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helixhedera's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Spoilers below! Long review.
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Green Dot does an excellent job at portraying what it's like to lose yourself in an unhealthy and imbalanced relationship that never should have happened. In the beginning of the book, Hera's life feels like simply going through the motions of each day, waiting for something worth mentioning to happen – up until she meets Arthur. From there, it's an up-and-down rollercoaster of a secret affair, and we follow as Hera slowly loses herself in the process.
You may find yourself relating to Hera if you've ever been in a similar relationship – one in which you are going all in, and your partner is suppressing you, whether on purpose or not. The type of relationship where you find yourself unhealthily attached, even addicted to the person you're with, while to them, you are a second thought. The problem becomes greater when you believe that you are not, in fact, a second thought, but a priority. This is what happened to our main character.
We are also shown, in a beautifully tragic way, how this sort of relationship can consume you and take your life away from you. To me, the most heartbreaking scenes were the ones in which Hera neglected everything she'd ever known – her lonely dad, her dog, her friends – just for a chance to meet with Arthur, only to be discarded shortly afterward yet again; and it was even more heartbreaking that she was aware of how horrible it was getting and that she was delusional, yet she could not stop. The part that broke me the most was when Jude died, and instead of mourning with her dad, Hera chose to wait for Arthur yet again. It felt like she simply did not have a semblance of a real life anymore.
I'd also like to comment on this: the author showed the power imbalance between Hera and Arthur well, in my opinion. I particularly liked a line near the end of the book, during the New Years' scene, in which Arthur was sat on the couch, and Hera on the floor in front of him. After everything that had happened in the story thus far, this detail showed subtly, yet also quite obviously, the power that Arthur held over Hera throughout the story.
Even though Hera was hurting, I adored the ending of this book. I think it would've been entirely distasteful if they had ended up together, after everything; or if Hera had taken him back at the beach. I loved the symbolism of the ending scene, as Arthur slowly shrunk away, Hera finally letting go of the person who'd been destroying her personhood and mental wellbeing for so long, even if she still loved him. I was happy that she moved back in with her dad, too.
I also loved the fact that Hera was undebatably flawed, and she was aware of this. Not once did I get the impression that she was oblivious to how harmful their actions were. She was aware of her own role in all this and didn't downplay it, even expressing pain for Kate at times. Hera felt incredibly human throughout the story, with ups, downs and rock bottoms, just like everybody else.
As an ending note, I am so in love with the writing style of the author. I've highlighted so many quotes and paragraphs; Madeleine Gray has an artistic way with words. The pacing felt just right and Gray hit all the right beats in the story. I enjoyed the humour as well and the occasional fourth-wall-breaking.
All in all, Green Dot is an all too familiar story well told.
.
.
.
.
.
.
You may find yourself relating to Hera if you've ever been in a similar relationship – one in which you are going all in, and your partner is suppressing you, whether on purpose or not. The type of relationship where you find yourself unhealthily attached, even addicted to the person you're with, while to them, you are a second thought. The problem becomes greater when you believe that you are not, in fact, a second thought, but a priority. This is what happened to our main character.
We are also shown, in a beautifully tragic way, how this sort of relationship can consume you and take your life away from you. To me, the most heartbreaking scenes were the ones in which Hera neglected everything she'd ever known – her lonely dad, her dog, her friends – just for a chance to meet with Arthur, only to be discarded shortly afterward yet again; and it was even more heartbreaking that she was aware of how horrible it was getting and that she was delusional, yet she could not stop. The part that broke me the most was when Jude died, and instead of mourning with her dad, Hera chose to wait for Arthur yet again. It felt like she simply did not have a semblance of a real life anymore.
I'd also like to comment on this: the author showed the power imbalance between Hera and Arthur well, in my opinion. I particularly liked a line near the end of the book, during the New Years' scene, in which Arthur was sat on the couch, and Hera on the floor in front of him. After everything that had happened in the story thus far, this detail showed subtly, yet also quite obviously, the power that Arthur held over Hera throughout the story.
Even though Hera was hurting, I adored the ending of this book. I think it would've been entirely distasteful if they had ended up together, after everything; or if Hera had taken him back at the beach. I loved the symbolism of the ending scene, as Arthur slowly shrunk away, Hera finally letting go of the person who'd been destroying her personhood and mental wellbeing for so long, even if she still loved him. I was happy that she moved back in with her dad, too.
I also loved the fact that Hera was undebatably flawed, and she was aware of this. Not once did I get the impression that she was oblivious to how harmful their actions were. She was aware of her own role in all this and didn't downplay it, even expressing pain for Kate at times. Hera felt incredibly human throughout the story, with ups, downs and rock bottoms, just like everybody else.
As an ending note, I am so in love with the writing style of the author. I've highlighted so many quotes and paragraphs; Madeleine Gray has an artistic way with words. The pacing felt just right and Gray hit all the right beats in the story. I enjoyed the humour as well and the occasional fourth-wall-breaking.
All in all, Green Dot is an all too familiar story well told.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Grief, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Animal death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Pregnancy
aislingkhillas's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, and Alcohol
mmccombs's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I loved the distinct, irreverent voice of this book, it was casual and introspective and silly and vulnerable, kind of like reading a diary. I love reading books that feel like watching train wrecks, I could see the ending coming from a mile away but still felt satisfied when we got there. I do think this could have been shorter, it was pretty repetitive (we get it! Things are messy!). I also couldn’t help but feel so distracted by the Covid content, I know the pandemic experience in Australia was different than it was in the U.S., but doing an affair during a pandemic whilst your partner is pregnant and therefore more vulnerable!! just feels extra disrespectful, and the overall tone about it was so blasé on the verge of feeling gross to me.
On the whole I really enjoyed this in a #relatable way, a great depiction of late-stage capitalist malaise and the extent to which we will go just to feel something at all.
On the whole I really enjoyed this in a #relatable way, a great depiction of late-stage capitalist malaise and the extent to which we will go just to feel something at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Animal death and Eating disorder
alicesayshi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Animal death, Eating disorder, and Alcohol
star's review against another edition
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
i received this book through a little free library. it is an ARC -- i believe the actual release date is in a few days. i am hoping that it will be different in its final form.
this book was.... for lack of a better way of putting it, extremely painful to get through. the plot can easily be explained through the synopsis on the back cover - woman, 24 years old, falls in love with 40-something year old married man.
i disliked this book immensely, but was attached enough to hera that i wanted to see it through. i am relieved to have finished it, and pray i never know about a sequel if it comes up - as it was hard to get through, for sure, but i am attached enough i fear i may read it.
hera is... frustrating. she reminds me a lot of myself a few years ago (which makes sense, as we were born in similar years - if she were real, she would be probably a year older than me now), i will say it's nice to see a problematic bi girl out there in the wild - i did laugh at the mention of co-star for sure.
but this book was.... not my favorite, and i really really had to push myself HARD (to the point of forcing myself) to get through it. i will be donating this to a different LFL on it's release date... good luck to whoever gets it.
spoiler tags for the rest of my thoughts.
hera is an irony-poisoned asshole! which is sad to say, as i had to frequently put the book down due to how much she reminded me of me a few years ago. it took me almost 2 months to get through the first part of the book (the book is split into 5 parts, or at least, the ARC is.) this was in part due to the lackluster writing style but also the extremely frustrating way that hera behaved.
i HATED arthur the entire time. this was so typical, "i love you and ill tell my wife sometime soon, promise". i thought the pull at the end with maisie was awful, too, and imagine knowing for your entire life that you named your baby the thing your mistress suggested! i kept wanting hera to fucking talk to kate about it... but she never did. UGH.
and jesus christ, the way that hera treated her fucking dad. that poor man. and poor jude.
this book was.... for lack of a better way of putting it, extremely painful to get through. the plot can easily be explained through the synopsis on the back cover - woman, 24 years old, falls in love with 40-something year old married man.
i disliked this book immensely, but was attached enough to hera that i wanted to see it through. i am relieved to have finished it, and pray i never know about a sequel if it comes up - as it was hard to get through, for sure, but i am attached enough i fear i may read it.
hera is... frustrating. she reminds me a lot of myself a few years ago (which makes sense, as we were born in similar years - if she were real, she would be probably a year older than me now), i will say it's nice to see a problematic bi girl out there in the wild - i did laugh at the mention of co-star for sure.
but this book was.... not my favorite, and i really really had to push myself HARD (to the point of forcing myself) to get through it. i will be donating this to a different LFL on it's release date... good luck to whoever gets it.
spoiler tags for the rest of my thoughts.
i HATED arthur the entire time. this was so typical, "i love you and ill tell my wife sometime soon, promise". i thought the pull at the end with maisie was awful, too, and imagine knowing for your entire life that you named your baby the thing your mistress suggested! i kept wanting hera to fucking talk to kate about it... but she never did. UGH.
and jesus christ, the way that hera treated her fucking dad. that poor man. and poor jude.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Pregnancy and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Eating disorder and War
maddiemooney's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
She’s a mess!!
I loved these characters even though they were the worst!
I loved these characters even though they were the worst!
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Biphobia, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic
e11en's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Eating disorder
Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic