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wordsofclover's review against another edition
- 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
This book is an interesting one. I feel like I loved it for all the different things it and the characters had to say about the world as it is right now - especially for young Irish people, but I can also see where in parts it was overdone and pretentious and how others wouldn't have gotten on with the book. I think it's very 'of the now' book - the social media obsession, the problems young people are facing as they leave college and can't get jobs, can't afford rent and already stress over ever owning a house, emigration and then all the normal things of body image, romance problems and friendships changing and evolving.
Sophie as a character is fairly complex. She is probably one of the most self-absorbed yet at the same time incredibly insecure characters I've ever followed and while that should bring on a certain amount of empathy, there were times I just didn't like Sophie and found her a little bit of w whingebag and also not a particularly good friend to Grace (MVP of this book in my opinion) and her other friend Dan who is struggling with loneliness after emigrating.
I think Sophie's relationship with social media is obviously one of the biggest things in the book, as well as the biggest relationship in the book as well as Sophie obsessively finds herself down rabbit holes on Twitter, listening to podcasts deep into the night and exploring conspiracy theories about the crack. People Sophie's age have grown up surrounded by social media and it's become like their right hand and without it they feel lost and it's often what they use to help them understand the world. I think with time and age, distance from social media becomes easier as real life takes over - relationships, jobs, responsibility but Sophie is not there yet and effectively, without a job, has all the time on the world to spend on her phone.
I actually really liked the presence of the crack in the sky and it's ever presence in the book, always in the background. In a way I wondered if it was a stand in for something like the pandemic, and if not, definitely inspired by it - and I think it was a brilliant way to show that when unexplainable, scary things happen, life still more or less goes on as normal. Worldwide pandemic? Life stopped for a while but a majority of everyday normal things happened and now the world is more or less back to the way it was. Ukrainian War? Everyone is still doing their day-to-day activities albeit with a heavier cost of living situation but parties, romance, school and life is still happening every day.
I think this book is clever, and while I would have liked maybe a couple less conversations about capitalism (listen you talk about capitalism, you'll get compared to Sally Rooney and that's that), I think the author understand the mind of a twenty-something very well and all the fears and insecurities people can have when they're young and life still feels very unknown and scary.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Abortion, and Sexual harassment
ceedy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Body shaming and Vomit
Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Eating disorder
kathryn_saulinas'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and Toxic friendship
theothersideofreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Moderate: Body shaming, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
travelseatsreads's review against another edition
- 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
I was a bit too optimistic because while there was some really good interesting lines which really caught my attention, overall the majority of the time I was left rolling my eyes, clinging to the hope that this is not what your average 20something Trinity graduates are actually like.
So for some balance;
What I Liked?
• The portrayal of the consuming & suffocating nature of social media was terrifyingly accurate. Prasifka spoke about closing out of Instagram after scrolling for hours & your thumb automatically reaching back for the app & I was shook, I do that, all of the damn time!
• Observations about the role of the Catholic Church are extremely well executed & so relevant at the moment considering the NMH crisis.
• The crack & it's varied impact on people was really well done. Especially post-covid after seeing people going from panic buying hysteria to almost forgetting it exists.
• There are many beautiful quotes which stand out as poignant commentary on society which would make me want to come back to Prasifka's writing at another time of her life.
What I Didn't Like?
• The book reeks of upper-class white cis-gender female privilege & it isn't a pretty smell.
• Flippant references to things such as the famine come across as distasteful & quite irrelevant.
• The book tries to be feminist forward yet in total contradiction has the protagonist crawling after guys who are horrifically & quite obviously manipulative.
• The injustice of portraying females as these whiney, insecure naval gazing beings who can't function properly without male attention (negative or positive).
Overall, it's an interesting book which some will absolutely devour & completely identify with but for me it just missed the mark. Insightful & poignant at times yet also repetitive & draining.
If you've read it let me know your thoughts!
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Classism
northernlitreading's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
frantear's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Abortion, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment