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arlaubscher'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
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Grief, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Biphobia and Slavery
jayne17'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? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Violence
amandas_bookshelf'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Infertility
paigereitz'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? It's complicated
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Classism
Minor: Deadnaming, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
catherineallsop'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? It's complicated
4.5
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Addiction, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Rape, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
hannahbailey'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? Yes
4.5
Generally I prefer not to read character-vignette novels written in third-person. But this novel just goes to show that when done well, I can really enjoy them! I loved the distinct voice of each character and how they would be name-dropped in one chapter only to be the main character of the next one. It built such an interesting and creative narrative without leaving me feeling I didn't know enough about them–which is usually the case for me with character-vignettes.
Surprised to see some reviews stating the character dialogue and mix of poetry/prose was hard to believe and unrealistic. I completely disagree! The inner dialogue of the female characters was relatable and familiar. I enjoyed the exploration of womanhood and motherhood and how this intersects with race in Britain. It was an interesting and sobering read.
It was almost 5 stars, but there was a part where the character overcomes drug addiction by sheer willpower–they literally stay at home for a week without any form of support and somehow recovers? This didn't feel realistic to me especially given the vulnerability and young age of the character. That said, this was one of the chapters that really stood out to me in its exploration of body/gender dysphoria and trans joy.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Dysphoria, and Classism
lilacwhisker'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
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Police brutality
mme_carton'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? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Self harm, Slavery, Excrement, and War
Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, and Infertility
orlagal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Child death, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Trafficking, Grief, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Outing, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, and Classism
parasolcrafter'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Abandonment