Scan barcode
michaelion'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death and Genocide
Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, Vomit, Abortion, and Colonisation
felofhe'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
3.75
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
anderson27paige's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
leahslivres's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book was beautifully written, wonderfully descriptive and an overall great portrayal of the ups and downs of friendship in a creative environment. I'll be thinking about this one for a while.
It just missed the fifth star for me just as I felt the plot was slightly wavering at points but overall I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to read!
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, and Colonisation
bunzilla's review against another edition
Too slice-of-lifey for me as well
Graphic: Ableism, Cancer, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Rape and Abortion
kat_in_a_tree's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I found the progression of Sadie's career especially depressing, while it may be common for a women's work to be attributed to male collaborators, this gave a bleak perspective on what it is like to be a woman in a male-dominated field. I also didn't like that her love life was so tied to her career, this made her character seem flat and played into the idea that men can't see women as equal colleagues and there will always be romantic undercurrents in the workplace.
Marx seems to be one of the most virtuous characters in the book, and he is punished for this by being killed off, adding to the depressing feel of the book.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
abbyarm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Gun violence
Moderate: Ableism and Sexism
Minor: Violence, Xenophobia, and Antisemitism
whiskeywoman79's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Ableism, Cancer, Abortion, Death of parent, and Classism
slowburnsrus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The root of my dissatisfaction is that reading about a character playing a game is like reading about a character working out…fun when you do it yourself, excruciating when we read the minutiae of another’s experience.
The strongest part of this book is its work with grief, and the metaphors around gaming in relation to grief and loss. That grabbed me in the second half and kept me reading.
But the writing feel excessively overwrought with not enough payoff in either plot or observations on the human condition to make me enjoy reading it.
I cannot express how much I came to loathe many of the characters, particular Dov, the sexual harasser and groomer who (spoiler) gets a fucking redemption arc at the end of the book.
I was surprised that there were fewer attributions than I would expected in the authors note as I recognized many of the book’s references, and Sadie in particular was prone to insightful wanderings that so had definitely read before.
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug use and Abortion
danpolta'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
3.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Blood, Vomit, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Racism, Sexism, Stalking, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, and Toxic friendship