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thetearex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
nialiversuch's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Excrement, and Vomit
sam_is_reading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, and Death of parent
bedtimesandbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
katywhyte'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? No
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
the_escapist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
onegirlandtheworld's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Excrement
roselouisa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Grief
dayday_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Problem#1: the characters
I never understood what people meant about enjoying character-driven stories until now. I couldn't connect with ANY of the characters. I didn't care about them or their plight and I was uninterested and unmoved by them. This has never happened to me where there wasn't at least one character I liked. I hated all of them, including Girl A (Lexi) herself. She has issues with a capital I and although she had tons of therapy, so much i still unresolved. I won't even get in yo my issues with the rest of the siblings.
Problem #2: character development (or lack thereof)
You got no sense of who the siblings really were as people because we saw everything through Lexi's lens. So they don't have the nuance that fully developed characters do. You get glimpsed in to them but not the why's and wherefore of it all. They do provide some context and help the story along but that's about it.
Problem #3: the chapter lengths! OMG. It was like they were never-ending. At first, I thought that I had missed something but nope. They really are one great long chapter. This probably would've been okay if the perspective of the actual character the chapter was about had been presented, but no.
Problem #4: the "twists"
They actually aren't bad per se. I felt dumb for not immediately seeing the first one as it was kinda in your face all along and I had QUESTIONS that the twist answered. Should've seen it coming and when it did I flipped back through the book and went; OH. Now these things make sense. Except there's no real resolution for them. Also the last twist (at least that I noticed) just solidified my feelings regarding a certain character.
***Note: I understand that 1 & 2 are very similar and related but I feel like in this case, they are two separate issues***
Now for the good: I didn't enjoy my time with this book so I don't have much good to say. It is a character study in trauma, grief, PTSD and family. So there's that.
Overall, I don't think that I'd personally recommend this to anyone although lots of people have enjoyed it. Trgger and content warnings abound so be sure to check those out before reading.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
dorianlecter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Excrement, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Incest, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent