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bonnie3088's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
It has many layers on how interconnected a person's identifiers are to how thwy are treated in the US.
This book offers a great commentary on women, racism, and class issues pertaining to Healthcare.
A lot of the reviews on this book seem harsh, and I am here to stand on the premise that they are either not fully digesting the information or choose to critique with a distorted lens just because they can.
I loved how creepy and detailed the scenes were. Especially how the narrative shifts based on the MC own mental state. The whole book felt like a fever dream which is the point. The constant guessing was balanced by the MC's mother who stood as the grounding force for the whole piece.
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Drug use, Terminal illness, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Classism
_egg_wash's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Chronic illness and Medical trauma
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Excrement, and Vomit
snazzy10101's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Slavery, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
kylieqrada's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Medical content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Body horror, Cancer, and Chronic illness
haileyhardcover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Dementia, Stalking, and Death of parent
Minor: Trafficking and Alcohol
brotestantethic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
What fell just short for me was the main character Lena’s personality and stakes. She has high stakes for sure, but they are not built in a convincing way before plummeting into the horrors. Lena’s personality blossoms in the second act, consisting of letters written to her best friend Tanya; here, we get a hazy first person account of her journey. This section is full of personality, with words and grammar slipping into a diabolical haze of sickness and poor memory. This bit was, I will say, extremely hard to follow. But the heart is there, and the
Graphic: Chronic illness, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Medical trauma, and Murder
mudlizard's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug use, Gun violence, Racism, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror, Terminal illness, and Torture
Minor: Cancer
balladofreadingqueer'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? No
4.0
It addresses themes of racism, family, poverty and friendship. It does not have a satisfying ending unfortunately, I wish that it had ended with a more clear description of what had happened.
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, and Blood
alchamp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Racism, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Gaslighting
elskabee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I won't say the vibes were strong with this one contrary to many reviews I've read. Rather it feels like reading a really dry daily journal of someone listing all the things they do each day. There are moments of stronger tension as the character questions why they're participating in the Lakewood program, but they are just moments.
Still, I think it's an interesting and valuable book, hence why I gave it 4 stars. It's hard to categorise because it's firmly set in reality (aside from a few tests that are probably not) so to call it dystopian is to call our current reality dystopian. Maybe that's the point, idk.
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, and Gore