remuslibrary's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual harassment, Medical trauma, Bullying, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual assault, and Self harm
danielakalexandra's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
2.25
Kanske en bok som man uppskattat om man var yngre än mig. Tyckte aldrig riktigt att jag blev särskilt intresserad av karaktärerna, och det mesta berördes bara ytligt; har svårt för när ”problem”(t.ex självskadebeteende, att hitta sin sexualitet) nämns på ett sätt som känns lite ”bara för att”, och det har författaren en tendens att göra i den här boken.
Jag kan inte säga särskilt mycket om representationen i boken då jag själv inte tillhör de aktuella grupperna, men vissa situationer beskrevs lite ”meh” även där kan jag tycka.
Gillar däremot det som sagts innan, att boken utspelar sig under en enda dag!
Summa summarum hade jag tyvärr ganska tråkigt när jag läste boken.
Jag kan inte säga särskilt mycket om representationen i boken då jag själv inte tillhör de aktuella grupperna, men vissa situationer beskrevs lite ”meh” även där kan jag tycka.
Gillar däremot det som sagts innan, att boken utspelar sig under en enda dag!
Summa summarum hade jag tyvärr ganska tråkigt när jag läste boken.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infertility and Miscarriage
Minor: Self harm, Infidelity, and Sexual harassment
teigancollins's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Mental illness, Self harm, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, and Infertility
_inge's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
I really didn’t like the writing style at all. Every sentence stretches out unnecessarily long, and uses so many commas, that it took me a while to get into the ‘rhythm’ of this book. I considered putting it down as the commas really annoyed me, but because the characters seemed interesting I decided to stick with it.
I found Pen particularly interesting to read about. She’s an autistic girl whom Pine has clearly researched well. Sometimes I was on the verge of cringing over an autistic trait but that was then followed up by an explanation (for example: Pen liked maths, but that part was immediately followed by a statement saying she wasn’t an expert at it like the stereotype suggests). I don’t really get what happened to her during the protest though, it wasn’t a meltdown or a shutdown but she became unwell and fainted? I also wondered how she managed to be that severely overwhelmed, but then still managed to go to a pub, to speak there, to then attend a concert, and finally managing to safely get the bus back home. If your brain is oversimulated it would genuinely struggle to do these things, but Pen seemed to still have energy somehow. Given this book spans a day I guess it wouldn’t have worked to send Pen home early to relax.
Ruth wasn’t particularly likeable, but that made her very realistic. Her story contained quite a lot of graphic detail on miscarriage, so that’s definitely something to be wary of before reading. Her story only kicks off maybe halfway through this book though, so for the most part I wasn’t really sure why it was relevant to read about a therapist having sessions and reflecting on her marriage.
I found it a bit confusing that perspectives from other characters sometimes popped up too. The book (obviously) focuses on Ruth & Pen, but we’d sometimes hear from Pen’s mum or Ruth’s husband. These pieces were really good and did help to see the main characters from another point of view, but they did take me out of the pace of reading this.
I’m glad I went with my instinct and continued to read this, despite the writing style ánd the story needing some time to settle in.
I found Pen particularly interesting to read about. She’s an autistic girl whom Pine has clearly researched well. Sometimes I was on the verge of cringing over an autistic trait but that was then followed up by an explanation (for example: Pen liked maths, but that part was immediately followed by a statement saying she wasn’t an expert at it like the stereotype suggests).
Ruth wasn’t particularly likeable, but that made her very realistic. Her story contained quite a lot of graphic detail on miscarriage, so that’s definitely something to be wary of before reading. Her story only kicks off maybe halfway through this book though, so for the most part I wasn’t really sure why it was relevant to read about a therapist having sessions and reflecting on her marriage.
I found it a bit confusing that perspectives from other characters sometimes popped up too. The book (obviously) focuses on Ruth & Pen, but we’d sometimes hear from Pen’s mum or Ruth’s husband. These pieces were really good and did help to see the main characters from another point of view, but they did take me out of the pace of reading this.
I’m glad I went with my instinct and continued to read this, despite the writing style ánd the story needing some time to settle in.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Sexual violence, Self harm, Miscarriage, Blood, and Sexual harassment
rebeccagorman's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage
Minor: Self harm
aoibhin's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
At first I was unsure how I felt about this book as generally speaking I prefer a plot driven book rather than character. However as I got about 100 pages in and I started to realise the connection between these two characters - who seemingly had no connection before this - it really clicked with me.
I really loved both Ruth & Pens stories. As someone living in Dublin it made me realise I could be walking by anyone who’s going through what either of them are going through. It was really introspective and I loved it.
I really loved both Ruth & Pens stories. As someone living in Dublin it made me realise I could be walking by anyone who’s going through what either of them are going through. It was really introspective and I loved it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Pregnancy, Infertility, Self harm, and Miscarriage
lianne_rooney's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Miscarriage
Moderate: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Grief, Self harm, and Infidelity
josefinessen's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
En fängslande och fin berättelse om en dag i livet för 43-åriga Ruth och 16-åriga Pen. Lyckas vara vardagsnära, finstämd och ha nerv på samma gång. Jag gillar särskilt de skiftande berättarperspektiven och att hela boken utspelar sig under en viktig dag i deras respektive liv.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility and Miscarriage
Moderate: Bullying and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual harassment, Self harm, and Sexual content
saestrah's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
A free advanced reading copy of this title was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review:
Ruth & Pen is set over the course of a single day, swapping between the narratives of Pen, an autistic teenage girl going to an Extinction Rebellion protest with plans to take the girl she likes on a surprise date that evening, and Ruth, a woman dealing with infertility and a failing marriage. Despite the two very different narrators, the narrative explores both characters' lives fluidly as they both struggle with love and loss and figuring out their places in the world.
Reading this book, I was especially glad to see autism in women represented, especially when Emilie Pine writes it so well. Pen was incredibly realistic and relatable for me, and her storyline grabbed me from the start. Ruth's storyline didn't capture me quite as quickly, likely due to her lack of relatability for me as a reader (though I imagine many other readers would connect with her narrative much faster than I did), but she grew on me a lot as a narrator. This book is also the one of the few I've read with a main relationship involving an asexual character and I was glad to see that explored—especially since this relationship didn't fall into the trope of 'autistic people don't have/want sex'. This relationship managed to tug and my heartstrings, despite only covering a single day's events. Reading both Pen and Ruth's heartbreaks and reflections upon them was incredibly cathartic to read, and their triumphs were equally emotional. This was a particularly tender story that I enjoyed right from the start, and I'm looking forward to buying a hardcopy of this book (and not only so I can look at the gorgeously designed cover again and again and again).
Ruth & Pen is set over the course of a single day, swapping between the narratives of Pen, an autistic teenage girl going to an Extinction Rebellion protest with plans to take the girl she likes on a surprise date that evening, and Ruth, a woman dealing with infertility and a failing marriage. Despite the two very different narrators, the narrative explores both characters' lives fluidly as they both struggle with love and loss and figuring out their places in the world.
Reading this book, I was especially glad to see autism in women represented, especially when Emilie Pine writes it so well. Pen was incredibly realistic and relatable for me, and her storyline grabbed me from the start. Ruth's storyline didn't capture me quite as quickly, likely due to her lack of relatability for me as a reader (though I imagine many other readers would connect with her narrative much faster than I did), but she grew on me a lot as a narrator. This book is also the one of the few I've read with a main relationship involving an asexual character and I was glad to see that explored—especially since this relationship didn't fall into the trope of 'autistic people don't have/want sex'. This relationship managed to tug and my heartstrings, despite only covering a single day's events. Reading both Pen and Ruth's heartbreaks and reflections upon them was incredibly cathartic to read, and their triumphs were equally emotional. This was a particularly tender story that I enjoyed right from the start, and I'm looking forward to buying a hardcopy of this book (and not only so I can look at the gorgeously designed cover again and again and again).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Miscarriage, Ableism, and Infertility
Moderate: Self harm
abbyjoyw's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Moderate: Ableism
Minor: Self harm