Reviews tagging 'Miscarriage'

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

20 reviews

crowlaplumme's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.5

 There are parts of this book that I really liked and other parts where I was lost and confused about how I felt about the book. Up until halfway through the book, I thought it was going to be a solid 5 star rating but sadly, the second half didn't land the finish for me.

[SPOILERS]

I REALLY wanted Sam to be the asexual and aromantic icon. Sadly that didn't end up being the case. Once Sadie had begun dating Marx, Sam's character turned into one of bitter jelousy and of the mindset that people belonged to one another. It was a bummer because I was rooting for Sam through his entire story arc, especially when he began experiencing phantom pains and depression. When Sam mentioned how he didn't care for sex during that brief rendez-vous with Lola, I was estatic, thinking that he was ace. I love a good platonic relationship between a man and woman, and Sam and Sadie's was just that; until it wasn't.

Sadie was an interesting character, her paranoia felt very real. Her depression after getting an abortion and losing Marx felt genuine. However, Sam pulled himself together for the sake of their company, while Sadie had a harder time. At some points, despite wanting to be empathetic to what Sadie was going through-- especially pregnant, it was hard to see her absence in the company and what it meant for other characters (characters, we begun to care for, like the other workers of Unfair Games, who couldn't continue to work on the DLC). Whether it meant delaying the DLC or cancelling it altogether, Sadie's inaction affected others at Unfair Games who had undergone the same trauma of losing Marx (sure, not in the capacity of losing a lover, but as a co-worker and friend. Not to mention, some of them were in the building when the confrontation went down.)

I'm certain I'm not alone when I say that Marx was the best character in the book. My eyes were glued to the page when we got that solo chapter from Marx's perspective. His romance with Sadie felt natural, there was a romantic interest initially, but then they became friends. It made their relationship solid. Unlike, Sam's 180 to desperately wanting Sadie's romantic affection. The best part about Marx is understanding that despite his death, the memory of him was able to pull Sam out of his stupor ("What would Marx do?"). His memory being immortalized by Sadie and Sam in their games, was a lovely detail to the positivity that he brought-- I just wished we got more of him alone and getting to have some time with understanding who he was without Sadie, Sam, and Zoey.

However, I felt as if that last portion of the book, with Emily and Dr. Daedalus was where it all really fell apart for me. Sadie consistantly made selfish choices that she blamed on Sam, inferring parts of his character. For example, she believed that Sam tricked her into getting back with Dov in order to get the Ulysses game engine for Ichigo. She made the decision to get back with him, but she goes about the story saying that she had no agency in the matter. I liked Sadie as the professor, who understands her shortcomings, and uses it as a positive experience to get others to grow. As opposed to making the game, with her name on it and blaming its poor sales on Sam's "sabotage."

A reoccuring theme about the relationship between Sam and Sadie is that Sam is the one constantly reaching out to Sadie and it is not reciprocated. Sam noticed she was depressed and stayed with her until she got out of bed. Sam was the one who had to pull himself together for Unfair Games. Sam was the one to reach out to her as Daedalus. However, when Sam needed a friend after his surgery, Sadie was nowhere to be found. Again, while Sam did not lose Marx as a lover, he lost an incredibly important friend, but Sadie did not feel that she could confide in him. Sam, who felt incredible guilt that the attackers wanted HIM and not Marx, yet Marx took the bullet for him.

(Also, the two men who stormed the building were unhappy that Mapletown allowed for same-sex marriage. A concept that Sadie recommended to Sam, for their friends Ant and Simon. However, Marx's death was the fault and action of the two men, alone. However, under Sadie's flawed logic to claim that it was Sam's fault, "They were after you," than, to an extent, she can be responsible, too. This is a part of Sadie's character that really bothers me.) 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Ableism, Death, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Mental illness, Homophobia, and Grief

Moderate: Cultural appropriation and Car accident

Minor: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Racism

Internalized ableism

anastasiamakes's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.0

This is a book about friendship and love (and how the two aren't really separate things at all like we may sometimes think), but set against the backdrop of an adoration of the art of video games, which for me as an avid gamer was absolutely fantastic. I wept for basically the last third of this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Misogyny and Racism

Minor: Miscarriage and Vomit

hazelisreading's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a beautiful book I’d recommend to anyone, with a label that says “read at your own risk of crying” because you will fall in love and it will hurt.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Suicide, Death, and Death of parent

Minor: Toxic friendship, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia

her_little_library's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mass/school shootings, Homophobia, Grief, and Miscarriage

agirlsnightbookbash's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

1.0

I think this might be one of my least favorite books ever. I have loved so much of Zevin's work this one caught me so off guard. I don't understand the hype and how none gamers could slog through this. I am a gamer and I struggled. The book is pretentious. The characters are awful. There is no plot to speak of. No. No. No.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Medical content, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Medical trauma

Moderate: Sexism, Car accident, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic friendship, Miscarriage, Violence, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Sexual violence

booknerdkiera's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug abuse, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Car accident, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Torture, Abortion, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, and Death

katiem7's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Miscarriage

signelinnea's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Gun violence, Homophobia, and Suicide

Moderate: Physical abuse, Mass/school shootings, and Miscarriage

inneraman's review against another edition

dark emotional 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

3.5

I enjoyed reading the first half of this book but the second half was slow and long. I didn’t understand where the book was going and it felt like I was waiting for something to happen, but it never came. There were also parts in the second half that didn’t make sense why they were written and I would have preferred more story line in the second half, than random ‘fictitious’ characters/stories. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Ableism, Gun violence, Chronic illness, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Miscarriage, and Grief

Minor: Cancer

samcanuel's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

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

4.25

This book was certainly worth the hype. Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is such a beautiful book. It covers such a wide range of themes and topics that I’m honestly not even sure what to say. The characters all felt incredibly real and Gabrielle Zevin did such a fantastic job delivering the complexities of their relationships with one another. I would recommend this book to people who love games, people who feel their ambitions are outrunning them, and people who love their friends.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Blood, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Mass/school shootings, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Violence, Pregnancy, Cancer, and Cursing

Moderate: Xenophobia, Abortion, Miscarriage, Antisemitism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Misogyny

Minor: Alcohol, Vomit, Sexual content, and Racism