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allison87's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
I feel like if Netflix Eloise read this book she would promptly throw it into the fire and scream.
Phillip is a piece of work. Anger issues, SA of his late wife while she was suffering from post pardom depression, absent fathering, asking for a wife for the express purpose of getting a homemaker/nanny/warm body but withheld that fact for an entire year of courting.
Once they are together and married, consent is hazy. He's not interested in her as a person but as a body. To the point where he hardly lets her speak/avoids her all day prior to bed time. (When Eloise has a major concern about the children's care, instead of pause his pursuit of her body to listen to her, he throws a tantrum and leaves.) So, yeah, it's extremely romantic?
I get that these were issues that were/still are common. But that doesn't make it conducive to a love story. It's more horror than anything. Even if this were written in the 1800s it would still come off extremely bleak and hardly romantic.
Shondaland has a ton of work ahead to turn this story into anything good. Personally I would scrap most of it.
Phillip is a piece of work. Anger issues, SA of his late wife while she was suffering from post pardom depression, absent fathering, asking for a wife for the express purpose of getting a homemaker/nanny/warm body but withheld that fact for an entire year of courting.
Once they are together and married, consent is hazy. He's not interested in her as a person but as a body. To the point where he hardly lets her speak/avoids her all day prior to bed time. (When Eloise has a major concern about the children's care, instead of pause his pursuit of her body to listen to her, he throws a tantrum and leaves.) So, yeah, it's extremely romantic?
I get that these were issues that were/still are common. But that doesn't make it conducive to a love story. It's more horror than anything. Even if this were written in the 1800s it would still come off extremely bleak and hardly romantic.
Shondaland has a ton of work ahead to turn this story into anything good. Personally I would scrap most of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Child abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Suicide
annahamburger's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Grief
Minor: Ableism, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
anyashadows's review against another edition
sad
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, and Suicide
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism and Alcohol