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tey_lynn's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Minor: Blood
the_true_monroe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This is a very quick read/ listen and it is definitely adventurous and funny but there is a lot that goes underdeveloped.
Amazing job in terms of diverse characters and intersectionality. One of the main characters (Jules) for example, is a neurodivergent black, nonbinary child of immigrants.
Speaking of Jules, I related to them so much especially with their constant “that’s so cool!” with their mind going from one thing to another, and how they feel they always mess things up.
Short books are perfectly fine and while we did learn enough to get a picture of who Ava and Jules are, we knew they’d been in a relationship and why they broke up but I still for the most part could not establish any sort of dynamic between them other than their connection through work and bickering recently broken up partners.
I like how the ending is left open in this case which is something that does not always feel right to me. I definitely would read a sequel or other related book.
Also completely unrelated to my rating, I was laughing reading the reviews and how almost everyone mentioned Ikea yet I completely was oblivious to that having been the setting 😅. I know of Ikea and think I have been to one once but don’t remember much.
Amazing job in terms of diverse characters and intersectionality. One of the main characters (Jules) for example, is a neurodivergent black, nonbinary child of immigrants.
Speaking of Jules, I related to them so much especially with their constant “that’s so cool!” with their mind going from one thing to another, and how they feel they always mess things up.
Short books are perfectly fine and while we did learn enough to get a picture of who Ava and Jules are, we knew they’d been in a relationship and why they broke up but I still for the most part could not establish any sort of dynamic between them other than their connection through work and bickering recently broken up partners.
I like how the ending is left open in this case which is something that does not always feel right to me. I definitely would read a sequel or other related book.
Also completely unrelated to my rating, I was laughing reading the reviews and how almost everyone mentioned Ikea yet I completely was oblivious to that having been the setting 😅. I know of Ikea and think I have been to one once but don’t remember much.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia
rhi_'s review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Transphobia, Violence, and Blood
skeuomorphism's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- 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
3.75
a really entertaining read! loved the portrayal of jules and ava's relationship. the painfully awkward and raw post-breakup times were really well-written. and the description of litenvärld which sounds like a potent corporate-flavoured mix of ikea and meow wolf's omega mart. kinda wish the book was longer so that we could all learn more about the litenverse and am i so glad about defekt's existence!
+ i'm not going to pretend that i am So Normal about ambiguous/open endings. they leave you stranded on a cliff above what if sea but the view is so so sexy!!!! like this ending. when i got to the chapter where ava went to jules' i was terrified that it'd be deus ex machinaed with them coming out of a wormhole but no. instead the story tenderly hands the reins to ava. which says something VERY LOUDLY about the theme of fate, relationships, and character development, etc.
food for thought
food for thought
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Blood
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
rhall19's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia and Blood
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This is a deeply fun sci-fi novella. The queerness present throughout the story was a delight, and I really appreciated the anti-capitalist tones throughout the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cannibalism
huntress's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Blood
Moderate: Death and Transphobia
jpitts's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- 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
February 2024:
The only thing I have resembling a complaint about this book is that I wanted more of it. (Yes, I am gonna read the sequel.)
Not only is this book fun and inventive and wild, its emotional core is incredibly strong. The portrayals of neurodivergence and mental illness in this book resonated with me deeply at a time when I really needed it. The characters are two recent exes whose struggles with mental health clashed with one another in a way that made their relationship unsustainable. Their flaws and the ways they've screwed up are clearly displayed without painting either of them as bad or wrong. Basically, I think it gives them a level of grace that, in my experience, a lot of people dealing with these same issues (*cough* me) struggle to give themselves. That aspect of it struck a chord with me personally.
Plus you get some fantastic corporate workplace satire (I eat that shit up every time), and some wacky interdimensional IKEA hijinks. It's just so good.
March 2023:
Queer recent-exes working at an IKEA(ish) and being forced to search for an elderly customer who wandered into a wormhole in the store, traveling through fucked up alternate dimension IKEAs and coming to terms with the end of their relationship in the process? Hell yeah dude are you kidding?? This rules.
Edit: Bumping this to 5 stars because I simply cannot stop telling people to read it.
The only thing I have resembling a complaint about this book is that I wanted more of it. (Yes, I am gonna read the sequel.)
Not only is this book fun and inventive and wild, its emotional core is incredibly strong. The portrayals of neurodivergence and mental illness in this book resonated with me deeply at a time when I really needed it. The characters are two recent exes whose struggles with mental health clashed with one another in a way that made their relationship unsustainable. Their flaws and the ways they've screwed up are clearly displayed without painting either of them as bad or wrong. Basically, I think it gives them a level of grace that, in my experience, a lot of people dealing with these same issues (*cough* me) struggle to give themselves. That aspect of it struck a chord with me personally.
Plus you get some fantastic corporate workplace satire (I eat that shit up every time), and some wacky interdimensional IKEA hijinks. It's just so good.
March 2023:
Queer recent-exes working at an IKEA(ish) and being forced to search for an elderly customer who wandered into a wormhole in the store, traveling through fucked up alternate dimension IKEAs and coming to terms with the end of their relationship in the process? Hell yeah dude are you kidding?? This rules.
Edit: Bumping this to 5 stars because I simply cannot stop telling people to read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Transphobia
shadowspinner's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Minor: Racism
novella42's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism