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transcendent's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
After loving Fox's debut and having it be my highest rated book for a good bit, I had some high hopes for The Quiet and the Loud however it felt like such a muddy, mish mash of different things the author wanted to state their contention on as quickly as they physically could.
I genuinely despised the best friend in this book and felt like whatever message was being broadcast through her storyline (which was blurry at best) was overshadowed by her name taking up most of my page- ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND ITS SUPPOSED TO! I just don't think I'm meant to have this much disdain for a fictional pregnant person.
The general messages that were being put out were also so insane, like I had to remind myself if it was about the Australian government's lack of care for the climate, abortion rights/pregnancy rights, the harrowing subjects of domestic abuse/violence, family abuse/violence, addiction and how it's normalised in the context of the Australian home, being part of the LGBTQIA community as an adult and a youth(?)(which. felt so performative at a certain point) , being a POC in the protest space and the freaking class divide in Sydney.
I have no final thoughts I'm going to go watch a tv show to get rid of Tess's insane plotline out of my head. It will be a talking point over coffee with my friends. Like would I have enjoyed this book more without the best friend.... Yes, probably! I'm so mad.
I genuinely despised the best friend in this book and felt like whatever message was being broadcast through her storyline (which was blurry at best) was overshadowed by her name taking up most of my page- ALTHOUGH I UNDERSTAND ITS SUPPOSED TO! I just don't think I'm meant to have this much disdain for a fictional pregnant person.
The general messages that were being put out were also so insane, like I had to remind myself if it was about the Australian government's lack of care for the climate, abortion rights/pregnancy rights, the harrowing subjects of domestic abuse/violence, family abuse/violence, addiction and how it's normalised in the context of the Australian home, being part of the LGBTQIA community as an adult and a youth
I have no final thoughts I'm going to go watch a tv show to get rid of Tess's insane plotline out of my head. It will be a talking point over coffee with my friends. Like would I have enjoyed this book more without the best friend.... Yes, probably! I'm so mad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, Grief, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal cruelty and Physical abuse
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Death and Car accident
beckhammy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Terminal illness
elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Physical abuse and Violence
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual violence
ccrowley18's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
I really enjoyed this - will post better review later.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcoholism and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
czoltak's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
3.0
I cannot believe this wasn’t a 5⭐️ read 😭
Helena Fox’s previous novel, How It Feels to Float, was such an important story for me and one of my all time absolute favorite books. This just fell flat in comparison. The story was wonderfully written as Fox’s writing style is so magical and heartbreakingly beautiful. However, the actual story was just so lackluster. I don’t mind a character driven story, especially since that was what How It Feels To Float was, but when the characters are not well fleshed out and some are incredibly infuriating, it’s hard to enjoy the actual book. Tess, Georgia’s “friend”, is one of the most insufferable characters I’ve ever read about, and her father was somehow even worse. I am so disappointed 😔
Helena Fox’s previous novel, How It Feels to Float, was such an important story for me and one of my all time absolute favorite books. This just fell flat in comparison. The story was wonderfully written as Fox’s writing style is so magical and heartbreakingly beautiful. However, the actual story was just so lackluster. I don’t mind a character driven story, especially since that was what How It Feels To Float was, but when the characters are not well fleshed out and some are incredibly infuriating, it’s hard to enjoy the actual book. Tess, Georgia’s “friend”, is one of the most insufferable characters I’ve ever read about, and her father was somehow even worse. I am so disappointed 😔
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Car accident
telepathyjmin's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
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
5.0
An absolutely incredible book. I previously read her previous book "How it Feels to Float", and as soon as i found out about this being released, i know i had to read it. Helena's writing style never fails to amaze me. I loved seeing the character development over the course of this book.
As someone who has dealt with a parent who has been an alcoholic, seeing the relationship between George and her father hit very close to home and honestly made me tear up at times.
The way that George's emotions are described throughout the entirety of the book is incredible.
The way that George's emotions are described throughout the entirety of the book is incredible.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Alcohol
Moderate: Grief and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Car accident, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
intriguedpoptart's review against another edition
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
5.0
wow. i am not one to write reviews, but wow. i strongly recommend this book for anyone who struggles to find their words, and who has been through a lot and is trying to work out how that will end up for them. helena fox is an artist.
side note; still waiting for my calliope 🙄
side note; still waiting for my calliope 🙄
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Grief
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
thisgirl_writes's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
oldandnewbooksmell's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.0
Trigger Warnings: Domestic violence, emotional abuse, addiction; alcoholism, anxiety, depression, gaslighting, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD, and catastrophic fire
George’s life is loud. Her best friend, Tess is about to become a teen mom at 18, her friend Laz is in despair about the world and the climate crisis, her gramps would misplace his own head if not for her, and her moms fill the house with constant chatter. Then, to top it all off, her estranged dad says he needs to talk and won’t stop trying until that happens. This novel explore the contours of friendship, family, forgiveness, trauma, love, and the hopeless verses hopefulness of the world.
How It Feels to Float carved a place in my heart when I read it back in 2019, and Biz, the main character from that story, has lived there ever since. Of course, as soon as I heard Helena Fox had a new book coming out, I tried to get my hands on it as soon as I possibly could. George has her own place in my heart too - she’s a people pleaser through and through and I can relate to her so much.
As like her first book, Fox dives in unapologetically into the exploration of trauma and mental health. I never felt like anything was sugar coated or unrealistic, things happened and the results of those events would lead to what happens and what is talked about in this book. As someone who has battled with mental health most of my life, a lot of the ways George would handle (or not handle) situations are ones I have found myself in as well.
I appreciate how open dialogue these characters were about mental health and getting and receiving help. George tried it when she was younger after stuff with her Dad, and it didn’t work out then, but she’s willing to give it another shot. All the characters acknowledge the fact that yes, talking with one another and those you care about can help, but sometimes it’s so much better if you talk with someone outside the group. Therapy is a scary thing, especially when you first begin and Fox does a wonderful job at showing all of that.
I adored George and Calliope’s relationship, the way it bloomed and was heartfelt. They were so cute together and I was rooting for them the entire novel.
I also appreciated the way George and Tess’s relationship was handled. George was always doing everything for Tess and she kind of steamrolled her… a lot, especially when it came to her deciding to get pregnant which, I did not like at all and that George was just automatically going to be her partner through it
*Thank you Dial Books and Edelweiss+ for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting