Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Green Dot

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Green Dot by Madeleine Gray

13 reviews

helixhedera's review against another edition

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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.

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simoneg's review against another edition

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emotional funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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nialiversuch's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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beate251's review against another edition

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challenging emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

You will hear every naive thought a mistress has and every stupid lie a cheating husband has in his repertoire. It's a tale as old as time, superbly told in this debut novel. I stayed up until late at night to finish this.

It is textbook "Oh, you have a wife." "Yes, but I love you." "Please leave your wife." "Of course I will, darling, but right now is not a good time." - And now she is pregnant and I can't hurt her. I'm a good person!" "When are you going to leave your wife?" "When the baby is here and she is done breastfeeding." "Please leave your wife. You promised." "I will, by the end of the year." "Actually, I can't do it." "You have to, you promised!" "She hasn't taken it well. She asked me to stay. I can't leave her." Etc. it's always interesting how the man can't break their wife's heart but think nothing of breaking their mistresses heart, who is apparently the one they love. Don't trust liers and cheaters, they will never change.

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bellsdixon's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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annaavian's review against another edition

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sad 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

2.0

A predictable affair with a predictable ending.
I don't have a problem with morally grey or flat out unlikable characters and their shitty behaviors as long as there is at least some meaningful point at the end. I failed to find one here.

What sounded like an intriguing narrative quickly revealed itself to be quite frustrating, centered around an unlikable protagonist whose actions lack purpose and depth. The novel begins with promising prose, infused with snarky slang and hot-headed attitude. However, this charm wears thin as the narrative progresses, becoming tiresome rather than engaging. Time passes ambiguously, emotions develop without explanation or depth, and the plot just stumbles along without clear direction.

What starts as a potentially compelling exploration of complex relationships descends into a hollow depiction of selfishness and indifference. The absence of any interior life or introspection from the protagonist results in a sense of detachment and I was soon questioning the purpose of the story as a whole. In the end "Green Dot" failed to deliver a meaningful point behind its characters' actions for me, leaving a sense of unfulfilled potential.

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