glendaleereads's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know about the others who read this book but this book was like a journal. Its just random thoughts of the main character and the trails she faced living on the streets and her drug abuse written together to make a story (in my opinion others might feel differently..oh well). Anyway the book started off great I couldn't put it down,but then a pattern started forming (like in the book piece of cake) where it was just the same thing over again Whoring, Drug Abuse bla bla and then it would go back in forth from the past and present and sometimes I had no idea what the author was trying to describe because I was so wrapped up in the current events in the book only to turn to the next page to be thrown into the past. But Mun is in fact a great writer, she has a way of enrapturing you into a story that you don't want to stop reading the book (that is to you get towards the middle) The ending was so disappointing, I felt like it ended way to abrupt when I turned the page and realized I had come to the end of the book I could't believe it, I kept flipping the blank pages looking for more of the story. I was convinced that I was missing some of the pages of the story but nope it was the end of the book. It was a good book though but do I think it deserves 5 stars, nope because it left me wanting more.
rachelengel's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5. the first half of the book was a little slow, but the second half gained momentum & was fantastic.
lazloandbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Not a huge fan. I think a lot of this book was mostly shock factor. It touches on a lot of really hard topics in a way that kinda feels superficial.
ericadeb's review against another edition
2.0
I expected more from this book. I don't think the main character was likable enough. I really didn't care either way if she made it through or not. Wasn't crazy about the end either. It just sort of left you hanging.
readsandchill's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
carlaabra's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-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
2.0
Just…no. I hate to see such squandered potential. I wanted to DNF 100 pages in but kept being baited back with hints of wonderful prose. Unfortunately those good moments are far too few to carry the whole book.
This book is very disjointed. It makes a lot more sense when I read in the back that the “chapters” were originally published as separate short stories. The chapters are roughly chronological but lots of time/events are skipped in between such that they don’t flow smoothly. Eg you’ll read about Joon trying to get a better job or going to NA, and then the next chapter a year has passed and she’s back on drugs with no mention of what happened in the interim. Or one chapter she’s trying and failing to be an escort, and then the next she’s suddenly working as a nursing home aide. It’s like various slices of her life with limited continuity or resolution of each. And worse, within each chapter there’s time jumps, allusions to future and past events, etc. It makes it hard to get invested in her story.
I didn’t really like Joon, and as I’m writing this I think it’s because she has no deep emotions other than anger and drugs. Things just happen to her and to those around her. And these objectively distressing events don’t trigger the emotions you’d expect, so it just feels.. hollow. Like based on the summary, Joon obviously had a tortured childhood and a rough teenage life on the streets. But without delving into her reflections on such things — staying at a surface description level of what literally happened — empties these difficult topics of their significance.
I kept waiting for Joon to do better, or even for the people around her to do better, and was disappointed right til the end. There is no hope or improvement. There are no redeeming characters. There are a couple crossroad points where she could’ve turned her life around and chose not to. Again, this doesn’t necessarily doom a book - it’s possible to do a depressing plot well - but the characterization of Joon prevented me from caring about her. She seemed to have very little capacity for self reflection or change, which is a problem for a book written in first person. As such, I felt like it was just one string of sad events with no message to take away from it.
I also didn’t get the sense that she was a child. Living the hard life she did definitely ages children prematurely, but there was something about the writing that felt like someone older.
Overall it’s such a shame that such gripping individual stories were not able to be connected enough to form a cohesive book. What a waste of a good premise.
This book is very disjointed. It makes a lot more sense when I read in the back that the “chapters” were originally published as separate short stories. The chapters are roughly chronological but lots of time/events are skipped in between such that they don’t flow smoothly. Eg you’ll read about Joon trying to get a better job or going to NA, and then the next chapter a year has passed and she’s back on drugs with no mention of what happened in the interim. Or one chapter she’s trying and failing to be an escort, and then the next she’s suddenly working as a nursing home aide. It’s like various slices of her life with limited continuity or resolution of each. And worse, within each chapter there’s time jumps, allusions to future and past events, etc. It makes it hard to get invested in her story.
I didn’t really like Joon, and as I’m writing this I think it’s because she has no deep emotions other than anger and drugs. Things just happen to her and to those around her. And these objectively distressing events don’t trigger the emotions you’d expect, so it just feels.. hollow. Like based on the summary, Joon obviously had a tortured childhood and a rough teenage life on the streets. But without delving into her reflections on such things — staying at a surface description level of what literally happened — empties these difficult topics of their significance.
I kept waiting for Joon to do better, or even for the people around her to do better, and was disappointed right til the end. There is no hope or improvement. There are no redeeming characters. There are a couple crossroad points where she could’ve turned her life around and chose not to. Again, this doesn’t necessarily doom a book - it’s possible to do a depressing plot well - but the characterization of Joon prevented me from caring about her. She seemed to have very little capacity for self reflection or change, which is a problem for a book written in first person. As such, I felt like it was just one string of sad events with no message to take away from it.
I also didn’t get the sense that she was a child. Living the hard life she did definitely ages children prematurely, but there was something about the writing that felt like someone older.
Overall it’s such a shame that such gripping individual stories were not able to be connected enough to form a cohesive book. What a waste of a good premise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse and Addiction
Moderate: Self harm, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Child abuse
This is a fucking depressing book. Difficult content is told but not.. contextualized very well.deadsnax's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
i was GUTTED and couldn't put it down.
joch4n6's review against another edition
5.0
the only book i actually finished during my most recent reading dry spell