The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
anfripa's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, Bullying, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Body horror, Chronic illness, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Violence
madalynedwards's review against another edition
- 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
This book contains many, many, many trigger warnings.
—
I’ll probably go back and add on to this review later but it’s 2 a.m. and I just finished this book and I am not okay.
Did I read this book because I knew it was supposedly heart wrenching and I wanted it to rip my heart out and smash it into thousands of tiny pieces? Yes. Was I prepared? No.
Okay, so I’m going to be honest, this was *almost* a DNF for me. I listened to it on audiobook at 3x speed and found myself losing interest. But I kept on trucking until 30% where I couldn’t decide if I wanted to DNF it or not. I rarely DNF a book, not that I think there’s anything wrong with DNFing, but I heard incredible reviews and wanted to keep going. I picked it back up a few days later and listened to the remaining 70% of this 800+ page novel without pressing pause. I was hooked - I couldn’t help but feel that if I put the book down, I would be abandoning the characters in their darkest times, and I so desperately wanted to see them overcome their demons and trauma (I did a little happy gasp when I got to the section titled “The Happy Days”, but rest assured friends, the happy days are not the final days.) The characters are beautifully flawed, well developed, and beautifully written. The strongest feeling I felt as I read was that of prolonged despair. Jude’s abusive past leads him to sabotaging himself, thinking he is not worthy of happiness or joy or love or, during some instances, life itself. And it’s heartbreaking. It’s absolutely gut wrenching.
Jude, it seems, was the unluckiest individual growing up. Jude made a comment in the later half of the book how he has been lucky all his life, but that is not true. The main criticism I have of the book is that I found myself thinking “surely one person cannot go through all of this”… it seems like Jude was in the wrong place at the wrong time every time. When he would reveal details about himself in little pieces, I would find myself thinking “this is the terrible trauma Jude endured that has resulted in his thoughts and motives…” but no, each passing chapter would peel back another layer of trauma he endured. I found myself wondering how one person could endure so many traumatic events, and during times wondered why the author was adding to these layers of trauma even after Jude had been through so much. So yeah, the main emotion, along with anger (for those who wronged Jude - and trust me, there are a lot) I felt while reading was despair. Pure and utter despair.
Graphic: Bullying, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Death, Medical trauma, Rape, Adult/minor relationship, Car accident, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicide, Abandonment, Ableism, Grief, Kidnapping, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Blood, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Vomit
ireyes50's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Bullying, Car accident, Medical trauma, Self harm, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Medical content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Sexual content
katenico's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Self harm, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Vomit, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Trafficking, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
aulasw's review against another edition
- 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
If you want to experience a book that will hurt you as much as heal you; a book that will haunt you as much as fill your days with pleasant memories; a book that will make you cry as much as make you laugh, then this book is for you. It is not for the faint of heart: it is tough, and at times excruciatingly difficult, to keep reading, but it is worth it. Even in all the darkness this book has to show, with each bloody gash of the pages a cry for help, there are so many moments of light hidden there in these little lives, so bright next to all the dark around them.
This book will shock you and it will hurt you and it will heal you, the story itself so emblematic of the characters within and their lives.
If you do anything, please read this book.
Graphic: Rape, Medical trauma, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, Trafficking, Self harm, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Sexual assault, and Suicide
Please read an in-depth review of this book and it's content warnings if you have issues reading about sexual, mental, physical, or drug abuse; self harm; or trafficking.queerhoney's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Rape, Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Self harm, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gore, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual harassment, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Vomit, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Body horror, Body shaming, Gun violence, Medical content, Sexual violence, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Cancer
orangee's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Grief, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Addiction, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual violence, Car accident, Child abuse, Trafficking, Blood, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
samlv's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Dysphoria, Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Grief, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Confinement, Cursing, Body horror, and Car accident
Minor: Confinement, Medical content, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Vomit, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, Outing, Drug use, Body shaming, Alcohol, Bullying, Cursing, and Gaslighting
dhiby's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicide, Abandonment, Ableism, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Sexual violence, Vomit, Violence, Death, Infidelity, Self harm, and Sexual harassment
punishercoded's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Medical trauma, Self harm, Sexual assault, Body horror, Child death, Pedophilia, Violence, Vomit, Ableism, Car accident, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Suicide, Eating disorder, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Sexual violence