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lorraine19's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Not for the faint hearted. Difficult but important read.
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, and Classism
Moderate: Miscarriage, Excrement, Dementia, and Alcohol
Minor: Blood and Vomit
Not blatant racism perse but systematic racism/classism, neglect, some discussion on child services/policemikathereviewer's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
- Claudia
Most things I would like to say about this book would be spoilers and since I aim for spoiler free reviews I won't include them, hence making the review shorter than my usual reviews.
First of all, I really liked the plot (also the heavy themes were interesting) and how we got confusing timelines was (I think at least) supposed to foreshadow a certain plot twist which I thought to be quite cool. Also, I got 2 ideas how the time line in this book might work (I added it at the end of my review)
Another thing I liked was how not every character was likeable and not everything was perfect and we also got characters that were not one dimensional and we got more than enough story. I really liked the time leaps as they showed us the relationship with Monday and Claudia before the story started where Monday was already gone.
The healing process seems realistic and isn't downplayed. We don't get a 'after a week I recovered' kinda recovery we get one where it's open for the reader to decide how long it took. And we also still see while trying to recover that they still take steps back, but of course steps forward too.
Really disliked the foreshadowing as this ruined a bit the fun for me as I already knew the plot twists before they even came. Only one was there I didn't know of, but that was rather as I misunderstood the foreshadowing as Claudia being just nosy and jealous for absolute no reason.
Another thing I disliked which I mainly noticed at the end of the story was how the characters didn't always stay the same. One moment they were bad and the next they were good and kind again. I get it that not every person has always the same moods and we can also change as a person, but the switching was so out of control and at some point just didn't make any sense anymore. I really liked Monday at first until we got told stuff about her from April which I'm sure were true as I'm certain that it was a plot twist too, especially with that one thing that stood in that book, but then in the end we get a Monday that always 'loved' Claudia and saw her 'always' as a soulbond sister. And the way Claudia's mum didn't want to listen to her own child when she tried to explain where she was or was over controlling by letting Claudia ALWAYS leave breadcrumbs (letting her mum know where she was). And Claudia wasn't even better. I just say March the first The After, February the 2nd The After. And April? She wasn't good either. She knew what she has done. Jealousy consumed her. That's a sociopath. The only cool character throughout the entire book was actually Claudia's Dad. He was chill. Had reasons for disagreeing. And ALWAYS took great care of his child.
Here is a quick guide how I understood the time line and how you could use it too as many users said that they got confused with it
September
The Before (Before September)
The After (IN September)
One Year Before The Before (One Year ago shortly before September)
Example: 27. August > (The) BEFORE September
3. September > IN September
One Year Before the Before > from 27. August 2018 to 27. August 2017
All dates are only examples and we don't get a direct number or year date. We only get 'The Before' which I assume means before the month we are in and 'The After' which might mean exactly inside the month as the next chapter is already AFTER the previous month so that wouldn't make sense. The year leap I think is 1-2 (depends on chapter) years from the same month and date before.
This is only a theory and the words can actually mean something different, but it helped me with the time lines for this book!
———
The only month that didn't match the guide is December so I have a 2nd theory that we get the story pieces on purpose wrong so the titles are only meant to help us to understand in which order they are and it hasn't to do with before, after or in the month.
I also have a book guide for those who want to read books that are similar to this one.
Other books mentioned in this book:
1. Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews
2. Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
4. Push by Sapphire
These book all include either inc3st, sexual harrasment or even r@pe so make sure to read their content warnings before reading!
18. July 2024
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Torture, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Dementia, Abandonment, and Alcohol
annamwallace66's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Violence, Excrement, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
muppetymelody's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, and Gaslighting
Minor: Confinement, Homophobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Excrement, and Lesbophobia
mycatmycatandme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Physical abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Excrement and Lesbophobia
Minor: Vomit
m4rtt4's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, Violence, Excrement, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Addiction and Drug use
strawberrytheauthor's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
This book is about a young girl, Claudia, who is searching for her best friend, Monday, after not hearing from her in a long time.
I did not expect to love this book as much as I do! Read this right now!
It features an unreliable narrator with time jumps that might confuse you until the final chapter when it’s not confusing anymore! The plot twist was so not expected and made the way the book was formatted make so much sense.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Excrement, Grief, Murder, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Sexual content, Blood, and Classism
Minor: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
readingthroughinfinity's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Confinement, Physical abuse, Violence, Excrement, Grief, Lesbophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
lynxpardinus's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Dementia, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Minor: Incest, Suicide, and Kidnapping
Includes discussion of age gaps - while the main character's love interest is a year older than her, her parents are a decade apart.julienicole1106's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Excrement, Vomit, Dementia, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail