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buttermellow's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm and Violence
Minor: Racism and Death of parent
cerilouisereads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Violence, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Ableism, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Blood, and Sexual harassment
kjtlion's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Why you should read this book:
- The voice of the main character, Millie. The story is told in first person, giving us a front row seat to Millie's snark, cynicism, and her often fallible conclusions about people around her. The forthrightness with which her thought processes and emotional states are presented can feel a little crude, but the payoff is one of the most candid representations I've ever read of what it's like to be a flawed human person doing their best. Millie misjudges people, has thoughts she's not proud of, misrepresents herself when she speaks, and says things she regrets. This is all build in with the way Millie frankly narrates her experience with borderline personality disorder, and while BPD isn't my same brand of mental health disorder, I felt very seen. Despite being painted with rather blunt strokes, Millie's character felt very real to me, and captured some things that I don't often see in fiction.
- The plot of the central mystery. The overall pieces of the puzzle were well spaced throughout the story, the climactic resolution to the mystery made sense without being overly predictable, and Millie's attention to detail helped everything pull together nicely.
- The supporting cast. The other members of the Arcadia Project were wonderfully diverse in both their characters and their relationships to the protagonist, giving the interpersonal aspects of the story a dynamic feeling that was enjoyable to read.
Things that didn't work for me:
- The ending. This was honestly a 4.5 star read for me until the last fifty pages or so. The climax felt hasty, and everything past that felt abrupt. The central mystery resolved well, but the other pieces weren't really wrapped up so much as thrown haphazardly in a box and taped shut. Nonspecific spoiler:
major character betrayal and subsequent deaths seemed to come out of nowhere and then were just not dealt with?? at all?? Other reviews seem pretty split, so your mileage may vary, especially if you don't necessarily need your endings tidy. For me, the ending was deeply unsatisfying and left a bad taste in my mouth.
I am very rarely an audiobook person, but I listened to the narration of this book by Arden Hammersmith and thought it was excellent. I highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Blood, Death of parent, and Racial slurs
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