Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer

14 reviews

veralidaine's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Medical content

Minor: Alcohol

stacy837's review against another edition

emotional inspiring medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, and Alcohol

mrsovens's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

At times overwhelming, but a really unique look into why we shouldn't judge the way others choose to live their lives. It's never too late to pursue happiness.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Confinement and Medical content

Minor: Alcoholism, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Dementia, and Alcohol

jennaviolet's review against another edition

emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.75

It was such a lovely read. I enjoyed it from start to finish, and was unprepared for how some moments of would make me ugly cry. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol

ncamp214's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I'm so disappointed in this book. The topic is one I know little about and seems so interesting. A death doula. You learn so little about Clover's occupation and instead read her sad monologue about her life and the lives of the people around her. She is basically friendless by choice, and often refuses to give people a chance. She is mostly a hermit except for when she has a job, and the use of Rom Coms as a bad coping mechanism is insulting to the movie genre. The only interesting part of the book is the story of her client, Claudia, a former photo journalist with exciting stories and a long lost love. The book finishes a little too perfectly for a book about learning to live life to the fullest and take chances.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, and Grief

Minor: Alcohol

arilee123's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Alcohol

Minor: Bullying

fkshg8465's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad medium-paced

• 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

5.0

I had a really horribly difficult day at work - the kind that makes me need to have a really good cry. I give this book a five because it gave me a good reason to let myself cry. I don’t know what a diffident experience I would’ve had with this book on another day, but because I read it today and because I had the day I did, I give it a five.

I would love to see the actual journal Clover kept as a separate book.

The only thing that bothered me was she was so clear on the ethics of sharing her deceased clients’ secrets, but she no qualms about blabbing about her living clients’ secrets. However, it would’ve been a very different story without this blabbing.

The best characters were the elderly - Claudia, Bessie, Leo, and grandpa. I didn’t love any of the other characters. Oh wait. I did really like Hugo. I think I would like them more if I spent more time with them - like in a sequel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Sexism, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

vagrantheather's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.75

After losing both parents in an accident and witnessing the sudden death of a teacher, Clover's morbid fascination with death has her pegged as a bit of a weird kid. Rejected by her peers, she builds walls to protect her emotions. Twenty years later she has a thriving career as a death doula and is perfectly fine, if lonely, thank you very much. A series of events lands her working with the elderly Claudia, and the circumstances around finding her closure highlight for Clover how much she has excluded from her own life.

This is such a lovely story. I had never heard of death doulas or death cafés. I loved Clover and identified with her a lot. The romance was well done. The friendship building felt natural. All in all, a rather hopeful discussion around death and the celebration of life, packaged in a delightful read.

I did notice that the author structured a lot of sentences, "As I (whatever), I (whatevered)," which I found inelegant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death and Grief

Minor: Death of parent and Alcohol

atamano's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Sexism and Medical content

Minor: Alcohol

zombiezami's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Death of parent

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Bullying, Miscarriage, and Sexual content