Scan barcode
chiliramon's review against another edition
2.0
They're saying she's an Aussie Sally Rooney but it's a nauuuur for me.
Characters are interchangeable, there aren't any meaningful relationships, and the writing can be a bit heavy-handed. Or maybe it's just the generation gap, and I was too old for this? Lol
There were some interesting turns of phrase though, and the author is obviously sharp, but you can tell she knows she's sharp by the way she uses 'edifying' every 10 pages.
Characters are interchangeable, there aren't any meaningful relationships, and the writing can be a bit heavy-handed. Or maybe it's just the generation gap, and I was too old for this? Lol
There were some interesting turns of phrase though, and the author is obviously sharp, but you can tell she knows she's sharp by the way she uses 'edifying' every 10 pages.
juliabaz3's review against another edition
5.0
Loved this book. The Sydney setting suited it perfectly, the story was thrilling and kept me totally hooked, and the characters had so much depth to them, I felt like I was there having the conversations with them. I devoured this book, and highly recommend it.
katiejane's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Listened to the audiobook nicely narrated by Emma Leonard.
Nothing super new here, but I'm glad I read this book. Reid was just 24 when she wrote it, and it was interesting to see how a young person in 2021 was thinking about these issues.
I found the characters and dialogue believable. And I think Reid's done well to capture the tendency in academia to analyse, philosophise and extrapolate meaning from personal experiences often to the detriment of the person trying to process/live with them. And that doing this without the person's consent is another way to violate them. And that there's a tension here between wanting to think deeply and conceptually about things without becoming and object yourself. There's more to unpick here, but I think the novel's strength is its unending cry for its protagonist to be seen as a whole messy person wanting as much agency and autonomy as possible despite the labels thrown on her.
Nothing super new here, but I'm glad I read this book. Reid was just 24 when she wrote it, and it was interesting to see how a young person in 2021 was thinking about these issues.
I found the characters and dialogue believable. And I think Reid's done well to capture the tendency in academia to analyse, philosophise and extrapolate meaning from personal experiences often to the detriment of the person trying to process/live with them. And that doing this without the person's consent is another way to violate them. And that there's a tension here between wanting to think deeply and conceptually about things without becoming and object yourself. There's more to unpick here, but I think the novel's strength is its unending cry for its protagonist to be seen as a whole messy person wanting as much agency and autonomy as possible despite the labels thrown on her.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident, and Alcohol
syan22's review against another edition
a usyd college campus novel. fascinating…. I felt nothing for any of the characters….
gengardiner's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Very disappointed. Deals with pressing issues in a real context but doesn’t deliver them at all well.
emreadsbooksagain's review against another edition
5.0
Enjoyed reading this, especially as it was set in a familiar setting to me, however it resonates regardless. It captures the smart and laboured complicatedness of being a young uni student...and unpacks complex dynamics really well.
lucymaj's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This book was really engaging and explored some really interesting topics - consent, friendship, drinking culture in Australian universities etc. However I didn't love how it all culminated - the main character's friend Eve became the villain for stealing her story of abuse, rather than the men who abused her. There were the beginnings of an interesting point, but it could have been more nuanced. And it was probably the least diverse book I've read in a long time. Basically, I enjoyed reading it, but it annoyed me a lot.
emiloug's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Good writing style and pace, provocative. The main character felt a little flat and at some points, the stakes didn’t feel compelling
pixette's review against another edition
1.0
Coming of age story with very 2 dimensional characters.
the writing style was easy to read
the writing style was easy to read