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ondreia420's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 ⭐️ (I rounded up)
Millie really isn’t that bad compared to some of the other extremely depressed characters I’ve read lately. If anything, she’s more relatable because she is more average and not completely batshit insane.
Millie really isn’t that bad compared to some of the other extremely depressed characters I’ve read lately. If anything, she’s more relatable because she is more average and not completely batshit insane.
sho73's review
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? Yes
1.5
This is so incredibly dull, if you want to read about a bunch of sad sacks moaning about eachother and doing nothing well here it is
Honestly so depressing to read and I was going to put it down and realised I was over halfway so might as well finish it
Honestly so depressing to read and I was going to put it down and realised I was over halfway so might as well finish it
hessensitive's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-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? Yes
3.75
sunnah214's review
3.0
quick read but good. protagonist is kind of a bummer and u feel yourself wanting to yell at her for her loser choices. i feel like it would be easy to call this book boring but honestly i read this when i was feeling particularly low and it was comforting to know that other people feel this way, even later in life & tbh a bit of schadenfreude in someone who was losing it a lil more than me. hope everyone’s doing ok!
kaitlynmccully's review
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sudenaz17's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
status_woe's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book. Incisive, darkly funny writing, it's bleak in a way I think British audiences will find appealing - we love bleak comedy and misanthropic characters.
Unlike many reviewers, I don't think the protagonist is a terrible person. She is stuck, depressed and struggling to find meaning in a world of shallow interactions and corporate nonsense. How much of that is her own doing, and how much is circumstance, isn't always clear, but I found her a much more sympathetic character than other reviews might suggest.
I enjoyed the breaks in stream of consciousness where we got other characters' perspectives (none of them any more pleasant than the protagonist), and the part where she visits her parents and her mother takes care of her made me sob. It really captured something about millennials, and how many of us are stuck half way between adolescence and adulthood, old enough for careers, homes and families but without the opportunity, and the desire to return home and be taken care of.
I've been more successful in the corporate world than Millie, but perhaps I'm as bleak and racked with existential terror as the main character and that's why I enjoyed it so much.
The ending will probably be unsatisfying to many, and even I wanted there to be a resolution a happy ending (there isn't, of course) but it was perfectly in keeping with the tone of the book.
One of my favourites this year.
Unlike many reviewers, I don't think the protagonist is a terrible person. She is stuck, depressed and struggling to find meaning in a world of shallow interactions and corporate nonsense. How much of that is her own doing, and how much is circumstance, isn't always clear, but I found her a much more sympathetic character than other reviews might suggest.
I enjoyed the breaks in stream of consciousness where we got other characters' perspectives (none of them any more pleasant than the protagonist), and the part where she visits her parents and her mother takes care of her made me sob. It really captured something about millennials, and how many of us are stuck half way between adolescence and adulthood, old enough for careers, homes and families but without the opportunity, and the desire to return home and be taken care of.
I've been more successful in the corporate world than Millie, but perhaps I'm as bleak and racked with existential terror as the main character and that's why I enjoyed it so much.
The ending will probably be unsatisfying to many, and even I wanted there to be a resolution a happy ending (there isn't, of course) but it was perfectly in keeping with the tone of the book.
One of my favourites this year.
rachelicate's review
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
ellsoquent's review against another edition
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5