Reviews tagging 'Grief'

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

28 reviews

zoejjj's review

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

Okay obviously I cried like a baby I have three sisters and if I was put in a position like this I have no clue what I would’ve done!! The part where Anna is in the shower and Kate is talking to her, saying I can lose you as a sister but I couldn’t handle losing you as a friend? I was trying to do chores while listening this and was cryinggg!! 

Nobody in this book is hateable. Not even Sara. She is written as an incredibly driven woman who will stop at nothing to save her daughter. Unfortunately her other kids get forgotten in the process but she regrets, she makes it right. “This is her pond but my lily pads”? Shaving her head for Kate? Honestly Jesse got the wayyyy short end of the straw but he also almost killed someone.

The ending is… so so.

Spoiler

I wish Jodi would’ve committed to Kate dying. In the end, Anna’s choice was taken away from her AGAIN. Was the whole lawsuit pointless? Maybe! Sure it’s (possibly) realistic bc life does not care but this book isn’t meant to be realistic like that. The ending is out of left field for the topics this book is dealing with.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Car accident, Drug use, Grief, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Cancer, Child death, Terminal illness, Medical trauma, Drug abuse, and Blood

Minor: Sexual content and Vomit

houimk's review

emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness and Cancer

Moderate: Car accident and Medical trauma

Minor: Grief

maddi_sen13's review

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

2.25

This is one of the rare times a movie is better than its book.  The concept is good, but the execution fell flat.  The multiple point of view changes, only so we learn this tragic 15 year story of Julia and Campbell, adds nothing to the story.  If you took their b plot out, the story wouldn’t have been effected.  The most interesting character to me was Jesse, and even his own points of view don’t center on him.  There was so many chunks of the story that was unnecessary.  

The whole story felt way longer than necessary.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, and Cancer

Moderate: Blood, Suicide, and Vomit

obsessor_of_books's review

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Vomit, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Grief, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Suicide attempt, and Terminal illness

mirandyli's review against another edition

emotional informative 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? It's complicated

2.5

This is a pretty sad but unrealistic book that nevertheless brings up some interesting ethical questions.

Spoiler

Anna is her sister Kate's "savior sister," meaning she was born to specifically as a genetic match for her sister, who has leukemia. Anna is now 13, and needs to donate a kidney in order to save Kate's life. Kate tells her she doesn't want to live anymore in a twist at the end, but Anna dies anyway in a car crash and is pronounced brain dead, donating the kidney before she dies. Pretty unrealistic story, but sad and thought-provoking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Grief, Terminal illness, Car accident, and Cancer

jenna_justi2004's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny hopeful informative sad tense medium-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, Child death, Death, Drug use, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Body horror, Car accident, Blood, Cancer, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Vomit, Grief, and Medical content

thebowandthebook's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

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

3.25

Hard book. Difficult subject. Handled okay, but found the subplots very meh, and dramatized. 

Spoiler

irritated with how Jess's misdeeds were handled, and the graphic picture of his braces was disturbing. In addition, the sexual subplot with Campbell and Julia annoyed me, it became less about the case and more aggressive sexual tension. Lastly, how Campbell didn't seem to have any remorse for the accident, no apologies, just oh yeah she'd want to donate her kidney... didn't seem realistic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Car accident, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Death, Grief, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

bethanyhacquoil's review

emotional sad slow-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Car accident, Self harm, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, Chronic illness, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Alcoholism

jillgoober's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

• 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

3.0

I can't say much about my thoughts on this book without spoiling it. Just know that if you've seen the film, you are in for a big surprise ending. I've decided that overall this was a good novel but I (unpopular opinion possibly) much prefer the film ending to the book ending. I was so floored at the absurdity that is the book ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Terminal illness, Car accident, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Child death, Chronic illness, and Medical content

Moderate: Ableism

sanjana_the_book_station's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Cancer, Grief, Murder, Child death, and Chronic illness

Minor: Suicide attempt, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts