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feodora's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Sexual harassment
annasph's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Sexual violence, Bullying, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
kaylahcc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide
semporina's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Infidelity, Police brutality, Grief, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual violence, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
_meganrose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Violence, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: War and Cancer
lyeve's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The messiness feels real; somehow I didn't want to scream at them to talk it out like I usually do with romance books. I just understood. It was refreshing to see a young adult romance feel so realistic.
This books tackles with darker subjects and sexuality pretty well; none of them are the point of the book, but they are present and can be messy. May I even say...like in a normal person's life
Overall the book was a fast read and grasped my attention more than I thought. While it was not a fantastic read and the prose was not remarkable to me, I definitely appreciated the freshness of it.
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Mental illness
Minor: Eating disorder
chantelsorae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Moderate: Sexual content and Violence
Minor: Blood
arxchiell's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual harassment
rachellen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Admittedly I had watched the show multiple times before reading the book today, so I’d lacked the urgency to actually read it. I am so very glad I have now.
The show does follow the book but I found it so much more emotional as a whole to read the words said between Connell and Marianne. Particularly, when Marianne says ‘most people go through their whole lives, Marianne thought, without ever really feeling that close to anyone’. Also - ‘Marianne, he said, I’m not a religious person but I do sometimes think God made you for me.’
The reason as to why I love this story, and I wouldn’t change a thing about it or the writing, is because it is flawed. The characters are flawed through and through, constantly making their lives difficult because of the intrusion of their desires and emotions and hate. This is what it means to be a sentient human being. That is why I love this story.
I found the power play between the two characters incredibly multifaceted, it evolved constantly. Marianne belongs to a different social class with more money and her mother is her family’s cleaner which in turn funds Connell’s family home. Yet neither have fathers, they are not present or deceased, when they meet. On the other hand, Connell has power over Marianne, particularly in their school relationship, as Marianne is incredibly vulnerable and abused at home leading to insecurities where she is wanting to please Connell to (possibly) make him stay (the secret relationship, university conversations and so on). In school, Connell is popular, Marianne is not. In university, Marianne is popular and even gets Connell a job so he can pay rent, whilst Connell is not popular and works jobs. Marianne has a paid for flat with her own room and so on, Connell works to pay for a shared room in a house. When Marianne leaves home, she relies on Connell and his family, and is no longer wealthy, so they also both become equal (?) financially after they win scholarships, possibly bending more to Connell’s favour as he worked. The power play constantly changes, I believe it balances out in the end, yet the ending infers that there are more power imbalances/balances to occur.
When I found myself on the final page I felt panicked at Marianne’s coolness, particularly after a bicker between them, but when she ends with saying ‘I’ll always be here. You know that.’ - it was probably the most devoted, unprompted, purest thing that Marianne says to Connell in the entire book. It is a pledge.
I could go on for days. But I won’t bore readers of this review any longer.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Blood
gaby_readsss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I had wanted to read this book after hearing so many polarizing opinions on it. To be honest, I don’t even know how I feel about this book yet. Part of me wants to love it but I mostly hate it. Like, I get it, but why does it have to be so complicated? If you guys love each other and are miserable without each other why do you keep letting each other go? 😭 I know that this is more than just their relationship but man, I don’t even know if these characters had any personal growth.
Also, that ending was so frustrating. I get the point but I don’t get it at the same time. 😩
I’ll go watch the show now to try and make sense of what I just read.
Graphic: Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, Bullying, and Suicidal thoughts