Reviews tagging 'Suicide attempt'

Meredith, Alone by Claire Alexander

33 reviews

sarahl0726's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment

Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Miscarriage, and Death of parent

winnieho's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

mathildemroy's review against another edition

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

Minor: Suicide attempt

judygold's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• 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

Really enjoyed this book - great characters with interesting back stories and well written alternating between past and present. Having been housebound for months due to illness I identified some of the feelings of the main character (!), fortunately without having a trauma history and depression. Easy read that is both sad and funny at times 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Rape

Moderate: Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

erudler's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Please read the TW for the book before you dive in - the cute little description gives no background for the intensity of the story

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Miscarriage, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

_maeike's review against another edition

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I hope everyone has a Celest, Sadie and Tom in their lifes!

I really really liked this book. Could have been a tiny bit shorter but the pacing and everything was still great. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Rape, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent

kell_xavi's review against another edition

dark hopeful sad medium-paced

3.5

This is a book full of acceptance and empathy for people dealing with trauma, neglect, abuse, and mental disorders. It follows Meredith, a kind-hearted, reserved woman who suffers from panic attacks and severe depressive episodes when she attempts to leave her house. She has been home for over three years, with a careful routine, an online job, an orange cat, and many indoor hobbies to keep her company. In this novel, Meredith tries to grow human connections, to cope with her personal history—told through flashback memories every few chapters—and to go outside.

The writing reminded me Nina LaCour, with its gentle movement through memory and its aftermath. Though Watch Over Me and We Are Okay, the most similar novels to this one, are both centred around characters 20+ years younger than Alexander’s protagonist, the voices had commonalities: a sense of small wonders, isolation, low self-esteem and a lot of self-blame, kindness and brokenness and pride in small achievements. Part of this is how the titular character here is treated, but the youthful is also a little odd, and I sometimes forgot she had 40 years of life within her.

A couple parts come together too easily, and others are belaboured, which lessens my overall rating. Fiona is a tangled character with a complex relationship to her sister, so it’s inevitably messy , but I think the depiction could’ve been stronger. And I don’t think either trendy pop version of the cover fits the book well! I did enjoy Meredith and her support network though. I liked the jigsaw puzzles and baking, the lack of judgment on age or any sort of expected landmark; I feel that depression and its most difficult effects are represented well in these pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Fatphobia

revengesrose's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Death of parent, and Alcohol

bookclubbitches's review against another edition

4.0

Ohhhhhhhh Meredith.

I really enjoyed getting to know her and the dual timeline of past and present. I thought she was very well rounded for hiding away in her house for so long and her story was very interesting.

The characters felt very complete, I thought every character was quite tangible and believable. 

I was so happy she made a new friend, left her house, reconnected with her sister, that her mom died (lol bye bitch) and that she finally made a police report about what happened all those years ago. 

I was truly not expecting to enjoy this one as much as I did! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape and Self harm

Moderate: Abandonment

Minor: Body shaming, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol

elliethecatlover's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring relaxing slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt