Scan barcode
tklassy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In all honesty, this book is an incredibly hard one to rate. I feel at time’s that it was a soaring 5 star, while at other moments it dipped and barely scraping by with a 3. In circumstances like this, a ratings system falls short, I feel.
I agree with some other reviewers that the characters in this novel are severely unlikable. However, I do not think this was a short-coming of the book, but rather a well executed reflection of realistic people. Yes, these young women were immature and thoughtless, selfish and rash, but as I would be a peer of their’s I felt this characterisation was realistic and touching. It felt strange to be so seen in characters that, while flawed and youthfully selfish, managed also to be portrayed as complex, funny, insightful and intelligent human beings.
Mari and Elizabeth were, undoubtedly, awful to each other. But I cannot help but feel that so much of youth is made up of those moments of figuring out how to be a person, from your own morality to what friendship is truly made up of.
As someone who, as a teenager and young adult, was lured by the apparent attractiveness of adult maturity into a toxic and unbalanced relationship, I understood deeply how Mari and Elizabeth were charmed by someone such as Jack. I think the author did a good job at acknowledging the power imbalance evident in these types of relationships while also showing how young women are made to think that these dynamics reflect their own maturity and ‘grown-up-ness.’
The only reason this was not a 5 star for me was the ending. I am never a big fan of time jumps and in this case it felt, although necessary, jarring and misplaced because you missed so much of the intimacy with the characters that you had in the first sections of the book.
I agree with some other reviewers that the characters in this novel are severely unlikable. However, I do not think this was a short-coming of the book, but rather a well executed reflection of realistic people. Yes, these young women were immature and thoughtless, selfish and rash, but as I would be a peer of their’s I felt this characterisation was realistic and touching. It felt strange to be so seen in characters that, while flawed and youthfully selfish, managed also to be portrayed as complex, funny, insightful and intelligent human beings.
Mari and Elizabeth were, undoubtedly, awful to each other. But I cannot help but feel that so much of youth is made up of those moments of figuring out how to be a person, from your own morality to what friendship is truly made up of.
As someone who, as a teenager and young adult, was lured by the apparent attractiveness of adult maturity into a toxic and unbalanced relationship, I understood deeply how Mari and Elizabeth were charmed by someone such as Jack. I think the author did a good job at acknowledging the power imbalance evident in these types of relationships while also showing how young women are made to think that these dynamics reflect their own maturity and ‘grown-up-ness.’
The only reason this was not a 5 star for me was the ending. I am never a big fan of time jumps and in this case it felt, although necessary, jarring and misplaced because you missed so much of the intimacy with the characters that you had in the first sections of the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Abortion
oliviawr's review
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, and Gaslighting
More...