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moserk's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
3.5
Love the premise - YA read with big themes and their intersectionality:
- immigrants/immigration
- LGBTQIA identities and their acceptance/lack thereof
- familial roles
- medical/healthcare ethics,
but execution fell short of my high hopes + left me wanting more. That said, really happy to know this exists in YA.
The pace felt rushed - just 50 more pages to shed more light, please! And some pieces really lacked clarity - although, maybe some of this is due to the focus on character/topic diversity, which again, I much appreciated. I (literally) felt like this story was all over the place - couldn't keep our location sequence sorted.
Worth noting: I had both a physical and audio copy of this and understood better during my physical chapters. At first I thought the detail disconnect was a symptom of my audio portions, but a quick peek at other reviews tells me that I'm not alone here.
The pace felt rushed - just 50 more pages to shed more light, please! And some pieces really lacked clarity - although, maybe some of this is due to the focus on character/topic diversity, which again, I much appreciated. I (literally) felt like this story was all over the place - couldn't keep our location sequence sorted.
Worth noting: I had both a physical and audio copy of this and understood better during my physical chapters. At first I thought the detail disconnect was a symptom of my audio portions, but a quick peek at other reviews tells me that I'm not alone here.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Lesbophobia
hobbithopeful's review
dark
emotional
sad
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? No
4.5
Would you take on someone else's pain and grief for a chance at a better life?
Marisol has little choice to do otherwise when she agrees to be a part of an experiment in exchange for safety for her and her sister. As the experiment progresses the burden of pain soon becomes overbearing, but she can't help but grow closer and closer to Rey, even though when she touches her the pain is all consuming.
A very real look at how immigrants are treated, this book was heartfelt, real, and full of grief. I do wish it was a bit longer, I still had so many questions, or maybe I just wasn't ready to leave these characters yet. I was afraid this was going to be a very heavy read, and while it does have pockets of sadness, it was nothing too difficult or graphic for me to get through.
It's very easy to forget the privilege we have for being in America, as bad as events and people here can be, there are countless others who works themselves to the bone and risk everything to come here.
I highly recommend this book.
Marisol has little choice to do otherwise when she agrees to be a part of an experiment in exchange for safety for her and her sister. As the experiment progresses the burden of pain soon becomes overbearing, but she can't help but grow closer and closer to Rey, even though when she touches her the pain is all consuming.
A very real look at how immigrants are treated, this book was heartfelt, real, and full of grief. I do wish it was a bit longer, I still had so many questions, or maybe I just wasn't ready to leave these characters yet. I was afraid this was going to be a very heavy read, and while it does have pockets of sadness, it was nothing too difficult or graphic for me to get through.
It's very easy to forget the privilege we have for being in America, as bad as events and people here can be, there are countless others who works themselves to the bone and risk everything to come here.
I highly recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Xenophobia, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual violence and Sexual harassment
Minor: Bullying, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
vampire_burrito's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
3.5
I spent the majority of this book feeling aggressively neutral about it, however I did really like some parts towards the end talking about Marisol's grief/depression. I think I enjoyed the relationship between the two main girls. I liked the parts where they were connecting over their shared love of some old Gilmore Girls-esque show, I thought that was very sweet but on the other hand I wasn't convinced that they would have come to care that deeply for each other in under a month. The other thing I wasn't too sure about was the whole "experiment". I'm not convinced that it was legal and the whole thing felt a bit underdeveloped, which is unfortunate because it's what the entire book is about. I was interested in the commentary that it was supposed to be provided on human experimentation and the way immigrant bodies were used in this program, but I think the book could have gone a little bit deeper (the same things go for all the themes present).That being said, I did enjoy reading about the relationship between Marisol and her younger sister (always love a sibling relationship especially when the MC is an older sister) and, as I've already said, the parts about Marisol and Rey (is that her name. The love interest.) shared grief. Some of the passages really made me feel something and I would say that the book is worth picking up just for those bits. It's one I will probably re-read at some point. I would recommend this book to people who want a YA novel with a sweet sapphic romance, a focus on serious subjects but with a hopeful ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Xenophobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Lesbophobia
browdya's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
fast-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? Yes
3.0
sweet romance, really interesting premise, definitely very YA feeling towards the end but super good for younger readers. the plot lost my interest in places but the characters and relationships were lovely.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, and Lesbophobia
snowydaze's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The ending was a bit rushed, otherwise I loved the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Sexual harassment
mckeelyshannon's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
One of my favorite lines from this book is “A heaviness sits under my skin, above my bones—an invisible, smothering blanket. Pavor, angustia, pánico, a collection of heavy, gut-churning feelings. I am drowning.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault
george_d_keaton's review
emotional
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.25
The Grief Keeper is romantic speculative YA LGBTQ fiction. Yeah, that's a mouthful. The book follows Marisol who, along with her sister, will do anything to stay in America. This includes being part of a government experiment involving PTSD. Over the course of the story, Marisol falls in love with the other member of the experiment, and not only has to deal with the grief of another, but the truth of her own past.
It was a difficult read for me. I suffer from PTSD from my time in the Marines, and the novel paints some realistic pictures of fictional tragedies. The book also describes the unending waves of crushing emotions one feels when going through intense heartache. Therapy and time are the traditional healers, but the government experiment on immigrants was both hopeful and toxic. Marisol is 17 and doesn't fully know what she is signing her life away for, which is similar to too many Marines I knew, but it does promise a better life for the subject of the experiment.
Over the course of the story, Marisol takes part of the experiment, but falls in love with the other participant, Rey. She also comes to terms with her past life in El Salvador. While the ending falls a little flat, it does provide hope for a better future for Marisol and her sister here in America. At times sweet and other times gut-wrenching, The Grief Keeper is a unique story of a young immigrant not only coming-of-age but triumphing over her past.
It was a difficult read for me. I suffer from PTSD from my time in the Marines, and the novel paints some realistic pictures of fictional tragedies. The book also describes the unending waves of crushing emotions one feels when going through intense heartache. Therapy and time are the traditional healers, but the government experiment on immigrants was both hopeful and toxic. Marisol is 17 and doesn't fully know what she is signing her life away for, which is similar to too many Marines I knew, but it does promise a better life for the subject of the experiment.
Over the course of the story, Marisol takes part of the experiment, but falls in love with the other participant, Rey. She also comes to terms with her past life in El Salvador. While the ending falls a little flat, it does provide hope for a better future for Marisol and her sister here in America. At times sweet and other times gut-wrenching, The Grief Keeper is a unique story of a young immigrant not only coming-of-age but triumphing over her past.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Grief, and Suicide attempt
ziareads's review
adventurous
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Alcoholism and Pedophilia
Minor: Suicide attempt
kathsaph's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.75
"The Grief Keeper" is the story of Marisol, a seventeen-year-old girl, who flees El Salvador with her little sister under threat of death. Once in America Marisol is offered the chance to win asylum by participating in an experiment; taking another person's grief. What she does not expect is falling in love with the girl she is saving.
This novel was personally difficult to read, but completely relevant and impactful. So many details were packed into 300 pages, all contributing to amazing character development and storytelling. The book is in the first person and often includes Spanish, I ended up looking up the words as I went along, and I recommend doing the same, it added another layer of depth. My response to "The Grief Keeper" was visceral, and although not all of the technology in the book exists, the societal views that would allow the experiment to happen do, making the book terrifying. Please check triggers before reading.
This novel was personally difficult to read, but completely relevant and impactful. So many details were packed into 300 pages, all contributing to amazing character development and storytelling. The book is in the first person and often includes Spanish, I ended up looking up the words as I went along, and I recommend doing the same, it added another layer of depth. My response to "The Grief Keeper" was visceral, and although not all of the technology in the book exists, the societal views that would allow the experiment to happen do, making the book terrifying. Please check triggers before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Blood, and Alcohol
spcandybars's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Xenophobia