kelley_beth's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A strong start to the new year. This was lovely. And so heart wrenching and I couldn’t put it down. The nuance of family relationships and the weight of expectations. It almost had an element of “murder mystery” that made you wonder if how Lydia died is how Lydia really died. But it’s mainly about the family dynamic and how hard and fraught those relationships can be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Racism, Sexism, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Abandonment
ptitirodactyle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Infidelity
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Homophobia, and Sexism
Minor: Outing and Death of parent
yxz2495's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
thebeedrix's review
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide and Violence
afion's review against another edition
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Infidelity, Grief, Violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, and Death
Moderate: Suicide, Bullying, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Rape, Body horror, and Death of parent
midnightmarauder's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
This book was a real page-turner for me. It was so hard to put it down! Every time I tried, I just kept picking it up and telling myself, "just one more chapter."
I liked how it explored each character's relationship with the protagonist and what lead up to her death. Though, there were a couple things that I didn't like:
Otherwise, the book was a great read. Celeste Ng really told this story well, even if the end was a bit lazy.
I liked how it explored each character's relationship with the protagonist and what lead up to her death. Though, there were a couple things that I didn't like:
Spoiler
Louisa's ending. The book wrote Louisa and James' affair ending as, "James never spoke to Louisa again." That didn't make sense to me, as she was his teaching assistant. Did he just go back to work after the summer ended and give her the cold shoulder the entire time until she got the hint and quit? Or did she get the hint before the summer was over and resign? Their affair was covered quite a bit in the book, so I found it strange that the author didn't give her a better ending. Another thing I didn't like was Jack's ending. The author made it clear that he had feelings for Nathan all this time, but never touched on them. Did he ever tell Nathan how he felt? Did he ever come out to anyone else? That was also never specified. After him and Nathan's fight, he's never mentioned again. I didn't like that.Otherwise, the book was a great read. Celeste Ng really told this story well, even if the end was a bit lazy.
Content Warnings
Minor: Xenophobia and Suicide
lknano's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
rushxsoubi's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Spoiler
The story hit home to me. Being the favorite child seems like everyones dream. Buy often you do things to please your parents even if you dont like it. Even if it makes you unhappy.I also understand the mothers view where she just wanted her daughter to succeed. Although she had a very specific definition of success. I also understand how she thought she was giving lydia a choice. But really she wasnt if tje result is her feelings being hurt. Its so much to put on a child.
However, I just thought that the plot was boring where I kept losing focus. Hence the lower rating.
Spoiler
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
quietlex's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I don’t know, I found this read pretty boring. The main struggles really all result from Marilyn running away, which in turn soiled her children’s relationships with each other and herself. The beloved middle child put on a pedestal, the eldest tolerated, and the youngest completely overlooked and forgotten. I enjoyed getting to know each character more, but there was so little to find out, in reality. It seems the reoccurring theme is running away: Overall, disappointing and predictable. You’re left with a hollow ending, like, “Welp, bad things happen, life goes on and then you die.”
Spoiler
Marilyn from her old life being a housewife instead of a doctor, James from constant racism and his sad wife who never seems satisfied with what he can offer, Nath from being at home and disappointing his parents, and Lydia from the crushing weight her parents put on her to be exactly what the other didn’t want, being popular/fitting in vs standing out/ being different. Lydia took on the responsibility of holding her parents relationship together, trying to be everything her mother wanted, as long as she wouldn’t abandon them again. Marilyn became obsessive once she lost her chance at medical school, forcing Lydia to become everything she wanted to be and more. I cannot believe the treatment of Hannah, the poor youngest. Literally and figuratively pushed away at every turn, just trying to find her place in the family and in the world. She is the magnum opus of the family, the one reason why Marilyn was forced to come back home, the one mistake that cost her her last chance of becoming a doctor. She is the real victim in the story. The infidelity is wrapped up rather hastily, with James swearing to never speak to Louisa again, making it seem like it was purely physical, like he was only cheating because his wife wasn’t putting out. There was so much more there, with her being the literal only other Asian in town, or baking handmade treats from James’s childhood. They had been close for so long, the emotional and sexual tension was downplayed a lot. And then the reveal of how Lydia actually died, I think sums up this book overall. Drawn out, not very exciting, just a bit of a let down.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Suicide, Abandonment, Body shaming, Injury/injury detail, Alcohol, Racism, Infidelity, and Death
salomee_felix_'s review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Suicide, Child death, Infidelity, Grief, and Toxic relationship