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norahc's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Transphobia, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Medical content and Abortion
sarahbeebe81's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Transphobia, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Deadnaming
electricjuicebox's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I found myself very absorbed in this book and was excited to see where the story went. I opened it without knowing much about the story, so there were a few plot twists that really got me. I wouldn't have said I was a fan of courtroom dramas, but a large chunk of the plot takes place around a murder trial and I had a great time reading it. This made me want to look into some if Picoult's other works.
I think this is an important book! It felt very thoughtfully crafted, and I think it has the potential to be very educational about transgender people in America and the issues they face. Like, I can see someone's middle-aged mom who isn't openly transphobic but doesn't know any trans people and hears negative rhetoric from like, social media or fox news or whatever picking this up for a book club read and learning a lot, and hopefully developing some empathy. The downside of this is that there is a TON of exposition and sections that just serve to explain things to the reader (not just about trans people! about criminal law! and also bees!), and it causes the pace to drag at certain times. I don't feel I was the ideal target audience because I already knew most of this stuff, but I understand why the book includes so much informational content and I respect it. I should add that I'm a cis woman and absolutely not the definitive judge on Good Trans Lit.
I love that this was a collaborative work between the two authors and enjoyed learning about their writing process in the authors' notes after the book.
It seems like every chapter ends with a long reflection about bees that, uh, teaches you some bee facts, but may or may not be essential to the story, depending on your viewpoint. I do feel that the bee content could have been removed without impacting the meat of the story too much, but then again it's supposed to be a big theme throughout, and without it Liv would be a much flatter character. My book club was really torn on whether the bee facts were a fun addition or completely boring and unnecessary.
I think this is an important book! It felt very thoughtfully crafted, and I think it has the potential to be very educational about transgender people in America and the issues they face. Like, I can see someone's middle-aged mom who isn't openly transphobic but doesn't know any trans people and hears negative rhetoric from like, social media or fox news or whatever picking this up for a book club read and learning a lot, and hopefully developing some empathy. The downside of this is that there is a TON of exposition and sections that just serve to explain things to the reader (not just about trans people! about criminal law! and also bees!), and it causes the pace to drag at certain times. I don't feel I was the ideal target audience because I already knew most of this stuff, but I understand why the book includes so much informational content and I respect it. I should add that I'm a cis woman and absolutely not the definitive judge on Good Trans Lit.
I love that this was a collaborative work between the two authors and enjoyed learning about their writing process in the authors' notes after the book.
It seems like every chapter ends with a long reflection about bees that, uh, teaches you some bee facts, but may or may not be essential to the story, depending on your viewpoint. I do feel that the bee content could have been removed without impacting the meat of the story too much, but then again it's supposed to be a big theme throughout, and without it Liv would be a much flatter character. My book club was really torn on whether the bee facts were a fun addition or completely boring and unnecessary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Self harm and Suicide attempt
spayne1219's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt
bree317's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Blood, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, and Toxic friendship
x_mari_c's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
5.0
Beautifully sad book, exploring the life and loss of Lilly. I loved how it bounced between timelines and POV’s, making you doubt the narrator. You’re caught off guard and swept in it all. Couldn’t put it down
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Self harm, Transphobia, and Suicide attempt
sierraw2012's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide attempt
lcehanle's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Self harm
Minor: Suicide attempt
doodlebeanz's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was my first Jodi Picoult book, and I think it will be my last. This has nothing to do with her writing; the book was incredibly written and it touched on so many important and heavy topics such as the hardships that transgender women and men face, along with the intense and undying love of a mother. I also loved the element of bees, and how the story went through the entire judicial system from the first 911 call to the jury decision… but it just wasn’t my type of book.
The book is a slam dunk. It is such an interesting story and it was so deep on so many levels, but I need my books fast paced and with way more murder 😭 This book dealt with murder, but not in the way I would want. This was just simply domestic fiction, courthouse fiction if that’s even a thing, or simply just small town fiction, where someone happens to die. I did love the small town setting, my fiance is from New Hampshire and I’m from Boston so it all felt very close to home for me. I loved the characters as well - I thought they were so well written and so fleshed out, they felt like real people. The thought that lily is dead literally give me chills, she was so young and wise beyond her years and dealt with so much in her short number of years on the earth. Asher, his mom, and lawyer were well written as well, but besides Olivia (Asher’s mother), they were quite one dimensional.
My few gripes with the story were the way Asher and Lily were written and the somewhat lazy writing surrounding the murder itself and who may have done it. Starting with the murder and the trial, The whole sudden realization of TTP being the possible reason for Lily’s death immediately took me out. It felt like such lazy writing… she just fell and happened to hit her head and bleed out and die and that’s it? Just… no. It was so much lead up for that to be the thing that got Asher acquitted and it was just a head scratch moment for me. As the book was ending, the last chapter I’d say, I was ready to just assume I knew how it ended and just finish it there… but when Maya confessed, I felt even more annoyed for some reason. Again, it was SO much lead up for that? I totally thought it was Dirk, or Asher, or maybe even Jonah or Lily’s dad… but it was maya in an angry jealous rage fueled accident? It just didn’t make much sense for me and it was just wrapped up too nicely and not enough drama for me.
Secondly, Asher and Lily spoke like they were in their 30s, not just 18 years of age. It was so annoying. I remember what it was like to be a teenager, and I did not have that much wherewithal or intelligence inner dialogue to be that mature and rounded out. For Lily, it made a bit more sense considering the shit she had endured in her life (being trans, her fathers abuse and homophobia/transphobia, the intense bullying at school) . But for Asher, it didn’t make sense. It just didn’t feel real to me, their dialogues sometimes brought me back to the reality that I was just reading a book compared to when I was reading Olivia’s chapters where it felt like an autobiography of a real person’s life.
Also, I do not suggest this book on audiobook. I did not enjoy the audio book narrators, and I think based on the writing, this book isn’t meant to be listened to. There are some flashbacks throughout chapters and it’s hard to know when you’re in a flashback since they aren’t announced. It was also nonlinear for Lily’s chapters but in order for Olivia’s which was also confusing to keep up with audio, but probably would’ve been easier to keep up with if I was just simply reading.
All in all, the book was great. It was very well written, and I have no gripes with the author. She just isn’t the author for me, but I am glad I read this book. It was moving and intense and made me think about what it means to be a woman and what it’s like for others out there who wish they were born comfortable in their skin and gender identity the way I am. Everyone should read this book! Just expect small town/family fiction.
The book is a slam dunk. It is such an interesting story and it was so deep on so many levels, but I need my books fast paced and with way more murder 😭 This book dealt with murder, but not in the way I would want. This was just simply domestic fiction, courthouse fiction if that’s even a thing, or simply just small town fiction, where someone happens to die. I did love the small town setting, my fiance is from New Hampshire and I’m from Boston so it all felt very close to home for me. I loved the characters as well - I thought they were so well written and so fleshed out, they felt like real people. The thought that lily is dead literally give me chills, she was so young and wise beyond her years and dealt with so much in her short number of years on the earth. Asher, his mom, and lawyer were well written as well, but besides Olivia (Asher’s mother), they were quite one dimensional.
My few gripes with the story were the way Asher and Lily were written and the somewhat lazy writing surrounding the murder itself and who may have done it. Starting with the murder and the trial,
Secondly, Asher and Lily spoke like they were in their 30s, not just 18 years of age. It was so annoying. I remember what it was like to be a teenager, and I did not have that much wherewithal or intelligence inner dialogue to be that mature and rounded out. For Lily, it made a bit more sense considering the shit she had endured in her life
Also, I do not suggest this book on audiobook. I did not enjoy the audio book narrators, and I think based on the writing, this book isn’t meant to be listened to. There are some flashbacks throughout chapters and it’s hard to know when you’re in a flashback since they aren’t announced. It was also nonlinear for Lily’s chapters but in order for Olivia’s which was also confusing to keep up with audio, but probably would’ve been easier to keep up with if I was just simply reading.
All in all, the book was great. It was very well written, and I have no gripes with the author. She just isn’t the author for me, but I am glad I read this book. It was moving and intense and made me think about what it means to be a woman and what it’s like for others out there who wish they were born comfortable in their skin and gender identity the way I am. Everyone should read this book! Just expect small town/family fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Murder, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail
alittlebitofjessica's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
The fact that this was co written between two authors and you couldn't tell who wrote which part (or that it was written between two) is really a testament to the authors involved! I loved the detail regarding the bees and how it linked with the plot, a very sad story but very important themes. I didn't know what the novel was going to be about when I picked it up, but I'm very glad that I read it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Blood, and Gaslighting
Minor: Suicide attempt