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emilyacv's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
This was a slow burn for me. I found the plot very interesting - it’s about a 13 year old girl, Anna, who files for medical emancipation from her parents after she has undergone countless surgeries and transfusions to help her sister who has leukaemia. Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for her sister and so the book deals with impossible choices and the case unfolds as a true lose/lose situation. I think I’m just not a fan of Jodi Picoult’s style of telling stories from so many different perspectives… we have a total of 6 narrators throughout this book, and I just find it takes me out of it and slows down the pace with the constant changes. This was looking like a 3 star read for me until we got to the last 1/4 of the book and the ending… the ending got me good. I also love stories from the perspective of children, and I found that Anna was portrayed in a very thoughtful way. By the end of the book, I think all of the characters are well-flushed out and it definitely leaves me with lots to think on. If the shifting perspectives doesn’t drive you mad, it’s definitely worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Blood, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
bubblybelle's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
man, i was really looking forward to this book and it was honestly a big let down. don’t get me wrong, there were parts of it that were very interesting and very impactful, but a lot of it just felt like it dragged.
the characters internal monologues were often confusing and hard to follow. a lot of the metaphors felt very repetitive. and then the ending. don’t get me started on the ending!!! it completely came out of left field and for what!!!my biggest frustration with the ending truly was that we spent the WHOLE BOOK building up anna’s autonomy and sense of self, and then in the end it was ripped away from her anyway. in the end she didn’t get to be anything more than a donor. it was supposed to be anna’s story and yet it still turned around to be about her sister. not to mention the fact that it went against kate’s wishes!! and kate’s doctor’s orders!!! ugh
finally, the love story between campbell and julia was just frankly an unnecessary subplot that left a lot to be desired
the characters internal monologues were often confusing and hard to follow. a lot of the metaphors felt very repetitive. and then the ending. don’t get me started on the ending!!! it completely came out of left field and for what!!!
finally, the love story between campbell and julia was just frankly an unnecessary subplot that left a lot to be desired
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide attempt and Pregnancy
pewterwolf's review against another edition
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is one of those books where it feels like every one has either read or know the vague outline of. And the author of this is one of those authors that I have been meaning to read for YEARS, but I keep putting off due to the Hype Monster that surround them and their novels.
this is very much not my typical go-to read.
And yet, I found this quite a compelling read. Even though it took me a few weeks to read (mainly because I was focused on other things so reading took a back seat), I kept coming back to this messy family drama and these quite unlikeable characters. Ok, mainly unlikeable is the wrong word. Flawed and selfish.
The parents are so focused on her ill child, they forget about their other children (the mother more than the father). The eldest son is forgotten and considered a disappointment by his parents so he acts out. Anna feels like she has no voice or choice, but is uncertain over her choices and Kate who wants some control over her life but is unable to due to her illness.
I think that, yes, even though these characters are really flawed and make/do quite unlikeable things, I found them really interesting to read as, yes, they are flawed and make some really questionable decisions, but you see where they are all coming from.
It’s a nice relief to have Anna’s lawyer, Campbell, and Julia, the court appointed Guardian ad litem storyline running alongside. We have Campbell who has a service dog but we don’t know where and we have Campbell and Julia having a teen romance, but Julia (and the reader) don’t know why Campbell
ended it.
So, as you guess, I did like it. I didn’t love it, but I think that’s because I was on my guard with it. You see, I knew that the movie adaptation of this was changed and, even though I haven’t seen the film, I knew what the ending was changed from so I knew where this was going so I couldn’t invest in these characters like I should have. But would I have liked this twist in the tale had I not known? I have no idea. I would be shocked and I think I would have been very annoyed/angry over it.
And yes, I was very aware that this book was trying to emotionally-manipulate me on multiply occasions.
While I’m not sure if this book deserves all the attention that it has received, I am glad I have finally got round to reading it and I do plan to read more Jodi Picoult in the coming months (I have my eye on either Nineteen Minutes, Small Great Things or A Spark of Light, but we shall see where I go next…)
this is very much not my typical go-to read.
