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A review by megelizabeth
Only Ever Yours by Louise O'Neill
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
"They have told us that in order to succeed we need to be good girls, we need to follow the rules, we need to look pretty and speak nicely and be pleasant. I’ve tried. I’ve waved every last hair on my body. I have taken my pills. I have gone to bed hungry every night since I was four years old."
The first thing I'll say about this book, and my overarching feeling about it, is that it's A LOT. I honestly don't think I'll ever quite recover from how traumatic a read it is. It definitely falls into the category of 'too much' for me personally, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book at all. It's extremely clever, it's well-written, the characters are well-drawn, it has lots of important things to say - it's a harrowing, stomach-churning read, but rightly so considering its terrifyingly believable take on where misogyny could lead.
I'm still struggling to fully cement my feelings as I definitely believe that a book can be at the same time too much for me and a struggle to get through not because it's bad but just because the subject matter is so horrific, and whilst I don't think those are feelings that can only coexist for adults, I do know that I would have been even more affected by this if I'd read it as a teenager. It's hard because I don't at all think that the topics explored should be shied away from or restricted to adults, but equally this was, again, such A LOT and does have the potential to be extremely triggering in multiple ways. I'm ultimately undecided as to whether I think it would've worked better as an adult book than a YA, so do take this review with a pinch of salt, and as I've said (and as indicated by my rating) I do think it's overall a good book - just one that ripped away part of my soul :)))))
(PLEASE please please, more so than usual, check content warnings if planning to read this!!!!!!)
The first thing I'll say about this book, and my overarching feeling about it, is that it's A LOT. I honestly don't think I'll ever quite recover from how traumatic a read it is. It definitely falls into the category of 'too much' for me personally, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book at all. It's extremely clever, it's well-written, the characters are well-drawn, it has lots of important things to say - it's a harrowing, stomach-churning read, but rightly so considering its terrifyingly believable take on where misogyny could lead.
I'm still struggling to fully cement my feelings as I definitely believe that a book can be at the same time too much for me and a struggle to get through not because it's bad but just because the subject matter is so horrific, and whilst I don't think those are feelings that can only coexist for adults, I do know that I would have been even more affected by this if I'd read it as a teenager. It's hard because I don't at all think that the topics explored should be shied away from or restricted to adults, but equally this was, again, such A LOT and does have the potential to be extremely triggering in multiple ways. I'm ultimately undecided as to whether I think it would've worked better as an adult book than a YA, so do take this review with a pinch of salt, and as I've said (and as indicated by my rating) I do think it's overall a good book - just one that ripped away part of my soul :)))))
(PLEASE please please, more so than usual, check content warnings if planning to read this!!!!!!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death