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sophie______a's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
sozzlec85's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Suicide
mamabex's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Sexual harassment
Minor: Pedophilia
roro_roro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, and Sexual assault
ksamaine95's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I give this rating because I can’t imagine how hard it was to write about something so controversial, triggering, and nuanced. This is how you use your pen to inform, confront and create space for difficult real life topics. not demonized, not romanticized.
I would not say this made me question my morals or force me to “see both sides”. It did shine a light on the harsh extremes we put on delicate and devastating situations.
As a story by itself I would give
2 ⭐️⭐️
I found the characters deeply irritating. I think the mother and father had to be rigid in their roles and stances for this to work. As someone as in the mental health field, I wasn’t triggered by the content as much as I was internally at war with my professional brains and my human/gut reactions to the characters & their responses.
I spent the last three chapters repeating “girl — hell no!” I think the twist was necessary. I called it early but felt maybe that would be too obvious. I’m glad it was not what I was bracing myself for.
I’ll probably sit with this one for a bit before reading more by Dr. LB.
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
domspinon_'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
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Murder
chrissiejohns24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
katieschramp'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
3.0
I found the mother almost unbearable in her outlook on the world. I think early on it felt preachy about the virtue of being a stay at home mom and having no identity other than being a mother. To each their own, but that is not relatable nor is it an enjoyable perspective to read for me. The early virtue signaling made it difficult for me to really buy into the emotional turmoil the mother faces as the book progresses.
Noah's perspective was interesting and his relationships felt real and engaging to me.
I think the final "Him (Now)" chapter was unnecessary and kind of felt like a cop out to make Noah seem not so bad- like it wasn't his fault. It almost felt like it took away a lot of the agency Noah builds throughout the book in facing the consequences and reality of his actions and feelings.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
I would just genuinely warn that if you can't handle an entire book centered around a character that molested young girls, you should stay far away from this book.kazzarreads'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
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
melissam802's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicide, Vomit, and Suicide attempt