Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

If I Can't Have You by Charlotte Levin

12 reviews

charlotte_37's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad fast-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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Grief, Stalking, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Moderate: Addiction, Cancer, Sexual content, Blood, Medical content, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Vomit, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship

emjyne's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Stalking, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Addiction and Self harm

chloe_silk1810's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Not the best ending in the world, was heavily invested though

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Deadnaming, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

cinderelliex's review against another edition

dark emotional tense 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

teasag's review against another edition

challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

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

2.5

Personally, this book just wasn’t my cup of tea, but i can totally see why some people would love it.

I just feel as though the ending glorifies addiction, stalking and obsession- which are all issues the main character has with the “love interest”. I did not like how in the end, the main character is not punished for her behaviour and that the “love interest” is completely reprimanded for his even though he is just trying to protect himself from her

overall, i just didn’t enjoy this book, i don’t like the main character and don’t think it depicts obsession in the right way.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

meganabigailreads's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

becca__lindsay's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Stalking, Death of parent, and Abandonment

cheequito's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

really enjoyable read, the story of constance is layered and intense , i went in to this thinking that this story of obsession would be one note with a depressing ending but was pleasantly surprised by how charlotte levin shows obsession as a twisted concoction of love and hate

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Violence

carnageinterlude's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

My first thought I have to verbalise while writing this review: HOW can a novel this good be a debut???

If I Can't Have You is a novel I picked up following Constance Little, a receptionist at a doctor's practice in London. Aside from the gripping introduction in this epistolary novel where we meet our Constance, clad in blood, vodka and taffeta, the story begins after the death of one of the doctor's, introducing Dr Samuel Stevens. Through Constance's rose-tinted glasses, Samuel seems idyllic, but Ms Levin takes us on a dizzying journey that rips apart our preconceived ideas about these characters. 

Despite how twisted Constance is as a character, her backstory allows readers to sympathise somewhat; shrouded in extreme guilt she feels for the loss of both parental figures in her life and such loneliness, I can understand why she latches on to a near stranger who offers her cheap sex. In fact, Levin's epistolary style gives an insight into every detail of her emotions spiralling into an obsession which is part of what allowed me to gel with such a flawed protagonist. Samuel, on the other hand, had the opposite effect on me as I read on. Despite Constance's addiction to him, he is truly mediocre. A womaniser who has no outstanding talent outside of his medical ability, Samuel leads Constance, among other female characters, like donkeys with a carrot on a stick.

The ending came as a huge shock to me. Despite Constance killing the very person she loved after such an emotional climax, she suffers virtually no consequence; however, now Constance seems so much happier, I realised that letting go of Samuel was somewhat symbolic of her letting go of the trauma that she had channelled into him throughout the length of the book. Now she is not alone. She still has Edward and is even pregnant with Samuel's baby which I think is another symbol of her healing from past guilt and trauma of her and her mother's relationship. A fresh start.

This was a truly gripping read and I was hooked from the first page. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Cancer, Death, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Death of parent

honestlyholly's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

• 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

3.0

EDIT jan 2023 - i'm going through and reclassifying some reviews now that i've read more and sat on the books for a while.

how did I say that I'd lowered the review bc the ending was rubbish and yet still give it a 3.5? i need to sort myself out omg

originally 3.5 stars

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Tense and anger-inducing! The 2 main males in the story are utter creeps! Constance, the main character, has major issues and honestly acts like a crazy person, but is at least interesting. She has trauma from her parents, even if the

suicidal mum thing is a bit tropey at this point, and was so obviously not her fault??

I rated this down a bit because I was expected a big twist or a shocking finale, whereas it was kinda of a bit... Meh.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, and Death of parent