evagrace_j'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Abortion, Sexual content, and Miscarriage
Minor: Abandonment and Alcohol
milenasbooknook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Infertility, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Sexual content
alisonfaith426's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Racism, Child abuse, Infertility, Kidnapping, Abortion, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Toxic friendship, and Sexual content
Minor: Cancer, Car accident, and Cursing
captainnat's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Infertility, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Abortion, and Sexual content
Moderate: Terminal illness, Stalking, and Kidnapping
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, and Grief
katharina90's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Great commentary on the suburbian hellscape and its rampant classism and racism.
Moderate: Miscarriage, Racism, Abortion, Classism, Infertility, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Sexual content
gardens_and_dragons's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The plot twist at the end that ends up, tearing the two families apart is really shocking to me. Even though I don’t necessarily agree with how the mother made her decision, I sympathize with her character for having to go through what she did to be a single mother and love her daughter, with her whole heart.
The side story of the drama surrounding the Chinese infant who was away by her birth mother, and then is now being fought for again because she is at a different point in life - utterly heartbreaking. It’s such a complicated situation, but ultimately the plays of power and race schism that go down in the court case are tragic.
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Pregnancy and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Infertility, Sexual content, and Classism
abbruzzese's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You’ll always be sad about this. But it doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice. It’s just something that you have to carry.
one of the cardinal rules of writing is that the first page—the first sentence, even—is supposed to hook your readers. this book did not do that, but i am so glad i stuck it out and kept going! this book is good! the plot is always moving & it was the perfect subway read because it was easy to pick up wherever i left off.
now, for the characters...
- pearl & mia are perfect. i loved them. wouldn't change a thing.
- lexie & izzy were okay characters, but it def felt like they were plot-movers if not their own people.
- trip felt sooo forgotten as a character, would have loved to see him incorporated into the plot more.
- mr. richardson was replaceable. he had one somewhat important role in the story and even then, it could have easily been written with anyone else & not changed a thing.
- mrs. richardson made me want to break fucking necks. but i guess that means she was well-written?
- and finally, moody...
Spoiler
girl what the hell happened? he's a sweetheart, he disappears from the plot, and then he turns back up as an asshole? how does he go from <i>"he would crack dumb jokes and tell stories and dredge up bits of trivia, anything to make her smile"</i> to <i>"i thought you were smarter than the sluts who usually agree to do it with him. but i guess not.”</i> ??? celeste ng, please explain wtf you were trying to accomplish with this regressive development bc i am NOT having it. i could maybe understand moody's bitterness over pearl liking trip if the brotherly conflict arc had been explored <s>at all</s> a little more, but it wasn't, so this whole sibling jealousy thing comes out of fucking NOWHERE.
anyway, other than my nitpicky critiques of the characters, i enjoyed this book! i might have to take a peek at what else celeste ng has written.
Graphic: Abortion, Racism, Infertility, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, and Racism
Minor: Sexual content
analea_lucille's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Pregnancy and Abortion
Minor: Bullying and Sexual content
lydiaie's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Colonisation, Infertility, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Sexual content
ajohnston13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Minor: Miscarriage, Infertility, Abortion, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Pregnancy