Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Stay with Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀

35 reviews

kwedork's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War

bookishkellyn's review against another edition

sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I thought this was just going to be a dual POV novel about an infertile couple (Akin & Yejide) and the second wife (Funmi) forced upon them in the tradition of polygamy. But the book’s synopsis barely touches on the real drama that unfolds in the rest of the story–lies, deception, infidelity, murder, death. Akin was THE most duplicitous character in the book. He reminds me of a quote: “Imagine the messiest person you know. It’s a man, isn’t it?” The plot twists were an A+.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infertility, Infidelity, Grief, and Abandonment

Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, Sexual content, Violence, Death of parent, and Pregnancy

Minor: Gun violence, Excrement, and Murder

kellyofcali's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

A very tough story - not for those who cannot deal with a series of crushing blows - but well written and I did feel it paints a picture of a certain place and experience. I don't know if I can say I enjoyed it, per se, given the heaviness, but I am glad I read it. I will say it is "pitched" mush differently than it reads - it's more about being in a marriage, relationships, and being a parent than about a second wife. I also found it ended a bit suddenly for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, and Abandonment

Minor: War

plantedjess's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Grief, and Pregnancy

sakisreads's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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

3.5

✨ Thrifted ✨

This was a weird read for me. I kept putting it down and picking it back up, so I definitely didn’t process all of it fully. 

I was SHOCKED at the twist (I’ll put the spoilers in below) but I ate it up 😳

The fact that Akin knew he was impotent and then asked Dotun to SEDUCE Yejide… It was WILD. I gasped so much when I read that part 😂

The content warnings will also be included in this review.

Akin and Yejide were so human and that always interests me in books; I’ve often seen too many ‘perfect’ characters that don’t feel real to me.

There were definitely peaks and troughs in this story, so I’m giving it 3.5 stars out of 5. Thank you ✨

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Grief, and Medical trauma

spkme_44292's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infertility, Grief, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Infidelity

mikebond's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Meraviglioso romanzo sul legame tra genitori e figli che nemmeno le tragedie della vita possono rompere completamente.
Bella  'impostazione con due voci narranti che si alternano e raccontano i fatti dalla propria prospettiva.
Un romanzo che fa piangere, arrabbiarsi, ma anche sperare. Lo consiglio!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility, Medical content, and Grief

Moderate: Infidelity and Pregnancy

Minor: Sexual content, Violence, and Police brutality

pranjuli's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-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? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Infertility, Infidelity, Terminal illness, and Grief

welpidk's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death

Moderate: Grief

katiejohns's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Infidelity, and Grief

Moderate: Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, and Death of parent