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hmetwade's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
tjsayler's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Sexual content and Murder
Minor: Physical abuse
cassie7e's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Kelly is excruciatingly self doubting and insecure. Combined with the narrator's voice for her in emotional scenes, I found her annoying. However I did relate to her moments of frustration at being consistently left out of the loop or her desire for plans and predictability being treated with disdain. And she does grow, which of course we get to see in her thoughts in elaborate detail, which slows down tense moments so much it's shocking the other characters don't comment on her long pauses before reacting!
In addition to some moments being drawn out, others are glossed over and omitted, only told to us later. Kelly's thoughts refer to past moments of relationship building that we didn't get to see, which makes them feel fake and trying too hard prove the closeness is developing. Would have been more effective for me if those fond moments were on page, not mental reflections.
I'm still not sure how I feel about stories being set during the height of the pandemic - they either feel like inauthentic shallow set dressing or way to heavy for me to think about. This one leans toward shallow and mainly serves to further isolate the characters. Also for how often Virgo appears and does very catlike things, no mention is ever made of feeding her, even though other mundane daily things (like feeding the humans) comes up a lot! Minor observation, I know.
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual content
lavloveslit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I don't think I've ever disliked a main character as much as Kelly - which made it an interesting and frustrating read. I did appreciate the poly and queer representation, albeit if it was a toxic and "what not to do" representation. This story wasn't what I was quite expecting, I usually love some romance elements but everything felt forced and unnatural. And I did not like a single character in this book. Not every great book needs likeable characters, but great books need at least complex characters and every character in this story fell fairly flat for me. Also was expecting it to have thriller elements throughout but really it's only slightly "tense" and the last maybe 20% could be considered a thriller.
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, Stalking, Murder, Pregnancy, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Miscarriage
snoopyfanclub's review against another edition
- 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
2.25
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Blood, Stalking, and Pregnancy
Minor: Vomit
estimpert's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Minor: Domestic abuse and Sexual content
vicktorea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Moderate: Infidelity and Murder
Minor: Miscarriage and Sexual content
megwilli's review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Gaslighting
d0505's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Stalking
pookiee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Drug use, Infertility, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Abortion