Reviews with content warning for Racism - Beartown

You don't need to say words to the effect of "but nothing would ever be the same after the terrible event that is about to happen" at the end of every paragraph to build suspense.

I also would never have picked up the book if I had known the entire plot centres around a girl being raped. I'm tired of men writing about assaulting women.

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madd_1234's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.75

This book was so devastating and heartbreaking, and yet I couldn’t put it down. I could not stop thinking about this book, and after finishing it I still can’t, as I am constantly reminded that its contents aren’t only fictional.

Overall a really good story, easy to read and understand while still tackling big issues, and maintaining a sense of hope throughout.

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breannaschnurr's review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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lilly_dav_reading's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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? Yes

4.75

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erinreadsbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

What can I even say about this book? I don’t even know if I can say I “enjoyed” it because that implies I had an inkling of joy. Rather, I thought it was incredibly moving and captivating and I was crying nonstop for the back half of it. Reading this book felt like watching a car crash in slow motion while wondering which party was going to survive, if any. I haven’t really read anything that was like this book, from its style of prose to the tricky way the author writes that is constantly faking you out, making you think people are one thing when they’re really another, more complex thing. The characters all felt real and complicated and unpolished, which made the events feel all the more believable and heart wrenching. This book hurt to read, but I know I will be thinking about several passages I highlighted for a long time.

Read if you like poignant, moving, challenging stories about people and what drives them.

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sarapriz's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad slow-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

4.5

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quistn's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I love the pacing of this book. It’s slow, but necessary. I feel it’s a must read for anyone. It captures a real life culture in a small town well. Very sad and tense at times, deals with dark topics. The way that the author writes about the experiences and thoughts of the characters is impeccable. I think, anyone who grew up or lives in a small town will relate much more to this book. If you grew up in a larger town, you may not connect with it as much.

strong content warnings about rape, Suicide, murder, gangs, alcoholism, fighting

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