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ju_harue'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
4.0
A forma como a narrativa mescla momentos intensos, com uma narrativa intimista e que me lembrou Um lugar bem longe daqui, com atmosfera bucólica e melancólica.
Ao se passar em 1 dia, mas a narrativa alterna entre passado e presente, é tão bem desenvolvida, que fica impossível largar, embora seja um calhamaço.
Um recorte de uma vida e das gerações de uma família e os acontecimentos que permeiam e refletem em atitudes, com um Palácio de Papel ao fundo.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer, Grief, Abortion, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Body shaming
abeebittle's review against another edition
Love the narration and prose. Don’t like the execution of the plot. The constant sprinkle of trauma is too much.
Graphic: Child abuse and Incest
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Abandonment
jakirby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Death, Eating disorder, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Murder, and Sexual harassment
kate_not_kate'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? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Nope it was definitely not the summer read I was hoping to get. 3 different underage girls are getting rapped. One by her stepdad, other by the brother and main character by her stepbrother. Till the end I don’t understand why she blamed herself what happened with her “DeFiNeTlY not a serial killer” (yes he could be the one) stepbrother.
The real good part of the book was Jonas and Anna. The stories with them were really interesting to read.
But still, be prepared to read a book where in the second chapter a 9 year old girl is forced to give bj her stepdad and where parents don’t see all the abuse that happens.
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
kmart29's review against another edition
3.25
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Sexual harassment
bombshellbibliophile'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? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, and Sexual content
Not worth the read. Terrible ending. Past and present was too back and forth. Characters were utterly unlikeable. Very slow. Author has poetic descriptive writing style but when not paired with good plot and characters it’s wasted. Way too much sexual trauma, with minors at that. that don't really add more to the plot. Surprised this is a NY times and Reese’s book club rec, now I know not all endorsements of such will be to my liking.thewordapothecary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
rwlongino'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? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Alcohol
saoreads'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Incest, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Blood, Grief, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
kaffee_auf_ex'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
2.0
Every adult in this book only exists to abuse Elle. Even strangers only exist to punch her or break into her house and assault her. All the adults are abusive towards children. Trauma is there for pure shock value and to be edgy.
Reese Witherspoon teased that there would be a fascinating love triangle. She absolutely broke my trust. You call this a love triangle?
- mild spoilers ahead -
Does it deserve to be a love triangle if the husband and mother team up to abuse Elle? If we are told that she loves him but everytime she things to herself that she loves him it is in a situation in which he was being toxic because that's all he ever is? He is a red flag walking from the very moment he comes into her life. All he ever does is gaslight her and never take her seriously but instead bully her together with her mother who is incredibly abusive.
And maybe this could be okay if there was something that we get out of all that. If she ever realised he was being abused or really call out her mother for the incredible amount of abuse. But she never does.
And I won't even talk about Jonas not being a consent king because compared to all of the rape and abuse going on, he is the nicest person in the book if you don't count Anna who is my favourite character.
The story is unnecessarily long and filled with some more abuse that we don't need. Yes, there's an abusive spouse of a parent. Oh wait, they get remarried and we get another abusive spouse because the first wasn't enough. Oh, here's a family friend or whatever behaving inappropriately towards children.
And here is some abuse that another family member face that is not directly relevant but still told to us in graphic detail like all of the rape is because, well, shock value.
It's so sad that a woman can't have character growth without sexual drama but wait - there's no character growth. Elle is one of the worst main characters I have ever read because she is passive from the beginning even when her own passiveness hurts more people than just herself and she never learns. She never calls out abuse for what it is.
Let me summarise what this book is: Straight cis rich white people abusing each other and especially children because they don't have enough struggles in their lives to keep athem entertained and plot convenience. Easily the least diverse book I have read in my live because it doesn't feature anything else than straight cis rich white people.
One mayor question remains: Why did the author waste her incredible writing talent for such an edgy and tone deaf story? To sell more books? To have more chances at having it picked up for TV adaption? Because damn, that woman can write. She really sucked me in. I hope for her to get some perspective and write something less problematic because yes, I would like to read more of her writing, just a whole different story.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Child death and Terminal illness