madelinedalton's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
My rating is more of a reflection of my personal reading experience than the quality of the book. Not a single character was likable, and Ingrid starts off as an incredibly un-compelling protagonist. This isn’t a criticism of the book—it was integral to the story, and it was definitely the right choice—but I personally get a tad exhausted reading books with zero likable characters. Ingrid does grow a lot at the end though!!
Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Racism
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Minor: Racial slurs and Sexual violence
amaezone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
• one for the look inside "a regular person's" mind starting to reflect on their own position and attitudes regarding race,
• one for the description of academia as it works today,
• one for the great friendship and
Spoiler
avoidind the "they leave the bad guy and shortly after gets with the good guy" scenario• one for the nuanced and clear explanation and depiction of the personalities of all the characters (which to a certain extent, avoids the bad person/good person characterization, although the sides are clearly defined,
• one for
Spoiler
the ending out of academia as perfectly legitimateGraphic: Drug use, Violence, Mental illness, Drug abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexism, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Trafficking
ilyevebabitz's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Misogyny, Drug use, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Toxic relationship, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Violence, Drug abuse, Genocide, Racial slurs, Slavery, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Islamophobia, War, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Outing, Police brutality, Domestic abuse, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
annoyedhumanoid's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
the plot summary was so fucking promising, but i found the writing to be lacking. i feel like it addressed its heavy topics through regurgitations of already finished conversations, rather than playing out those conversations in real time, if that makes sense. i know it's supposed to be absurdist, but the plot was just off the rails at times. Vivian's character development was very good though, shout out to that. also, the audiobook narration was very bland
cover review: ★★★★½. the illustration is gorgeous, just not a fan of either the typeface or the color of the title and author's name
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Colonisation, Infidelity, Alcohol, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Trafficking, and Violence
Minor: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Islamophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Terminal illness, Vomit, Ableism, Blood, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Sexual content