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cannaebehorsed's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcoholism
marissanbullis'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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Chronic illness and Self harm
ivi_reads_books'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
3.0
While the masochism and frequent miscommunication was frustrating for me I found it hard to put the book down.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Infidelity, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Alcohol
joensign's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
wannabeninazenik's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Self harm, and Blood
sammypb10's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Mental illness and Self harm
rebeccaehockin'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
3.0
Graphic: Infertility and Mental illness
owenwilsonbaby's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
I get it guys! I get it. Her written voice is compelling. Even when things got repetitive, I still found the character voices and emotional atmosphere absorbing.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Child abuse, Cursing, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
jaklyn_heath_reads's review against another edition
4.0
At first, I really didn’t like any of the characters. But I soon came to appreciate the story that Sally Rooney was telling.
Do I like the characters now that I’ve finished the book? Not really. They have a lot of flaws and make some questionable decisions that I didn’t understand but that I could appreciate as they were consistent with their characterization.
Next, the tough topics. This novel discusses themes of adultery, mental health crises, self-harm, endometriosis, and sexuality. It isn’t easy to read a character going through excruciating pain, or disassociating, or cheating on their wife.
The ending. It leaves things unresolved almost like a cliff hanger. I don’t know if I liked the ending. I wish the characters got some sort of closure. Scratch that. I wish I got some sort of closure.
Jaklyn, it sounds like you didn’t like the book. Why did you give it 4 stars?
I loved the storytelling. I wanted to keep reading (or listening in my case). I wanted to know if the bad decisions were going to cause some sort of karma event to take place. I wanted to know how everything would blow up or fall apart or somehow stay together. I wanted to see growth in the characters (there was some). I was committed to the story. And Rooney has a way of telling a story. It felt real and raw and completely believable. I was enthralled.
Will this be one of my favourite books of all time? No. But I do see myself thinking about for a long while. I think I liked Normal People better, but this was very good too.
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
aluminij's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Self harm