Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - Normal People

I know that Sally Rooney's books are highly celebrated, but at first I found the third person writing style to be difficult to read, especially since she doesn't use quotation marks for dialogue. But over time I got more used to it and more interested in the characters!

I liked the relationship between the two main characters but I have to admit the last 3rd of the book was pretty sad, and because of that I had to decrease the rating.

This was probably done because both characters experienced trauma and the author likely wanted to show that you can't outrun your problems. But since the characters were much happier before, it leaves the reader wondering why they couldn't recover again. Honestly it's quite depressing because it implies that you cannot grow out of your trauma and it will come back to haunt you.

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aishaabdelhamid's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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lilygeller's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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haley_mil_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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komiification's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Completely devastating how people can love each other so much yet can continue to hurt each other. Can never really talk to each other. Alongside this theme, as well as other points relating to genocide (which is still, upsettingly, relevant to today), and the way people now engage with literature without this political edge, this is, easily a modern classic.

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mooncraftbujo's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Do not get the hype at all. I like the reflection on toxic relationships but there is not a single character in this story that I liked or felt an emotional connection to, and I fully got the ick from none if the dialogue being in quotation marks.

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mugsandmanuscripts's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I'm finding this one hard to rate, because I think it's well done, but parts were excruciating to read. It doesn't work for me as a romance, but it works as a character-based, coming-of-age litfic novel.

A short summary: this is a dual POV story that follows the relationship and growth of the two main characters, Marianne and Connell. Connell struggles with anxiety and depression. Marianne comes from an abusive home and is bullied at school, but finds more popularity in college, where she begins a lot of self-destructive behaviors. Both suffer from self-esteem issues and terrible communication with each other. Those issues repeatedly push them apart, but they continue to orbit each other and fall into one another's gravity.

I think I would have liked the novel slightly better if it had focused on one of the characters rather than both, but then miscommunication was so awful between the characters that perhaps the second character wouldn't have been translatable without the second POV. But there was so much going on with both of them—Marianne's spiral features relationships with sadistic men, an eating disorder, and terrible friends. Connell struggles with intense social anxiety. They are only ever comfortable with each other, and yet they are inscrutable to one another.

Ultimately, I think this is a story that holds both despair and hope and was so believable that it hurt. The characters really did feel real. I liked it, but it's not one I'd read again.

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hannahreadsawholelot's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This novel made me look at the relationships and trauma I've experienced in my own life, and really assess how I'm dealing with those things, and reframing my life, motivations, and mentality surrounding them. I think everyone should read this book, as it discusses very important things, but it is not an easy read if not prepared to look inward.

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