Scan barcode
jaydeecepticon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Death, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia and Alcohol
jdamae11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Here’s some of what didn’t work for me, light spoiler territory ahead so proceed with caution!! I haven’t star rated books in a MINUTE but if I had to frame it that way, this book had lost a star and a half from me b/c of some of this:
Using William as one of the main protagonist POVs didn’t work too well for me as a framing device, I found myself always wanting to be back in the sisters’ heads. At a certain point, I admittedly found him to be quite draining (not as a result of his mental health breakdown, rather as a result of him seemingly using that to absolve himself of responsibility for how his actions affected others). Re: William’s mental health overall - I don’t know if I like how I felt it was used as a device later in the book, almost like it could be leveraged to brush off some of his really harmful, continuous decisions without an acknowledgment of the results of those or any self-accountability for the character. Basically William at one point is like ‘I know I destroyed this family & keep leaving my daughter with awful abandonment issues’..& then just keeps being coddled & refuses to do anything about it. This I guess is what makes him feel so dang real as a character, but sometimes it leaned in a way that made me think I was supposed to be ‘poor William’ boo-hooing as well. There were also a few moments in the book when things seemed to just conveniently fall into place for the characters’ benefit that didn’t feel natural or earned - eg William & Kent both getting lucrative pro sports jobs AND at the same team, like cmon. My big ick with this was that a man—William—could absolutely destroy what is painted as an impenetrable bond between 2 of the sisters, & ultimately all of the women of this family. My not nice version of this is that William ain’t sh*t. Julia is for sure a Capricorn & came with the coldness, but she did not deserve to be played so bad the way she was. She was a lil too relatable for me, as was Sylvie, which if you’ve read the book, is hilarious & makes me basically a walking contradiction (true)
Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Religious bigotry
dizzymisslizzy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia
caitgiam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Abandonment
Moderate: Cancer, Mental illness, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and Homophobia
lillieb130's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Homophobia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Body shaming, Infertility, Terminal illness, Medical content, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The book is an homage to Little Women, which I have not read (I should), so I cannot speak about how it functions as a homage.
I'm going to be honest, I was hoping the book wouldn't hook me because I was running out of time before my library due date. I found myself spellbound by the characters, who are rich and complex, but Julia can be abrasive due to her bossiness and
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
-A major character is depressed, and this is a major focus. Another one might have an anxiety issue. -A major character has a sister that died in childhood. -Some major characters have generational trauma caused by parental neglect. -A major characters' father dies and affects the family. -A few characters get disowned as adults. -A major character is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor. -A major character attempts suicide. This is a big plot point. -Major characters' father is an alcoholic. Some mentions of drinking. -Some mentions of a girl getting bullied for being tall. -References to characters having sex and getting pregnant. -Some mentions of two supporting characters facing minor discrimination for being lesbians.amandaredinger's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia and Abandonment
jadeneedy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism, Homophobia, and Death of parent
rosegoldeen3's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
hannah_book's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child death and Homophobia