Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

Bullet Review:

Did you ever wanna read about how a rapist grooms his child victim and how it would have been totes okay for him to marry his barely 14-year old victim if only it wasn't for her pesky aunt calling in the authorities and working diligently (at the expense of her marriage!) to get him incarcerated?

If you thought "Lolita" was a horrible book because of the way it "glorified" Humbert's fucked up perception of Dolores, then avoid this like the plague. Because instead of playing Kellan's predatory behavior as what it is, it's considered twoo WUB.

Despicable. I don't need to read statutory rape apologism. Sad because the writing and the way the author creates characters is exemplary.

Also, given the author's backstory, this reads as a book written to justify the abuses that were done to her.

Lastly: they may not have had penis-in-vagina sex when she was barely 14, but Kellan fingered her. That's still sex in my book and for many other couples (such as lesbian couples).

ETA: Leaving a couple of recent articles here for good measure:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/us/politics/roy-moore-alabama-senate.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/30/theater/kevin-spacey-gay-anthony-rapp.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2017/10/05/rose-mcgowan-calls-hollywood-complicit-after-harvey-weinstein-allegations-surface/737198001/

http://time.com/5015204/harvey-weinstein-scandal/

These are the PUBLIC ones. Many more stories of adult men grooming children and/or sexually harassing children are out there.

Content Warnings

katiemcmahon's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

lashawnwiltz's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-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

4.0

I have no idea how to review this book.

Wavy, our female main character is just too young for what life has dealt her. And you feel for her through everything that happens to her.

But her view of everything is colored by her trauma and her age.

The trigger warnings that go with this book should determine if you pick it up or not.

But if you decide to, I will say it was emotional, compelling, beautifully written and disturbing all at the same time.

Everyone in this book is broken. Broken people tend to do ..broken things.

NOT to excuse anything that happens in this book.

There were parts of the book where I was disgusted and disturbed and then there were parts of the book where I was like...well this is beautifully sad.

And it's hard to reconcile those parts and give a rating for this book.

It won't be and shouldn't be for everyone.

Please read the trigger warnings if you decide to give this book a chance.

in the end, I think im going to rate this a 4. Because only good writing can make you feel so many emotions in one book.

Content Warnings

erinbischof13's review against another edition

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dark emotional 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

3.0

All The Ugly and Wonderful Things review ✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️

OK. I feel like there’s so much to say here, yet not enough. At first, I was absolutely not into this book. It was morally questionable yet so realistic and can really put different childhood in perspective. With 10+ POVS I found it hard to follow at times but honestly, by the end I was sympathizing with the FMC and it really tied her “life” all together.

The writing and the style though.. Bryn Greenwood is a genius. The fact that every single POV read as if they were different people in the way it was written it was amazing. You could almost imagine being a fly on the wall during the conversations and hear the slang in every voice.

I rated this book 3 stars because I feel like I’m unsure of how I actually feel about it. Some would say I’m still.. processing 😂

Definitely a book with trigger warnings so please look into that if you’re thinking of reading it.

Content Warnings

mariellyreads76689's review against another edition

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it was too much, Kellen was talking to wavy like she’s his girlfriend. He called her his “ bike b*tch “ and I didn’t like that. It was soooo weird how he talked about her, it made me very uncomfortable. I had such high hopes for this book, maybe I couldn’t finish it because I either couldn’t relate to it , or I’m sensitive🤷🏻‍♀️. Anyway I will never touch or look at this book ever again! Thank you.

Content Warnings

amandalachelle's review against another edition

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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

Content Warnings

erica_reads01's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

My immediate reaction when I finished this book was that I don’t know how I feel. The story was beautifully written but it’s a horrible, traumatic story. There are multiple point of views which help to articulate how the two main characters feel and how others perceive them and the situation. You feel sympathy for people you don’t want to sympathize with and I think there’s an unnecessary level of shock value. It’s highly controversial and it didn’t have to be, but I’ll certainly be thinking about it for a while. And it gets people talking about it whether they’re defending or criticizing it. It’s not a love story. But it could have been. And I would have loved it if it were. In many ways I think the story could have been beautiful and uplifting if it were about a girl and a boy of similar age in similar life circumstance.

I would have loved the ending if that were the case. Instead when Kellen and Wavy end up together, part of me wanted them to go their separate ways. I think realistically they would have never lasted. Kellen is described as slow and uneducated. He’s rough and likes to fight and doesn’t think much about his actions. He’s described like a boy personality wise and physically portrayed like a big scary man. But he doesn’t grow up, and in the end Wavy does grow. What happens when she outgrows him? Will she ever? Or will she feel bonded by the trauma they endured? Did he prevent her from living a better life and meeting people her own age or were her home circumstances so messed up that she would have never gotten out? Could something worse have happened to her if he didn’t step in? Did he help her or hurt her? He did both.

This is not an age gap romance. This is not a happy love story. This is about a girl who’s had a really tough life and the people who either take advantage of her or try to help her. Her aunt was portrayed like a villain for the way in which she tried to help. She was an antagonist but her opinions and feelings on their inappropriate relationship was probably the only realistic one. I don’t think the time period or the circumstances justify what kellen does. Wavy wasn’t mature for her age. Parentification forced her to grow up and care for others in a way no child should have to. And she was a child. In the end I felt such a strong emotional connection to her and wanted her and her brother to find happiness. I couldn’t put this book down. I read it in less than two days but I’ll be thinking about it a lot longer.

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