Reviews with content warning for Abandonment - I Could Live Here Forever

Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

I Could Live Here Forever by Hanna Halperin

10 reviews

henriettaenam's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.0

Feels really autobiographical to me
Very sad book
I had hoped Charlie would get better
It did seem like he desperately wanted to get better just like everyone in his family seem to want him to be

I don’t see the relevance of Leah’s MFA group but I guess that’s just to show she had some sort of life

Also the part about her mother felt flat
Unless it’s to somehow point to a factor in her brokenness
That trace and meet part too seemed like some closure was planned for but that too did not seem tied to any relevant end for me

Her family; I don’t know what exactly they’re ; supportive or otherwise; it seems undecided

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caitlynes91's review against another edition

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

3.25

I thought I’d like this a lot more than I did but I can’t put my finger on why 🤔

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c410berry's review against another edition

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4.25

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thebooklooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? Yes

5.0

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ukponge's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-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? No

4.25

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muddymind's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.75

I found this reads more like a memoir, (akin to Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton, especially.) and not a work of fiction. I’m not sure how autobiographical this story is but the structure seems awkward for a novel. If it was a memoir looking back at the authors life, I would be more inclined to ignore this books faults but there’s a lot that didn’t work for me. Firstly, the writing was elementary and lazy at times. Secondly, I had no real sense of who Leah was because any attempt at fleshing her out was too direct. Also the love story seemed impersonal, like it was told from a distance even when we as readers were in the middle of supposed heartwarming, love building moments.
Most importantly, Charlie was reduced to simply & solely an addict. There were no attempts to give any context to his character or his fight for sobriety. The language around his addiction is outdated for a book that came out so recently- referring to him as an addict instead of a person with an addiction. Leah blamed all her unhappiness on Charlie & his illness but never really took accountability for her flaws or how she aided in her own suffering. I’ve read my fair share of chaotic, depressed female characters but Leah did not have the same honesty or self awareness to make the story work. I don’t need a perfect ending, for the characters to make some huge life altering change in the way of self betterment but girl come on… go to therapy !!

if this is based on real life, rip Charlie. Hope you’re not hurting anymore

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