Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers

19 reviews

kayleejanes's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Pregnancy, Rape, Suicide, and Terminal illness

felijhn's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring mysterious relaxing sad 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

Moderate: Death and Medical content

Minor: Rape, Terminal illness, Infidelity, and Abortion

amberrenfrey's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Infertility, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abortion, Pregnancy, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Sexual assault, Vomit, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, and Rape

dylangodfreyy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.0

Loved this book but docked a star for the ending

Spoiler

I would have preferred some clarity on whether Howard survived the train crash, however I recognise this as a choice to create a shocking and open-ended ending

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Sexual assault, and Rape

Minor: War and Homophobia

jackbifrost's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious relaxing sad fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Classism, Infidelity, Dementia, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Death, Terminal illness, Abortion, and Rape

Minor: War and Death of parent

bookswithcapri's review against another edition

challenging hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy and Abortion

Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault

Minor: War, Terminal illness, and Incest

sundaybookclub's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Infidelity, Death, Forced institutionalization, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Terminal illness, Confinement, Pregnancy, and Rape

Minor: Cancer

spookyaz's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.25

I liked the writing and descriptions and all of the little details. I did not like the treatment of queer and neurodivergent people in this book- very underdeveloped and full of harmful stereotypes and such. That being said, I guess I didn't really expect anything more from most fiction books unless they're explicitly written by/for queer/neurodiverse folks. Sad but true. I also did not like how the romance took over the plot from the original mystery. The ending I found jarring and very much an "excuse me???" moment. Not to say that it was necessarily a completely bad ending. The plot twists were not things I saw coming, but that's a usual thing with me. I don't know if I'd recommend this book to people, to be honest- I might have to sit with my thoughts a bit more.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Homophobia, Ableism, Alcohol, Terminal illness, Abortion, Confinement, Death, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Medical trauma

rosalynemily's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

4.75

I would be giving this book 5 stars, no question if it wasn't for <the ending, which I found unnecessarily heartbreaking! The book was perfectly finished without this heartbreaking final event, and it just seemed to be unnecessary upset for the reader to endure!> 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Grief, Rape, Abortion, Cancer, Medical content, Confinement, Death, Dementia, Infidelity, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Terminal illness

liemannen's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

Small Pleasures is about trying to seperate duty from pleasure, logic from emotion - and failing to do so when the heart wins over the head. The prose was quite enjoyable, and carried a sense of peeking into another persons intimate private life. 

I would have rated it a clean 4/5, although i found myself rather unsatisfied with the ending. 

Spoiler

After an eternity of will they won't they, a lesbian elopement, and the reveal that the "virgin birth" was the result of rape during drug-induced sleep... It ends with the love intrest dying in a train crash. After the heaps and heaps of misery the book piled up towards the end, I felt this was a lazy and unfulfilling write-off. Oh well.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Drug use, Miscarriage, Terminal illness, and Rape