Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

54 reviews

shadowsandspells's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

3.0

While *All the Ugly and Wonderful Things* tackles some heavy and thought-provoking themes, I found the pacing a bit sluggish, and at times, the narrative felt long-winded. The story of Wavy and Kellen is undoubtedly unconventional, and Greenwood delves into difficult moral gray areas with a raw, unfiltered lens. However, the book dragged in places, making it feel more like a slow burn that never fully ignited.

Wavy’s perspective, while unique and emotionally stirring, didn’t always hold my attention. The multiple points of view often made the story feel disjointed, which contributed to the overall sense of it being drawn out. While the character development is strong, the plot progression felt bogged down by the excessive detail, which made some sections feel more tedious than captivating.

That said, Greenwood's writing is beautiful in places, and the novel does touch on important topics like trauma, family dysfunction, and unconventional love. It's just that for me, the pacing made it hard to stay fully invested throughout. If you enjoy slow, introspective reads, you might connect with this more than I did.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, and Abandonment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Death of parent

Minor: Death, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide

ida23's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• 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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual violence

klasco94's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment

sthurma22's review against another edition

challenging dark sad fast-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

3.0

The authors note helped me understand the dynamics and reasoning for the story, but I still don’t feel like parts of it were necessary. The ending is bittersweet 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Suicidal thoughts

carolinereadsalot's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

This book is wild!! Such conflicting feelings about it but also couldn’t put it down. Read in a day! Read with an open mind and a lot of tissues. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

lauragracel's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Drug abuse

Moderate: Gun violence, Pedophilia, and Sexual violence

amandalachelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

kkrebo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

This honestly was a really tough read for me. :(

I love the writing and concept but the pedophila was too much for me. While I get that Wavy and Kellen’s relationship is supposed to supersede the taboo because their love is true - I couldn’t get past it. I truly loved the concept and themes but I just couldn’t get over it sorry!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

brtvajes1's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Sexual content

mallorygoldsmith's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Abandonment

Minor: Gun violence