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aaronreadsatad's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Car accident
Moderate: Ableism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
emilyacv's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
This was a slow burn for me. I found the plot very interesting - it’s about a 13 year old girl, Anna, who files for medical emancipation from her parents after she has undergone countless surgeries and transfusions to help her sister who has leukaemia. Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for her sister and so the book deals with impossible choices and the case unfolds as a true lose/lose situation. I think I’m just not a fan of Jodi Picoult’s style of telling stories from so many different perspectives… we have a total of 6 narrators throughout this book, and I just find it takes me out of it and slows down the pace with the constant changes. This was looking like a 3 star read for me until we got to the last 1/4 of the book and the ending… the ending got me good. I also love stories from the perspective of children, and I found that Anna was portrayed in a very thoughtful way. By the end of the book, I think all of the characters are well-flushed out and it definitely leaves me with lots to think on. If the shifting perspectives doesn’t drive you mad, it’s definitely worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Blood, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
daralexandria's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Medical content and Medical trauma
bubblybelle's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
man, i was really looking forward to this book and it was honestly a big let down. don’t get me wrong, there were parts of it that were very interesting and very impactful, but a lot of it just felt like it dragged.
the characters internal monologues were often confusing and hard to follow. a lot of the metaphors felt very repetitive. and then the ending. don’t get me started on the ending!!! it completely came out of left field and for what!!!my biggest frustration with the ending truly was that we spent the WHOLE BOOK building up anna’s autonomy and sense of self, and then in the end it was ripped away from her anyway. in the end she didn’t get to be anything more than a donor. it was supposed to be anna’s story and yet it still turned around to be about her sister. not to mention the fact that it went against kate’s wishes!! and kate’s doctor’s orders!!! ugh
finally, the love story between campbell and julia was just frankly an unnecessary subplot that left a lot to be desired
the characters internal monologues were often confusing and hard to follow. a lot of the metaphors felt very repetitive. and then the ending. don’t get me started on the ending!!! it completely came out of left field and for what!!!
finally, the love story between campbell and julia was just frankly an unnecessary subplot that left a lot to be desired
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Minor: Suicide attempt and Pregnancy
pewterwolf's review against another edition
emotional
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is one of those books where it feels like every one has either read or know the vague outline of. And the author of this is one of those authors that I have been meaning to read for YEARS, but I keep putting off due to the Hype Monster that surround them and their novels.
this is very much not my typical go-to read.
And yet, I found this quite a compelling read. Even though it took me a few weeks to read (mainly because I was focused on other things so reading took a back seat), I kept coming back to this messy family drama and these quite unlikeable characters. Ok, mainly unlikeable is the wrong word. Flawed and selfish.
The parents are so focused on her ill child, they forget about their other children (the mother more than the father). The eldest son is forgotten and considered a disappointment by his parents so he acts out. Anna feels like she has no voice or choice, but is uncertain over her choices and Kate who wants some control over her life but is unable to due to her illness.
I think that, yes, even though these characters are really flawed and make/do quite unlikeable things, I found them really interesting to read as, yes, they are flawed and make some really questionable decisions, but you see where they are all coming from.
It’s a nice relief to have Anna’s lawyer, Campbell, and Julia, the court appointed Guardian ad litem storyline running alongside. We have Campbell who has a service dog but we don’t know where and we have Campbell and Julia having a teen romance, but Julia (and the reader) don’t know why Campbell
ended it.
So, as you guess, I did like it. I didn’t love it, but I think that’s because I was on my guard with it. You see, I knew that the movie adaptation of this was changed and, even though I haven’t seen the film, I knew what the ending was changed from so I knew where this was going so I couldn’t invest in these characters like I should have. But would I have liked this twist in the tale had I not known? I have no idea. I would be shocked and I think I would have been very annoyed/angry over it.
And yes, I was very aware that this book was trying to emotionally-manipulate me on multiply occasions.
While I’m not sure if this book deserves all the attention that it has received, I am glad I have finally got round to reading it and I do plan to read more Jodi Picoult in the coming months (I have my eye on either Nineteen Minutes, Small Great Things or A Spark of Light, but we shall see where I go next…)
this is very much not my typical go-to read.
And yet, I found this quite a compelling read. Even though it took me a few weeks to read (mainly because I was focused on other things so reading took a back seat), I kept coming back to this messy family drama and these quite unlikeable characters. Ok, mainly unlikeable is the wrong word. Flawed and selfish.
The parents are so focused on her ill child, they forget about their other children (the mother more than the father). The eldest son is forgotten and considered a disappointment by his parents so he acts out. Anna feels like she has no voice or choice, but is uncertain over her choices and Kate who wants some control over her life but is unable to due to her illness.
I think that, yes, even though these characters are really flawed and make/do quite unlikeable things, I found them really interesting to read as, yes, they are flawed and make some really questionable decisions, but you see where they are all coming from.
It’s a nice relief to have Anna’s lawyer, Campbell, and Julia, the court appointed Guardian ad litem storyline running alongside. We have Campbell who has a service dog but we don’t know where and we have Campbell and Julia having a teen romance, but Julia (and the reader) don’t know why Campbell
ended it.
So, as you guess, I did like it. I didn’t love it, but I think that’s because I was on my guard with it. You see, I knew that the movie adaptation of this was changed and, even though I haven’t seen the film, I knew what the ending was changed from so I knew where this was going so I couldn’t invest in these characters like I should have. But would I have liked this twist in the tale had I not known? I have no idea. I would be shocked and I think I would have been very annoyed/angry over it.
And yes, I was very aware that this book was trying to emotionally-manipulate me on multiply occasions.
While I’m not sure if this book deserves all the attention that it has received, I am glad I have finally got round to reading it and I do plan to read more Jodi Picoult in the coming months (I have my eye on either Nineteen Minutes, Small Great Things or A Spark of Light, but we shall see where I go next…)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Blood, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
mika_the_librarian's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury
naudemila_8's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content and Suicide attempt
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
slaywithsteph's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
I knew I was gonna cry, and I did, and my heart is broken.
If you liked the movie, you’ll like this, too. The movie cut out a lot about the characters.
If you liked the movie, you’ll like this, too. The movie cut out a lot about the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Moderate: Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism
annieb26's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Medical content, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Grief
hannah_beth_charles's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I found myself skipping paragraphs because some of the metaphors were so boring and unnecessary that I found it was a waste of time. I also hated Picoult's writing style and the way she made the men's POVs full of vulgar language or shallow thoughts, like "boys will be boys". I think that Anna's death was Jesse's punishment for starting fires and putting other's lives at risk. It's not fair for him to just be let off without punishment. The ending was quite surprising but and almost lazy. There's no way that Anna would have an unstrained relationship with her parents after she tried to sue them, and Kate's death would be blamed on Anna. Anna needed to die for the story to conclude. Kate becoming a ballet teacher is unrealistic and I know it was her dream, but she hadn't done ballet before, and ballet isn't a sport you can just do. It takes years of training. I couldn't care less Campbell and Julia's relationship. They're both toxic and Julia is desperate to be different. Julias losing her virginity on a gravestone was just odd. I hated that throughout the novel, Sara was trying to be redeemed as a good mother or at least trying her best in a complicated situation. She had Anna just to save Kate. She probably wouldn't have had Anna if Kate wasn't sick. What irked me most was at the end when she said that she would send her one child in a fire to save the other child and she was willing to risk losing them both. That is so selfish because Sara sacrificing their lives. That's not fair and is plain wrong. She is not put in any danger.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Terminal illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Car accident
Moderate: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Grief, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Addiction and Alcohol