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itsq42's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I’m so sick of the mopey millennial female protagonist whose self-obsession is labelled as chique and inventive.
Also wtf did she not literally harass that woman.
Also wtf did she not literally harass that woman.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Sexual harassment
panyasan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Gaslighting
Minor: Domestic abuse
cherie17's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Stalking
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse
dizzymisslizzy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Stalking
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
thesvnthsense's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship
cspa's review against another edition
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I enjoyed this book, and I'd like to begin by highlighting what I liked about it. The book provides insightful commentary on the relationships between influencers and followers, social media, privilege, class, and racial structures. The unnamed narrator's obsessive and erratic behavior intrigued me, as I've recently appreciated reading about unpredictable and unhinged female protagonist for added drama. However, I felt that the potential for dramatic tension wasn't fully explored to my liking, although the book remained engaging for the reasons mentioned earlier.
The commentary in the book was remarkably perceptive and thought-provoking, adding depth and sharpness to the narrative. So much so, that even with the lower raking, highly recommend reading this book for its insightfulness. While it was my favorite aspect as it encouraged deep reflection, I'm unsure if the protagonist's vibrant and unruly personality seamlessly aligned with the overarching heavier themes in the more essay-like chapters, leading to a somewhat disjointed experience.
Conversely, as someone with mild dyslexia, I found the book's format to be challenging. The abundance of run-on sentences, lengthy paragraphs that could be divided, and the absence of quotation marks for dialogue made it difficult to follow. I recognize that this style mirrors the protagonist's stream-of-consciousness narration and her unstable nature. Which I appriciate but did struggle with. At the halfway mark, I bought the audiobook to enhance my reading experience, and I regret not doing it earlier. The author's captivating narration truly brought the character to life in a authentic way my brain alone couldn’t.
My last qualm, I wish the timeline had been clearer and more linear, as the frequent shifts between past and present tense were somewhat disorienting.
In conclusion, I believe it's valuable to read due to its insightful analysis. Additionally, it's a shorter book with chapters of varying lengths so there’s no harm in giving it a shot!
Ultimately, I enjoyed it, but I didn't adore it.
The commentary in the book was remarkably perceptive and thought-provoking, adding depth and sharpness to the narrative. So much so, that even with the lower raking, highly recommend reading this book for its insightfulness. While it was my favorite aspect as it encouraged deep reflection, I'm unsure if the protagonist's vibrant and unruly personality seamlessly aligned with the overarching heavier themes in the more essay-like chapters, leading to a somewhat disjointed experience.
Conversely, as someone with mild dyslexia, I found the book's format to be challenging. The abundance of run-on sentences, lengthy paragraphs that could be divided, and the absence of quotation marks for dialogue made it difficult to follow. I recognize that this style mirrors the protagonist's stream-of-consciousness narration and her unstable nature. Which I appriciate but did struggle with. At the halfway mark, I bought the audiobook to enhance my reading experience, and I regret not doing it earlier. The author's captivating narration truly brought the character to life in a authentic way my brain alone couldn’t.
My last qualm, I wish the timeline had been clearer and more linear, as the frequent shifts between past and present tense were somewhat disorienting.
In conclusion, I believe it's valuable to read due to its insightful analysis. Additionally, it's a shorter book with chapters of varying lengths so there’s no harm in giving it a shot!
Ultimately, I enjoyed it, but I didn't adore it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
thebigameiseverynight's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Emotional abuse
rachela_7's review against another edition
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship and Stalking
Moderate: Domestic abuse
withlivjones's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Reading this felt like watching reality TV. Unfortunately, I don’t like watching reality TV.
The premise was very intriguing, and I am generally a fan of unlikeable characters. I really liked the commentary on race and class at first, but eventually it started to sound like Patel was saying the same thing each time in very slightly different ways. The prose reads like slam poetry at times and jury’s still out on whether or not I enjoyed it. I did laugh at a few of the chapter titles, though, they felt very Tumblr-esque. I see myself potentially returning to this book in the future in case I missed the hype the first time around.
The premise was very intriguing, and I am generally a fan of unlikeable characters. I really liked the commentary on race and class at first, but eventually it started to sound like Patel was saying the same thing each time in very slightly different ways. The prose reads like slam poetry at times and jury’s still out on whether or not I enjoyed it. I did laugh at a few of the chapter titles, though, they felt very Tumblr-esque. I see myself potentially returning to this book in the future in case I missed the hype the first time around.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Physical abuse
Minor: Racism and Sexism
bookwormteddy's review against another edition
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
1.75
i’m gonna be honest, i struggled with this book. like. i get it, right? comparing yourself to, feeling inferior to, and fighting for attention from seemingly mediocre, rich white people makes you crazy. been there, felt that! we get a lot of discussion of race dynamics, class, white feminism, performative allyship without really expanding on them in any meaningful way. these things are harmful, not because they’re by-products of oppressive systems but because they just? piss the narrator off?
there is very little plot, which typically doesn’t bother me, but i cared so little for the few characters we met that i found myself getting so frustrated with the narrator. she is so unlikeable that i never really felt bad for her. i found myself yelling, girl get off the floor!! go to therapy!! stop it!!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content, and Stalking
Minor: Domestic abuse