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lexie_b29's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Grief
The anxiety rep in this book is centred around fear of dying, disease and loss of loved ones. The MC ruminates a lot on her anxieties about dying. If this is a trigger for you or something you also deal with, then read with care.themichellegray'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? Yes
5.0
Set in an area I grew up frequenting, this book explored themes immortality while also focusing on grief and mental health after losing a loved one to cancer. The writing was gut wrenchingly authentic but also balanced with just the right amount of humor and magical realism. AND it was super inclusive too!
Truly, I can't recommend this book enough and it became an instant favorite within the first 20 pages!
Graphic: Cancer, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, and Grief
Moderate: Death and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Homophobia
natutop1a's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
onceuponabookcase's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.0
I did love the representation of anxiety, though. Lottie has panic attacks and spiraling thoughts - particularly about death and dying, fixating on researching different deaths, though this is off page - and as someone with anxiety, I really appreciated how well done this was. Her anxiety at times could be completely overwhelming, but it also showed that it's not all-consuming, too, even if it is pretty constant. I loved that. It was also a diverse story in other ways; Lottie and Abe are half Peruvian, and Lottie's best friend, Em, is lesbian.
I adored how Helen was an author. She was a famous author of a series of well-loved children's fantasy books. While Lottie and her family mourned the death of their aunt/sister/sister-in-law, so the world mourned a beloved author whose books meant so much to them. Everything All at Once includes extracts from Helen's Alvin Hatter series, with each extract relating somewhat to either what Helen was going to tell Lottie to do next, or what Lottie feels/experiences while doing that next thing. I was actually really intrigued by the whole Alvin Hatter series, and wish the series actually existed. It also really hurt to read about all these people mourning this beloved author whose children's fantasy books meant so much to them as they grew up, and how I'm not going to get that. It's really bloody difficult not to make comparisons to a real life famous author of a beloved children's fantasy series, but that author is so awful, and has ruined so much for me on top of all the harm she's caused others. I won't actually mourn for her when she dies the way the people in this book mourn for Helen, and it brought up all kinds of emotions while reading this book. But that's for a completely different post.
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Death
Minor: Cancer and Suicidal thoughts
karlybug's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
In reality there were a hundred meanings to life, and they were all true for different people, they were all valid for their own confusing reasons.
It took me a while to get through, but I really enjoyed the premise. When I started to figure out where we were headed (somewhat early; put the pieces together, Lottie, jeez!) I wasn’t sure how I felt about it and that remains true after finishing the book.
This gets three stars because although I enjoyed the story & concept and I mostly liked the characters, I think I just don’t prefer Leno’s writing style. There were several sentences that felt clunky, dialogue that didn’t feel authentic, etc. Though I made sure to capture the few phrases I really liked before returning this to the library. I liked matching up the chapters of Alvin books with the letters, but I had trouble with Abe & Lottie over-explaining what a reference is instead of just making them. But mega points for a realistic portrayal of anxiety & grief. So a worthwhile read. ⭐️🌟⭐️
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, and Grief
Minor: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Suicidal thoughts
typedtruths's review against another edition
2.0
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Suicide
Queermisia (sc), child abuse (sc), anxiety, panic & anxiety attacks (on-page), grief-related depression, suicide mentioned, alcohol consumption, terminal cancer (theme), hospital, emesis mentioned, grief depiction (theme), death of an aunt, sister & friend, death by a fall, and drowning mentioned.