anjh'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? It's complicated
4.0
it genuinely is a good book, eleanor is funny and there is a good balance of humour and tenseness/sadness of the book and the story is written well to reflect a character with severe trauma and how she processes this as the story goes along.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gaslighting, Grief, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Addiction, Death, Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
wadee23'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
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Violence, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Death of parent
not_asha01'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
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Child death, Confinement, Death of parent, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Addiction, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Rape, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Child abuse, Mental illness, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
teslis'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
5.0
In the beginning of the book I did not like the main character “Eleanor” but at the end I do like her! I think it was interesting, she has never really had friends and is therefore not used to unspoken things and manners. After listening and getting to know her I find her more likable and especially her friend Reman (don’t know his spelling).
I think I will give this one a 5 even though I’m not 100% sure. I think it’s better than the book I gave 4.5, but I’m not sure if I love it as much as the other I gave 5!
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Mental illness, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Medical content
teapotmoon'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: Child death, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Child abuse, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
mandycollaud'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
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Child abuse, Child death, Addiction, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
annoyedhumanoid'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
4.75
on a serious note, it was nice to see someone get better.
I took one of my hands in the other, tried to imagine what it would feel like if it was another person’s hand holding mine. There have been times when I felt that I might die of loneliness. People sometimes say they might die of boredom, that they’re dying for a cup of tea, but for me, dying of loneliness is not hyperbole. When I feel like that, my head drops and my shoulders slump and I ache, I physically ache, for human contact—I truly feel that I might tumble to the ground and pass away if someone doesn’t hold me, touch me.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Alcohol, Suicide, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Mental illness, and Murder
Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Grief, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Bullying
fionafsw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I liked the main character quite a bit; some aspects of her loneliness really resonated with my own situation. And the story is entertaining enough. But the writing struck me as juvenile, as if the author was completing an assignment for a creative writing class. Her portrayal of the protagonist was inconsistent (how can someone so lacking in knowledge about the world be good at crosswords?) and superficial. She tries to make every sentence funny by making poor Eleanor react obliviously, ignorantly to everything, just to get a cheap laugh out of the reader, at Eleanor's expense. I'm not okay with that. The themes that the book introduces are heavy: child abuse and neglect, loneliness, depression, suicide, death... but the presentation of these themes feels trite, as if the author didn't do any research.
It's (very) easy reading and I finished it in a few days. If you need a novel for a long flight or a lazy weekend at a cabin/on the beach, this could be a contender. But if you want to read something that doesn't feel like the author sat down and thought, "Okay! How do I make this funny? How many sniggers can I squeeze out of the reader on this page? How do I make this edgy?" then you may want to look elsewhere.
Reese Witherspoon's book club recommends it. If I'd known that, I probably would have passed on it
Graphic: Abandonment, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Child death
florenceassetto's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death of parent and Child abuse
Minor: Child death
saraavowlerr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Addiction, Alcoholism, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Grief