starswirlsheart's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this was entirely frustrating and therapeutic. i think every time i read a good book a part of me heals. i love when a book is full of crazy characters. the way each of them were described made me like all of them. there were many times in this book were people were yelling at martha of basically being like “STAND UP!!!!” and i felt so called out it made me want to cry. at first i was kinda disappointed maybe a little offended that her diagnosis wasn’t explicitly named but i grew to appreciate it. i love this book so much. it made me feel so seen even if my episodes are not as extreme and i’m only 19 with no life experience. i love this book so much.
felicjk's review against another edition
5.0
Laugh-out-loud hilarious and equally completely devastating… I felt sick with sadness for so much of it but I just couldn’t put it down.
I loved how she conveyed the messy beauty of family though: such hope and humour and regret and love.
Also, Ingrid is brilliant.
I loved how she conveyed the messy beauty of family though: such hope and humour and regret and love.
Also, Ingrid is brilliant.
shutupandreadthis's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.5
emmab85's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
For the majority of this book I felt like I was missing something. It’s critical acclaim suggests it may indeed just be me. Reviews state a dark comedy element to some of the event descriptions but i found myself too irritated to pick that up.
There was some clear skill in the rating the impact of long-term mental illness on the person and persons around them. To not name the condition would have been more effective if it had not been continually alluded to for the majority of the novel and therefore came off as gimmicky not clever.
There was some clear skill in the rating the impact of long-term mental illness on the person and persons around them. To not name the condition would have been more effective if it had not been continually alluded to for the majority of the novel and therefore came off as gimmicky not clever.
briwithabook's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
ashleylq's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
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
4.75
writingcaia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
I was not convinced at first by the way it rambled on. These weird ravings of a 40 year old (my age give or take) women that seemed filled with so much anger towards everyone including herself, it felt a bit too much.
As it advanced I became addicted, there was a love story and a family story, and I wanted to know more, even though I felt a huge clench in my heart every time something written was so close to what I’ve felt or feel sometimes.
The anger, the anguish, the self destructiveness, it’s present as much in the voice of the writer as is in the story which makes it feel so real. And, I guess it is. Not in the sense of the actual story not being fiction but in the sense that the feelings, the arguments, the breakings, the misdiagnose, the hopelessness and the hopefulness are all real to some of us, they’ve been around us or in us.
I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did by the end but here it
As it advanced I became addicted, there was a love story and a family story, and I wanted to know more, even though I felt a huge clench in my heart every time something written was so close to what I’ve felt or feel sometimes.
The anger, the anguish, the self destructiveness, it’s present as much in the voice of the writer as is in the story which makes it feel so real. And, I guess it is. Not in the sense of the actual story not being fiction but in the sense that the feelings, the arguments, the breakings, the misdiagnose, the hopelessness and the hopefulness are all real to some of us, they’ve been around us or in us.
I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did by the end but here it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Miscarriage and Death of parent
trionah's review against another edition
dark
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? Yes
4.75