And yet, I found this quite a compelling read. Even though it took me a few weeks to read (mainly because I was focused on other things so reading took a back seat), I kept coming back to this messy family drama and these quite unlikeable characters. Ok, mainly unlikeable is the wrong word. Flawed and selfish.
The parents are so focused on her ill child, they forget about their other children (the mother more than the father). The eldest son is forgotten and considered a disappointment by his parents so he acts out. Anna feels like she has no voice or choice, but is uncertain over her choices and Kate who wants some control over her life but is unable to due to her illness.
I think that, yes, even though these characters are really flawed and make/do quite unlikeable things, I found them really interesting to read as, yes, they are flawed and make some really questionable decisions, but you see where they are all coming from.
It’s a nice relief to have Anna’s lawyer, Campbell, and Julia, the court appointed Guardian ad litem storyline running alongside. We have Campbell who has a service dog but we don’t know where and we have Campbell and Julia having a teen romance, but Julia (and the reader) don’t know why Campbell
ended it.
So, as you guess, I did like it. I didn’t love it, but I think that’s because I was on my guard with it. You see, I knew that the movie adaptation of this was changed and, even though I haven’t seen the film, I knew what the ending was changed from so I knew where this was going so I couldn’t invest in these characters like I should have. But would I have liked this twist in the tale had I not known? I have no idea. I would be shocked and I think I would have been very annoyed/angry over it.
And yes, I was very aware that this book was trying to emotionally-manipulate me on multiply occasions.
While I’m not sure if this book deserves all the attention that it has received, I am glad I have finally got round to reading it and I do plan to read more Jodi Picoult in the coming months (I have my eye on either Nineteen Minutes, Small Great Things or A Spark of Light, but we shall see where I go next…)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
bekacrook's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
What a hard hitting, emotional book. The characters were all flawed but genuine, they felt like they could be real people just stuck with an unfortunate lot in life. It was easy to understand where they each got their perspective on the court case and the way the author often dipped into their pasts while in their points of view really showed what key moments shaped them individually and as a family.
At times it was a hard read, there were so many feelings involved for all the characters, so many secrets and misunderstandings and lack of communication between characters in an effort to save them from more pain.
The ending absolutely gutted me, it differs from the film but ultimately I think it hits harder. It feels unfair and devasting and more in keeping with the unpredictable nature of life and peoples lives. It genuinely made me cry and gasp in shock. The timing of it was so effective but god, it was horrible. It felt like the whole story was for nothing.
The only bit that I wasn't the biggest fan of was the jumping between perspectives, different times and locations for all of them. Sometimes this made it hard to keep track and keep immersed in the story because you kept leaping to learn about it from another perspective. It was effective but just sometimes tricky to keep up.
At times it was a hard read, there were so many feelings involved for all the characters, so many secrets and misunderstandings and lack of communication between characters in an effort to save them from more pain.
The ending absolutely gutted me, it differs from the film but ultimately I think it hits harder. It feels unfair and devasting and more in keeping with the unpredictable nature of life and peoples lives. It genuinely made me cry and gasp in shock. The timing of it was so effective but god, it was horrible. It felt like the whole story was for nothing.
The only bit that I wasn't the biggest fan of was the jumping between perspectives, different times and locations for all of them. Sometimes this made it hard to keep track and keep immersed in the story because you kept leaping to learn about it from another perspective. It was effective but just sometimes tricky to keep up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Blood, and Medical trauma
Minor: Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
amydeppe's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Medical content, and Car accident
Moderate: Child death, Drug abuse, and Medical trauma
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
fernash's review
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Blood, Car accident, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Pedophilia tag for mention in joke, no pedophilia actually occurs.naudemila_8's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Suicide attempt
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
giddy77's review
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
Very interesting book. Huge page turner. The ending felt like it was making something happen for the sake of making something happen though.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide attempt
blankpageben's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
This book broke me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
slaywithsteph's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
I knew I was gonna cry, and I did, and my heart is broken.
If you liked the movie, you’ll like this, too. The movie cut out a lot about the characters.
If you liked the movie, you’ll like this, too. The movie cut out a lot about the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism