she_readddsss86's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
1.0
hansel's review against another edition
5.0
I was really prepared to hate this book. But gosh it got to me, I think I would have been better off not reading it but I really appreciate how much it altered my mental state lol
graceburts's review against another edition
4.0
It feels good to know I’ll finally understand what people are talking about when they mention this book
ritamarika's review against another edition
4.0
This was really good, I just wish Sally Rooney didn't include as much sex in her books as she does. I get that it's realistic, but it just not my favorite thing to read personally.
I really relate to the characters in this, especially Connell. I feel like I would be a lot like him, if I actually let people's thoughts dictate my life. I underlined so many lines in this book, because I think Sally Rooney is just so good at observing people and there were so many fascinating parts in this. This was probably my favorite book of hers, and I left this for last because I thought I wouldn't like the miscommunication in this.
I really relate to the characters in this, especially Connell. I feel like I would be a lot like him, if I actually let people's thoughts dictate my life. I underlined so many lines in this book, because I think Sally Rooney is just so good at observing people and there were so many fascinating parts in this. This was probably my favorite book of hers, and I left this for last because I thought I wouldn't like the miscommunication in this.
shelbyelby's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-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
madeline_cola's review against another edition
4.0
4/4.5 stars || sally rooney’s ability to write about “mundane” experiences while simultaneously incorporating a painful narrative that follows Connell and Marianne as they they finish high school and enter college and adulthood. this book left me crying and i love it and i also want to take a lighter to the pages.
shivanipandey's review against another edition
3.0
not sure how to feel about this book tbh.
things i liked about it:
- how the author portrayed love. it was so beautifully unique and showed the characters’ love as a reflection of their personalities. i loved how they loved such different aspects of each other’s personalities. how their complements made them that much more entangled with one another.
- the depiction of drastically different mental illnesses and their manifestations and how that impacted their love. mental illness and love is a complex intersection and i think she wrote about it in such a beautiful way. the way they supported each other wasn’t stereotypical by any means and really reflected the personalities she’d created for them.
things i didn’t like about it:
- the storytelling style. it felt so disjointed the way she would skip back and forth between an interaction that was occurring and a flashback that was occurring in the character’s mind simultaneously. i’d get wrapped up in the flashback and then going back to the interaction wouldn’t feel like a smooth transition. and with the time jumps every chapter, i felt like i was missing so much of the story. so much of the characters’ development in that time.
- this is nitpicky, but i HATED that she didn’t use quotations. i prefer a differentiation between dialogue and observations/thoughts. it really killed the vibe for me and made it harder to read than a regular book.
- lack of secondary characters being real at all. like alan was so pointless besides being the occasional villain. lorraine had potential but still wasn’t fleshed out at all. college friends were equally pointless except to show that marianne was the main character? she could’ve tried a lot harder there
- the end. like come on bro. after all of that back and forth, still nothing definitive?? what was the point even. i get it like they’re young and life always gets in the way but i enjoy satisfying or definitive endings and that was neither.
overall, i really loved the the storyline and the way she described love, but it just wasn’t a hit for me personally (especially after just finishing the ACOTAR series)
things i liked about it:
- how the author portrayed love. it was so beautifully unique and showed the characters’ love as a reflection of their personalities. i loved how they loved such different aspects of each other’s personalities. how their complements made them that much more entangled with one another.
- the depiction of drastically different mental illnesses and their manifestations and how that impacted their love. mental illness and love is a complex intersection and i think she wrote about it in such a beautiful way. the way they supported each other wasn’t stereotypical by any means and really reflected the personalities she’d created for them.
things i didn’t like about it:
- the storytelling style. it felt so disjointed the way she would skip back and forth between an interaction that was occurring and a flashback that was occurring in the character’s mind simultaneously. i’d get wrapped up in the flashback and then going back to the interaction wouldn’t feel like a smooth transition. and with the time jumps every chapter, i felt like i was missing so much of the story. so much of the characters’ development in that time.
- this is nitpicky, but i HATED that she didn’t use quotations. i prefer a differentiation between dialogue and observations/thoughts. it really killed the vibe for me and made it harder to read than a regular book.
- lack of secondary characters being real at all. like alan was so pointless besides being the occasional villain. lorraine had potential but still wasn’t fleshed out at all. college friends were equally pointless except to show that marianne was the main character? she could’ve tried a lot harder there
- the end. like come on bro. after all of that back and forth, still nothing definitive?? what was the point even. i get it like they’re young and life always gets in the way but i enjoy satisfying or definitive endings and that was neither.
overall, i really loved the the storyline and the way she described love, but it just wasn’t a hit for me personally (especially after just finishing the ACOTAR series)
leanabet's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shenderson_23's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
grace9415's review against another edition
1.0
I don’t understand why people like this book. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for it to get good and it never did.