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loverarchives's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
3.5
A sometimes relatable, often irritating main character tries to find her footing in the world. The book moves at a meandering pace before rushing to the end, I both wish the ending was further explored yet also removed at the same time. An enjoyable read nonetheless.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder and Sexual assault
lottselgar's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Sexual content
chs2022's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
2.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Abortion, and Alcohol
alexampersand's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
There were pockets of this book that I loved, and other large parts that I really didn't.
I thought the authors observations of internet culture, anxiety, burrowing oneself into the internet, was absolutely spot on. I found myself often taking note of quotes that so accurately and perfectly reflected my own experiences (something I haven't felt compelled to do while reading for about 10 years).
But other than these observations, everything else fell flat.
There was an inclusion of a very big sci-fi fantasy element very early on.... that is then not developed in any way at all. For a book that deals with the human experience, and the minutia of emotions, it felt so jarring to have this one super fantastical element, and then not use it in any way at all other than simply being there.
I also felt the writing style quite off-putting - the lack of quotation marks around Sophie's speech, so it's left entirely up to us to seduce what is simply her internal monologue and what are her verbalised thoughts. This led to a larger problem of unreliable narration, which can sometimes be an interesting tool, but here it really grated on me being unsure what exactly was happening versus what Sophie was simply misinterpreting, especially around her interactions with her friends and family - is everyone in the book cruel towards her, or is that simply her read of the situation? This then becomes more problematic when it gets to the topic of secual assault, and she specifically mentions that the perpetrator for a second looks "genuinely confused", leading me to wonder for a minute whether it was intended sexual assault, which is quite tricky ground to be on when writing about such a controversial subject area.
Which leads onto another big issue for me, which was the pacing. It felt like the book meandered along for the most part (almost 200 pages), before suddenly ramping up the conflict, causing a full-scale meltdown, and then very quickly resolving it, all in a mere 70 pages.
And the resolution itself felt deeply unsatisfying. As I mentioned, for an author who seemed to really understand internet culture, it felt like the ending message was so simplified as to feel disingenuous and incredibly unsatisfying for me. "If I spend a bit less time on my phone, everything will be fine" just doesn't work for me, especially when we've seen how deep Sophie's issues seem to run within her.
So overall... some really nice observations, but some real big stumbling blocks along the way.
I thought the authors observations of internet culture, anxiety, burrowing oneself into the internet, was absolutely spot on. I found myself often taking note of quotes that so accurately and perfectly reflected my own experiences (something I haven't felt compelled to do while reading for about 10 years).
But other than these observations, everything else fell flat.
There was an inclusion of a very big sci-fi fantasy element very early on.... that is then not developed in any way at all. For a book that deals with the human experience, and the minutia of emotions, it felt so jarring to have this one super fantastical element, and then not use it in any way at all other than simply being there.
I also felt the writing style quite off-putting - the lack of quotation marks around Sophie's speech, so it's left entirely up to us to seduce what is simply her internal monologue and what are her verbalised thoughts. This led to a larger problem of unreliable narration, which can sometimes be an interesting tool, but here it really grated on me being unsure what exactly was happening versus what Sophie was simply misinterpreting, especially around her interactions with her friends and family - is everyone in the book cruel towards her, or is that simply her read of the situation? This then becomes more problematic when it gets to the topic of secual assault, and she specifically mentions that the perpetrator for a second looks "genuinely confused", leading me to wonder for a minute whether it was intended sexual assault, which is quite tricky ground to be on when writing about such a controversial subject area.
Which leads onto another big issue for me, which was the pacing. It felt like the book meandered along for the most part (almost 200 pages), before suddenly ramping up the conflict, causing a full-scale meltdown, and then very quickly resolving it, all in a mere 70 pages.
And the resolution itself felt deeply unsatisfying. As I mentioned, for an author who seemed to really understand internet culture, it felt like the ending message was so simplified as to feel disingenuous and incredibly unsatisfying for me. "If I spend a bit less time on my phone, everything will be fine" just doesn't work for me, especially when we've seen how deep Sophie's issues seem to run within her.
So overall... some really nice observations, but some real big stumbling blocks along the way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
alexlucy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Sexual assault
annakillilea's review against another edition
dark
sad
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
2.0
Lots of potential and a good representation of mental illness amongst existential dread. Way too much ED content and body shaming to enjoy the excellent writing though :/ Sophie’s resolution was too rushed to be compelling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Sexual assault
fictionalsarah's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Gaslighting, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcohol
introvertsbookclub's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
From the uncertainty of the future, and the impossibility of finding a job that you enjoy and pays the bills, to the lure and inescapability of the internet, and the difficulty of knowing people when they can create an alternate version of themselves online, this novel encapsulates so many of the anxieties that twenty-somethings have in a way that is relatable without ever being condescending. Social media starts out as a distraction and a coping mechanism but soon begins to exacerbate the toxic elements of the protagonist’s relationships with friends and family. Although a lot of the novel took place online, it brought online conversations into the real world, through debates and conversations around gender, privilege and politics. It recreated the internet and the way it interacts with and leaks into the real world perfectly. The way the author wrote friendships was so realistic, the spaces between what is said and what is meant, the small power struggles, the difficulty of working out when to cut someone out of your life. It feels like a novel for the generation of young people graduating in a post-pandemic world, and yet the portrayals of relationships are timeless.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder and Sexual assault
pineapplesunshine's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed the way this book was written but found most of the characters annoying (perhaps because I see my younger self in them)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Vomit
Moderate: Sexual assault
orlabutler's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-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
4.5
I found this far to relatable and I am offended.
Honestly this could have been a 5 star read the only thing that dropped it half a star for me was a slow start and some of the more minor characters were easy to mix up.
This was such a creative and relatable story about depression, anxiety and the bad decisions and judgements you make because of it. And the use of social media and the endless doomscrolling as a contributing factor to millennial melancholy was perfectly illustrated without being spelled out.
If you are struggling through the first few chapters I promise it pays off.
Honestly this could have been a 5 star read the only thing that dropped it half a star for me was a slow start and some of the more minor characters were easy to mix up.
This was such a creative and relatable story about depression, anxiety and the bad decisions and judgements you make because of it. And the use of social media and the endless doomscrolling as a contributing factor to millennial melancholy was perfectly illustrated without being spelled out.
If you are struggling through the first few chapters I promise it pays off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
A deep look at realistic depression and anxiety without suicidal intent