Reviews tagging 'Chronic illness'

Love in the Big City by Sang Young Park

18 reviews

marianaribeiro's review against another edition

reflective sad slow-paced

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

2.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Terminal illness, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Toxic relationship

felicityj's review against another edition

dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Death of parent

sydneybedell's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

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

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Chronic illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Fatphobia and Death of parent

Minor: Alcohol and Drug use

tesschair's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, and Terminal illness

Moderate: Fatphobia and Suicidal thoughts

Spoiler

the main character lives with hiv/aids

savvylit's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

4.0

This novel discusses the ups and downs of multiple types of love - platonic love, familial love, toxic love, queer love, and true love. Being as this book's timeline begins while he is still in university, Young is a (self-aware) hot mess for much of this novel as he figures out what kind of adult he wants to be. Spoiler alert: like most of us, he never really lands on one path for life guidance. Rather, Young remains unabashedly himself while continuing to ride the ups and downs of life, bouncing from job to job and romantic relationship to romantic relationship. His narration is delightful, relatable, often heartbreaking, and reflective.

Overall, Love in the Big City is a millennial new-adult novel about how simultaneously difficult and beautiful it can be to give your love to another person.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Outing, Grief, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Terminal illness, Suicide attempt, and Homophobia

himangi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Addiction, Homophobia, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Adult/minor relationship, Ableism, Blood, Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Vomit and Stalking

liv_txt's review against another edition

dark emotional funny reflective sad 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? Yes

3.25

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Alcohol, Fatphobia, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, Cancer, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, and Sexual content

redphonebooth3's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

5.0

Where do I even start. This book is phenomenal. And that's coming from me, a person who isn't usually interested in contemporary literature. I feel like I could relate to the main character so well. Some issues he went through were very recognizable and we're things I'm going through as we speak even. The way relationships are depicted, be it platonic or romantic or familial, is so incredibly realistic it becomes painful and painfully relatable. I've always loved character driven stories. And this truly is top tier for me. The MC is so deeply flawed, I disliked him at several points. Yet it just made me want to keep reading. 
Despite my grudge against this Dutch translation, I will be scoring this with the full five stars. Those last few lines made me CRY.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Religious bigotry, and Chronic illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Hate crime, Homophobia, Abortion, Medical content, and Suicidal thoughts

mmefish's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective sad fast-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

4.5

I took out a low, foldable table from under the bed and wiped the dust with a wet wipe. No matter how much I wiped, there was still dust—how very much like everything else in my life.

Rain still falls during the late rainy season, as do tears even when it's too late.

I have a soft spot for books like this.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Homophobia, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, and Abortion

Minor: Religious bigotry, Death, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Car accident

morebedsidebooks's review against another edition

emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.0

 

But is love truly beautiful?
To me, love is a thing you can’t stop when you’re caught up in it, a brief moment you can escape from only after it turns into the most hideous thing imaginable when you distance yourself from it. 
 

If you’re searching for something more down to earth, this huge bestseller in South Korea inspired by author by Sang Young Park’s own experiences or those around him following a young gay man and his reflections on modern love and life across more than a decade of adulthood can be maturely mellow together with some sensitive and heavy subjects. Love in the Big Citywas as well worthy of all the buzz in literary Anglophone circles in recent years thanks to the superb English translation by Anton Hur. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Chronic illness, Alcoholism, Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Death, Cancer, Abortion, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy