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bookph1le's review against another edition
4.0
I can see how some readers wouldn't like this story and would, in fact, find it very triggering. As someone who has a chronic illness, though, I didn't feel that way about this story, and I think how people who have experience with chronic illnesses feel about it will largely be determined by what their own personal experience with their illness is like.
For me, it was a creepy and atmospheric read, reminding me of some of my favorite short stories from my school days, and it's one that will rattle around in my head and stick with me for a good, long while.
For me, it was a creepy and atmospheric read, reminding me of some of my favorite short stories from my school days, and it's one that will rattle around in my head and stick with me for a good, long while.
honnari_hannya's review against another edition
1.0
Euthanasia as a horror trope is not new, interesting, or particularly scary except for the fact that it happens still.
misswinchester84's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jessdone's review against another edition
2.0
Talk about missing the mark. This book is monotony personified. An experimental psychologist working out of a warehouse costing $20k a session seems like it would be right up my alley. There's a couple r/nosleep stories like this that I love. But the execution in this novel is completely lacking.
I don't care about this rich privileged narrator because we never really discuss what the heck is wrong with them, so they come off as a person I kind of think the world is better off without. Which means there's zero stakes.
Plus the set up of "secret experimental treatment" is well-worn territory and this story does nothing to stand out. The atmosphere is standard, the sessions are what you'd expect, and the narrator's response to everything is all giving off basic bitch energy.
It's not the worse thing in the series but it's not something I'd recommend.
I don't care about this rich privileged narrator because we never really discuss what the heck is wrong with them, so they come off as a person I kind of think the world is better off without. Which means there's zero stakes.
Plus the set up of "secret experimental treatment" is well-worn territory and this story does nothing to stand out. The atmosphere is standard, the sessions are what you'd expect, and the narrator's response to everything is all giving off basic bitch energy.
It's not the worse thing in the series but it's not something I'd recommend.
catrad's review against another edition
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
blackcatkai'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? It's complicated
2.0
cw: mental illness, gun violence, death, assisted suicide alluded to
the beginning wasn't terrible, writing was decent. then everything was just huge blocks of text, no paragraphs, run on sentences, and the most disappointing sudden ending. like come on.
the beginning wasn't terrible, writing was decent. then everything was just huge blocks of text, no paragraphs, run on sentences, and the most disappointing sudden ending. like come on.
debsfielding583's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
hectaizani's review against another edition
3.0
The protagonist had been dealing with chronic pain for years and had lost hope on treatment until a friend referred him to a new clinic with a doctor that seemed to be working miracles. Derrick was willing to do anything, try anything, absolutely anything for some relief.
Spoiler
I wasn't a big fan of the ending. Not triggered or anything but I felt as though the basic message was that he'd already had everything good he was going to so the fact that the doctor's treatment was a bullet was reasonable. Maybe so. I have no experience living with chronic pain and I'm certainly not going to tell someone they can't decide when enough is enough BUT the therapy seemed to be helping.thatweirdbookgirlie's review
dark
emotional
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
4.5
I can see why this book wouldn't be for everyone. But as someone who has faced having Depression, this was gut-wrenching. Sometimes the solution just that there isn't one. Clearly where this story is based (NYC) assisted suicide is not legal. But that isn't the case everywhere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide