite it being well written, it didn't really come together for me, and I didn't really enjoy it overall - although I did value the insights and language in certain individual moments.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Child death, Medical trauma, Grief, Chronic illness, and Abortion
mganallirt's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
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? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Abortion, Child death, Chronic illness, Grief, Terminal illness, and Medical content
lelaho's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
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? No
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Chronic illness
Moderate: Death, Grief, Medical content, and Pregnancy
moiracampbell23's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Chronic illness
emmagreenwood's review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Hate crime, Abortion, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Child death, Death, Grief, Medical content, and Police brutality
nataliegray's review
dark
emotional
funny
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
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism and Chronic illness
madelynfrank's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I really didn’t know what to expect with this book. Was chuckling and cringing. But also highlighting passages which I rarely do. And did not expect to cry. But I ugly sobbed.
Really specific to 2021 and I’m honestly looking forward to reading it again with 5+years for the nostalgia.
Really specific to 2021 and I’m honestly looking forward to reading it again with 5+years for the nostalgia.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion, Child death, Chronic illness, Medical content, Pregnancy, Terminal illness, Death, Grief, and Medical trauma