taysbooktalk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Hate crime, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Alcohol, Body shaming, Car accident, Eating disorder, Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, Rape, Suicide, Torture, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Cultural appropriation, Toxic relationship, Fatphobia, Grief, Physical abuse, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, and Vomit
petit_lecteur's review
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Kidnapping, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Racial slurs, Alcoholism, Classism, Racism, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Self harm, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Panic attacks/disorders
janienejulia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Child abuse, Suicide, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Racism, Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, and Panic attacks/disorders
bonnie_xx'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? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Racism and Self harm
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
alliecrosson203's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Injury/injury detail, Grief, Confinement, Infidelity, and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment and Addiction
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Drug abuse, Death, Rape, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, and Drug use
ynotlime's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Child abuse, Grief, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Racial slurs, Infidelity, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Domestic abuse, Death, Confinement, Bullying, Body shaming, Stalking, Sexual content, Sexism, Self harm, Injury/injury detail, Gaslighting, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Classism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, Mental illness, Kidnapping, Violence, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Misogyny
jlautry'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? Yes
4.0
It’s a bit of a dystopian novel and really highlights the pressures that mothers face in society. The author had an incredible way of making you feel sorry for the characters, but also very much disliking them. None of the characters are loveable, and most are not hateable either. This takes an Animal Farm approach to child protective services and other related government agencies. Even though this is a dystopian setting, much of what happened has already happened to mothers and it’s tragic to say the least.
Towards the end, I found myself skimming pages and skipping paragraphs. I felt like it went just a little too long before getting to the conclusion of the story. It could have been about 40 pages shorter.
Overall, this book was unexpectedly a win for me. It also happened to coincide with some events that caused this to hit close to home, so it was a little extra emotional for me. I think it is definitely worth the read.
A single lapse in judgement by a mom stretched impossibly thin lands her in a government reform program she must complete and pass in order to get her daughter back. Any mom that’s ever had a terrible day at her wits end will be able to relate and sympathize with Frida, while also judging her with a hard side eye.
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
Minor: Racism and Racial slurs
ressicajicks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Death, Eating disorder, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Grief, Sexual content, Cancer, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
laynemandros's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Child death, Forced institutionalization, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Ableism, Child abuse, Classism, Confinement, Gaslighting, Grief, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy
literarylion'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? Yes
4.5
Pros:
- amazing speculation and world-building around a possible not-too-distant future; Frida's situation felt scary in a very real way
- incredible emotion and character establishment; I was invested from beginning to end
- strong examination of important social issues without feeling didactic or hitting the reader over the head with it
- Great tension-building pacing
Cons:
- I found the romance between Frida and Tucker a bit unnecessary to the story
Graphic: Confinement, Child abuse, Child death, Classism, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Alcohol and Blood