Reviews tagging 'Death'

This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

6 reviews

carlytenille's review

dark funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

tetedump's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

• 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? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Medical content, Grief, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

bearlynormalursa's review against another edition

dark emotional funny lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Addiction, Drug use, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

ada_elisabeth's review

emotional funny hopeful relaxing sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did.

I took it from my grandmother's shelf when I was at her house a few days ago because I was bored with the book I was actually read, All's Well by Mona Awad. (I promise I'll finish it at some point!) I thought I would skim the first few pages of This is Where I Leave You and then forget about it, but my interest was piqued by the plot and Jonathan Tropper's writing style, so I decided to take it with me. 

There was something oddly comforting about this book. The characters had messy existences: cheating spouses and dead relatives and tangled love lives. But it just felt so honest and real, two things that I feel like a lot of books lack. The main character, Judd, was funny and candid, but also very genuine. The relationships in this book, while imperfect, were so well-written and felt real. 

My one complaint (and the reason I'm not giving this book five stars) is the fact that it didn't really lean into the emotional side of things as much as it could have. I understand that it's a comedic novel, and therefore features a lot of humor and comedic relief. However, the main plot (a bunch of unhappy relatives mourning their lost husband/father) is sad, and while readers do get to see moments of that sadness, it's not a central part of the novel. I think some of the more tender moments (especially gentle conversations between Judd and his mother, or Judd and Phillip) could have been more prominent. Then again, I probably would've cried if this book was any sadder. 

I really did enjoy this book. It was messy and real and funny and tragic all at once, and I really, really loved the last one hundred pages or so. You live and you learn, and this book really embodies that. 4.25/5 stars. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death

chailady's review

emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

mandi4886's review

emotional 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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infertility, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Biphobia and Vomit