Reviews with content warning for Addiction - My Year of Rest and Relaxation

I wouldn’t say I hated this book, however there were definitely aspects I didn’t like. For example, the way the narrator treated Reva during her mothers funeral made me certain of my dislike for her. I also didn’t like how vulgar this book was. I have no problem with vulgarity in books but it has to have a purpose or its just uncomfortable to read.

Content Warnings

listette's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

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

3.0

I’m not sure how I feel about the book. It was well narrated and written but the main character is infuriating till the last page and her point of view very narrow and shallow.
It is difficult to read a book where there are very few characters with redeeming qualities.

Content Warnings

refrejarator's review

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

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

1.5

This came highly recommended to me, but I found it really underwhelming. I didn't really feel a point to any of it, and everything felt rather predictable.

I personally love dark and unhinged female characters, but this character lacked depth. Everything felt overdone and shallow, and the ending (which I saw coming from very early on) was so rushed, but it made me grateful because it meant it was the end.

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_drucifer_'s review

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dark reflective tense medium-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

2.5

I do love that the unhinged feminine trope is alive and well. I love that we keep getting “weird woman” books. Some of my favorite books ever are about women’s descent into madness (hellooooo The Bell Jar). The thing is….the stories need to be good, believable, nuanced.

This was not that. This was just absolute absurdity. And not even interesting absurdity, but tired, tropey absurdity that disappointed and bored me. From the protagonist’s “model” appearance and convenient wealth to the ludicrous caricature of the ethically-bereft, new-age, negligent psychiatrist to the toxic hate-hate relationship with the “best friend”who only serves to contrast the narrator, to the crappy, bordering on abusive dead parents. Everything was hyperbole, which felt lazy.

I love a good morally ambiguous character, ethical gray areas are my jam. But there was no ambiguity here, all these characters were just insufferable people. And worse, they weren’t even interesting insufferable people. I didn’t find anything clever or redeeming about this at all.

I think readers of a certain age will understand pretty early on that the timeline of this novel bends its arc toward a

9/11 conclusion

, but even knowing that’s where it was headed I found the ending to be rushed and a bit of a cheap trick. However, the last 20 pages were probably some of the best writing of the entire book.

TLDR; I got this, but I didn’t like it.

Content Warnings

jessrussellthenerd's review

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challenging dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.5

This book was like a fever dream. I did not know what was going to happen next and the direction of the story. Loved it.

Content Warnings

tashiface's review

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dark emotional reflective sad medium-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

2.0

Content Warnings

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