xbernadette's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Cursing, and Drug abuse
withlivjones's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Misogyny, Ableism, Medical trauma, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, and Medical content
Moderate: Death of parent, Blood, and Alcohol
orlagal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Ableism, Death, Gaslighting, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Medical content, Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Grief, and Sexual content
raitherabbit'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Drug use, Alcohol, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Ableism, Blood, Cursing, Chronic illness, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Death
sophmcgraw's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol, Medical trauma, Sexual content, Mental illness, Chronic illness, and Addiction
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
medini_l's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Chronic illness and Gaslighting
Moderate: Ableism, Body shaming, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, and Bullying
Minor: Drug use and Death of parent
jasminejjj's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness and Mental illness
Moderate: Death of parent
dearbhlanoonan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Ableism, Medical content, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent
vigil's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
the way this book is set up is to function as a retelling of all’s well, the play being put on during the book. i’m not too familiar with all’s well that ends well but from what i’ve gathered, it does it adequately. but a part of me wonders why it even bothered at all, considering it had nothing new to contribute. i feel like if you’re going to create a retelling of a shakespearean play and put your own spin on it, you should at least have something to say.
the main on going theme throughout this book is pain (physical and emotional) but with the odd pacing, and overwhelming plot that got a bit lost in the noise. i feel like mona actually had really insightful things to say, but she tried to make a metaphor a plot, (which can absolutely be done and done well, writers do it all the time, i just don’t think it was here) and then it just went off the rails.
the plot builds to an immense degree, to the point where the ending just feels lackluster. i usually don’t mind an open ended finish but i don’t think it was executed to its fullest potential here. at the end of it all i was left thinking “ok now what? why did we do all of that?”
and that’s really the question i have about the novel as a whole. what was the point? i feel like there may have been one at some moment or another, or popping in and out, but it drowned in the sea of weird. this book has several hundred pages and manages to say too much and not enough at the same time.
the writing style, reflective of miranda’s mental state, is longwinded and repetitive. i didn’t mind this much, but there were several times where my eyes glazed of the descriptions because it became too much.
i think this review gives off a harsher view of this book than i have. i did actually enjoy this, and it’s a total page turner. mona awad is in excellent writer and i do plan to read more from her. but this book wasn’t what i thought it would be coming into it, and even while reading it. if you wanna have a fun, weird, worrying, time and have a background metaphor for pain weaved in throughout, you should read it.
it’s not a bad book in the least, but at the end of it i came away feeling “that’s it?”
Graphic: Chronic illness, Cursing, Death of parent, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Mental illness
bi_n_large's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Chronic illness and Medical trauma
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual content, Drug use, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent and Violence