Scan barcode
elishasbookreview's review against another edition
The verbal and emotional abuse from Doug to Annie got to me. That and her questioning whether what happened between her and Doug's friend was consensual or not bothered me too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Sexual assault
kaitsbookstuff's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
ksilvio's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
viv_pcu's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It feels like a pretty straight analogy to toxic relationships and grooming , diving into the question of ownership, power dynamics, and own identity. The trajectory of this book surprised me in a way. It was hard enough to read for some of the ways the guy treated her but I was invested enough in the main character I stuck it out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
m3lwar3's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Abandonment
nicdoeswords's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This one won't be for everyone but it 10000% was for me. Loved it. Devoured it in two days. The line between love and ownership! The allegory that becomes self aware! The sheer vitality of being able to access and express rage! So much good stuff in here, it had me hooked all the way through to the end.
Also because I've now looked at other reviews, I understand how people could believe the plot to be underwhelming or to not explore the full potential of the premise (a critique I've had of other books in the same genre!) but to me this was a masterclass in subtlety. It WAS exciting, and there were certainly tense moments, and the ending led exactly where I personally hoped and thought it should. It's a taste preference! But I don't think it was a flaw in the writing.
Bonus points for a very well written therapist, which is hard to come by in fiction!
Also because I've now looked at other reviews, I understand how people could believe the plot to be underwhelming or to not explore the full potential of the premise (a critique I've had of other books in the same genre!) but to me this was a masterclass in subtlety. It WAS exciting, and there were certainly tense moments, and the ending led exactly where I personally hoped and thought it should. It's a taste preference! But I don't think it was a flaw in the writing.
Bonus points for a very well written therapist, which is hard to come by in fiction!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Sexual assault
This is a tough book to content warn for in part due to the premise and Annie's narration. It's important to me to note that the majority of this book is an allegory (that becomes explicit in the text) for an abusive, controlling relationship including expectations of sex and emotional abuse. It's heavy in that way, though I didn't find it to be gratuitous. But these themes are prominent and definitely could be triggering, so proceed cautiously!alite428's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
fast-paced
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
linnybear's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
She is not human. She is Annie, a Stella, her own star. No more and no less
Reading this book wasn't a pleasant experience by any means but I'm glad I've decided to finish it despite such heavy themes. I definitely expected more of a sci-fi story, instead got a heartbreaking tale about autonomy, abuse and control in very human relationships. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, a lot of anger and genuine sadness for Annie's situation but I found the ending almost cathartic and satisfying enough to make up for it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting
cherieamour's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
I found this book to be a really interesting reflection on what it means to be a person and on womanhood and gender roles. it does a great job demonstrating what controlling and emotionally abusive relationships can look like and the ways that people can easily excuse things or write them off.
there were a couple of things that bothered me like the linger ng question on the young guy who thought he knew Annie and the random comment about the therapist being trans, it just felt awkwardly stuck on and I wasn't sure exactly why it was there, and the final third of the book felt so much slower than the rest of it had. I personally wanted to spend more time exploring Annie's freedom after she left as I kept thinking about how she would learn to really be herself and what that would look like. maybe it wouldn't have felt earned if she got away too easily as she had to earn Doug's trust again but I wasn't as interested in that aspect. I did also find the ending a bit huh? it felt a bit weird that Jameson's son would be so happy to take her in, he seemed nice enough but i wasn't sure how realistic it was. one last thing that I wasnt sure about was the relative lack of other futuristic tech. like if we've advanced enough to the point of creating sentient robots with essentially human skin, what else have we developed? there's no other fancy tech I can remember beyond the ai people Annie calls
I did have an interesting thought after finishing it that I'm not sure other people have discussed. I think it could be interesting to view the book through the lens of Annie as an analogue for a trans woman. more specifically the experience of being a trans woman in a relationship with a cis guy who doesn't want people to know his partner is trans. the way he fetishises her while also being ashamed to the point of feeling rage at the thought of people knowing they're together. the fight after she says "no one will know you're a fraud", the way that she's hyper vigilant when they're out about people knowing she's a bot. with this lens I could imagine the comment about the therapist being somewhat apt on the knowledge that you may get clocked as trans and while nothing happens to her, there's always a threat that looms with this. this is just my thoughts and it's not a perfect 1-1 obviously but I think it's an intriguing way to interpret the book
I did have an interesting thought after finishing it that I'm not sure other people have discussed. I think it could be interesting to view the book through the lens of Annie as an analogue for a trans woman. more specifically the experience of being a trans woman in a relationship with a cis guy who doesn't want people to know his partner is trans. the way he fetishises her while also being ashamed to the point of feeling rage at the thought of people knowing they're together. the fight after she says "no one will know you're a fraud", the way that she's hyper vigilant when they're out about people knowing she's a bot. with this lens I could imagine the comment about the therapist being somewhat apt on the knowledge that you may get clocked as trans and while nothing happens to her, there's always a threat that looms with this. this is just my thoughts and it's not a perfect 1-1 obviously but I think it's an intriguing way to interpret the book
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
Minor: Eating disorder and Vomit