Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

The Switch by Beth O'Leary

3 reviews

ruthhelizabeth's review against another edition

funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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? No

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infidelity and Xenophobia

Minor: Sexual content and Alcohol

There is a character who is explicitly xenophobic and this is never really tackled- it is presented like a quirk of their character rather than ever been explicitly challenged.

massivepizzacrust's review against another edition

funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

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

4.0

This was such a cozy read. Although the stakes are kind of high, I never really felt like there was any danger of things not working out - but in a good way. I think, as is usual with multiple povs that have separate plots, there isn't really a lot of time to get very complicated with any single one of them. There are hurdles along the way but both characters quickly overcome all of them. The love stories were cute and I was satisfied with the ending. I even got a little teary in the epilogue, thinking about the loved ones I've lost and the influence they have on me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Xenophobia

beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.0

Full review to come.

I had decidedly mixed feelings about The Switch.

The first third of the book was great - it was well-written, the pace was good, and it was funny and heartwarming. It was pretty predictable and cliched, but at that point, I was enjoying it so much that I didn't really care. I thought that the exploration of grief as a theme was well done, especially in how it affects the family members of those who have died - it was very sensitively written. There were also brief references to domestic violence that were also handled well, I thought.

Unfortunately, all of the above was nearly ruined for me by the author using a trope that I really dislike:

the first boyfriend of one of the narrators (Leena) turning out to be a massive two-timing douchebag, so the new love interest can then conveniently swoop in and save the day

. Ugh.  And the fact that

the first boyfriend's redeeming qualities were basically swept aside

. I also disliked that

the new love interest was basically described as being built like a football/rugby/soccer player, and didn't seem to have much personality beyond that. I know that sounds mean, and I'm sorry - but that's how I felt

.

I also disliked how the author had the characters do things that I found ethically questionable, purely to advance the plot.

To sum up: The Switch is a novel that started off well but turned off this reader by using a nasty trope that authors should really stop using.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Grief

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting

Minor: Racism, Sexual content, Violence, and Xenophobia