Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Gods Behaving Badly

I had a lot of fun reading this book! It imagines the Olympian gods living mundane lives in a dilapidated house in North London and getting up to chaotic antics. Artemis is a dog walker, Apollo is a TV psychic and Eros is a devout Christian for some reason??? None of the characters are particularly likeable but I think that’s the point - it’s all quite lighthearted and fun and silly (apart from the times when it isn’t - do check the content warnings before reading!). The references to lots of famous figures from ancient mythology were pretty clever.

If you’re looking for a mythology book that isn’t a typical retelling, with similar vibes as Good Omens, give this book a go!

Content Warnings

captainwinter's review against another edition

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funny fast-paced

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

2.75

Bit unsure how to rate this, since it wasn’t bad and it wasn’t good. Didn’t find it that funny and it gave more crack!fic vibes than anything. The characters were annoying, and not very well hashed-out. The story was fun to read, though, but it did take a while to pick up. Also for gods who’ve been around forever, some of them really haven’t integrated well into modern society.

Apollo mentioning rape that casually was a big no for me.

A fun quick read if you want some modern Greek gods living in London!

Content Warnings

nvukos's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

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

1.5

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kadtide's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

bookswithian's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

mmh, where to start?
as a fan of greek mythology i have read my fair share of retellings, so when i found this book i was very intrigued by the concept.
Sadly, it was not done well, the first 150 pages were incredibly boring and i struggled to get through them, i hated every character (which was kinda the point of this book i guess).
Now the author has the humor of a 5 year old, and i dont even wanna comment the fatphobia and the sexual assault that happen in this book.
Overall, it was an easy read with a good concept that could have been done so much better.

Content Warnings

charliebee23's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

If you love it when characters are messy and dramatic and awful, you'll love this. The gods suck so, so bad. They're all petty and annoying. Neil and Alice carry the story in a cute way, though I didn't find extensive depth in their characters. I liked Phillips' take on a modern day mythology, and genuinely loved the end of the novel.

Content Warnings

arthisthoe's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

this was the weirdest retelling i've read so far.... so many reviews call it a comedy, but it didn't really vibe with my sense of humor. i enjoyed it for sure, but it's weird. i wish it expanded less on the lives of the human characters and more on the problems of the gods. also ... apollo is a hot mess but it wasn't allll his fault ... r.i.p apollo lol

Content Warnings

bexh's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

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