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maria161985's review
3.0
I thought this book was interesting however, character development was lacking for some of the characters, especially Paul, along with certain relationships lacking explanation. I found that it was difficult to truly understand the relationship between Paul and Gretchen as we were just hearing about it when it was in the final stages. Also, I found it difficult to feel sorry for Gretchen's family when it came time to finding an heir for Lin's. There were some enjoyable moments, such as when the Lin family finally came together in order to run the company. However, I found that Gretchen's relationships with her friends (Frankie in particular) and her romantic endeavours were boring, lacking substance which is needed to keep a reader entertained. If only the characters and relationships were given more of a spotlight, the novel could have been more enjoyable to read.
iseenologic's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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
3.75
caitlintaylor24's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
reflective
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
4.0
hanam's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
3.25
melissasherlock87's review
2.0
I hate giving bad reviews, but I just really didn't like this book. The main character, Gretchen, was awful, so mean to everyone, without decent reason. I appreciate flawed characters, but she did not evolve throughout the course of the book. She didn't seem to learn anything.The ending was a quick wrap-up, very unsatisfying, and left me feeling like nothing at all had happened. There was no resolution because nothing really happened.
I read another review saying they would've preferred to read this from the perspective of one of the other characters, and I agree. And no doubt they would be talking about what a shit person Gretchen is.
I could've DNF'd this halfway through and never thought about it again.
I do own Kirsten Chen's latest book, Counterfeit, I've heard good things and won't let this dissuade me from reading it.
She does write well, it's just that the story here fell flat for me, which is possibly just personal preference. Unpopular opinion: this has Sally Rooney vibes, in that it's a bit whiney and nothing really happens. So if that's your thing then you might like this!
I read another review saying they would've preferred to read this from the perspective of one of the other characters, and I agree. And no doubt they would be talking about what a shit person Gretchen is.
I could've DNF'd this halfway through and never thought about it again.
I do own Kirsten Chen's latest book, Counterfeit, I've heard good things and won't let this dissuade me from reading it.
She does write well, it's just that the story here fell flat for me, which is possibly just personal preference. Unpopular opinion: this has Sally Rooney vibes, in that it's a bit whiney and nothing really happens. So if that's your thing then you might like this!
keen23's review
3.0
A really fast, interesting read. Gretchen isn't really well fleshed out as a character, but the overall story is good.
axmed's review against another edition
slow-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
3.0
I loved the development of the family dynamics and the characters own growth was pretty good, but the way fetishization by the whites was just glossed over and not delved into deeper was disappointing, even though this was a big part of the main characters marriage. also, it was pretty bad that the one time fetishization was mentioned, which was at the end of a chapter, the next chapter was about a white character who was 'so great' which felt like they were trying to proof something? and then the anti-fatness started lol.
all in all, it was pretty good, but there were too many things that annoyed me, which made it meeeh.
all in all, it was pretty good, but there were too many things that annoyed me, which made it meeeh.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Fatphobia and Racism
fetishization is not an option, so adding that here. also, pls change fatphobia to anti-fatnessjaxinthebox01's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.5