Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Hurricane Girl by Marcy Dermansky

4 reviews

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

(adjusted from 4 to 4.25)
the writing style was alright, like why don't characters use contractions in dialogue. that's so weird. but i loved the main character. she just wanted to swim and that's it. me too girlie. i wish there was more at the end though, like a confirmation that

she wasn't pregnant

.
also Fleabag reference. we stay winning

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Death, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

rachaelwho's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Another "comedy" I didn't find remotely funny, I can't seem to get away from it-- maybe it's me. I found this one very smart, clever even, but not funny. It was moving, but it felt pretty awful. The voice actress did an excellent job of performing Allison's confusion and sensory overwhelm, it felt visceral. I have a lot of sensitivity to sound, so I really felt those passages. I felt so much tension and anxiety at so many moments, particularly when she held the baby. Processing her experience, deciding how she felt about what various people did to her and what it might mean for those relationships, second-guessing her decisions and the placement of her trust or consent... It was a lot.
I initially was going to give this book 4-point-something, but realized that while it wasn't my personal favorite ever, there's really nothing I would change, so it gets all five. Very worthwhile read, but to me, very challenging and emotional. I'm still thinking about it and I might read this one again someday, I think.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, and Alcohol

Minor: Death of parent and Toxic friendship

librosdenopal's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

a funny, poignant and subtle comment on the shock that comes with grief and mourning a loved one. i wasn't expecting it to be so sad but also really, terribly funny. "i have my health..." 

it does feel like the book just started in terms of growth as the ending got closer. i was hoping for a stronger finish.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship

suzyreadsbooks's review against another edition

dark funny tense fast-paced

3.0

gifted to me by knopf!
a good beach read. it really hits the ground running. weird, choppy, propulsive despite the lulls in plot. really funny moments, really tender moments about grief and family, lots of ridiculousness. you can easily breeze through it all, even the parts veering on horror, because Allison’s narration jumps all over the place due to her very recent brain injury. 

but i am tired of authors deciding to prove a character’s unlikeability by having them make random microaggressions! and let's stop using mental illness as the antagonist’s motivations!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use and Racism

Minor: Suicidal thoughts