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bugferbrains's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I’m seeing a lot of more negative reviews, and I totally understand why. This thing is LONG. It’s repetitive, but for me it wasn’t unbearably so. It helped keep things cohesive and there was enough variation in the repeating themes and visual imagery to keep things interesting while not becoming boring. I kept asking myself, “what is the metaphor or story connection behind this thing?”, which helped to keep my attention, and it made every small detail feel incredibly important and deliberate. It’s also got heavy Christian/religious themes, which I understand, too, that that can be jarring and upsetting when there’s not a single thing in its synopsis that points towards that. If you picked it up because you thought it would be a neat ghost story, or something else classically paranormal, it would totally throw you off. I’m lucky in the fact that I happen to be a spiritual person and wasn’t stuck on wanting to read a spooky, paranormal book at the time I started it, so while I was hoping for a ghost story, I was pleasantly surprised to read about faith struggles (which I’m always a sucker for, no matter how the struggle ends) and commentary on Christianity, both its ugly and beautiful side. It hit me really hard because of it.
It happened to fall into my lap at the right time of my life, echoing some of my own thoughts and feelings about Christianity, its followers, and how we should live and treat others, while also sharing some new ideas with me. At its core, it’s a story about love, hope, and the idea that no one is too far gone from being saved (I don’t mean that religiously). That there is potential for good in everyone, no matter how far it’s been squashed down, that can rise with compassion and the right conditions. I know not every follower believes this, but it resonates deeply with me.
I could go on and on about how deeply I fell in love with the characters, how incredible a relationship the main mother and son have, how much I wish I could hug Mary Katherine, how much I really enjoyed the big twist, the way the writing shifts in style for each character….. Ugh, chef’s kiss. I was worried after the last two reads I had that I’d be on a crappy book streak, but this one was like a breath of fresh air. I’m not usually interested in coming of age stories, but if this is how Stephen Chbosky normally writes I might have to give Perks of Being a Wallflower a chance. Wonderful work!
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Infertility, Torture, Islamophobia, and Pregnancy
kingsteph's review against another edition
2.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Car accident
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Medical content, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and War
mykieangelno's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Gore, Blood, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Alcohol
this book is great but includes every trigger warning under the suntheimposter's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Chronic illness, Cursing, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
linneak's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Pregnancy
soyboi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Also, it bugged me that all these other characters, like Brody and Jenny and the librarian, are the Hissing Lady’s henchmen toward the end because they’re LITERALLY BEING ABUSED. Like, Jenny is being molested by her brother and when she’s under the Hissing Lady’s power, she wants to punish the brother. But imo, the little fucker SHOULD be punished. Why are we making that Satanic? Sounds like justice to me. Anyway, I’m not a fan of being beaten over the head with bible stories. Gag me.
This book was LONG AS HELL. So much of it us extraneous details and the same words and sentiments repeated over and over.
The half star is for the narrator of the audiobook, who has a great voice and was able to give each character a little something different. Props to her.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Classism
sreilley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
When the lines are crossed between reality and imagination, the lines of morality blur as well.
The main character is a young boy, 8 years old, but with the soul and wisdom of generations.
The small town in rural Pennsylvania finds itself plagued by a strange flu, terrifying thoughts, and a sudden span of time where nobody dies.
Christopher and the nice man come together to fight for good, but the fight isn't quite what Christopher expected...
Toward the end, I wished it would wrap up just a bit faster, but it was incredible and truly transformative.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Physical abuse, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism
None of the content was too disturbing for me (and I'm really squeamish) but it might be for some.glowbruise's review
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, War, and Injury/Injury detail
madinhoa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
maddireads13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion