You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Scan barcode
ravensalwaysreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body horror, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
daysanchez's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Death, Drug use, Suicide, and Death of parent
uranaishi's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Child death, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Vomit, and Classism
ladiwallace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Infertility, Miscarriage, Suicide, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Alcoholism, Confinement, Infidelity, and Violence
filipacarvalho's review against another edition
- 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
2.5
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, Abortion, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide, Violence, and Car accident
Minor: Infidelity
katsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"It's hard being left behind... It's hard to be the one who stays... Why is love intensified by absence?"
I had a lot of feelings about this novel. I originally thought I would give this 4 or 5 stars because when I initially finished reading, the story evoked a lot of emotion for me and I felt so melancholic at the end of the novel. However, now that I've had some time to sit with it, I also have some critiques. First off, I loved the writing. It was emotional and really packed a punch. I also liked the format. The dual perspectives and multiple timelines were interesting but not overly confusing. I also really enjoyed how Henry and Clare's characters were not perfect and I found the fact that their flaws were not downplayed very refreshing. Now a few things of which I wasn't a huge fan. The scenes where older Henry visited young Clare made me cringe. It was very clear that Henry didn't want to cross any lines but every scene just felt a bit like grooming to me. I applaud the author for exploring the implications of that part of the plot but the scenes just didn't quite sit well with me. I also really disliked the representation of some of the side characters. It was written almost 20 years ago but having both Henry and Clare grow up with women of color as pseudo-mother figures felt incredibly tokenistic to me. It felt very much like the author was trying to have some kind of diverse representation but didn't know how to do that authentically. The last thing I really hated was Gomez. His character was the worst! And I still don't really understand what the purpose of his character was to begin with. It really feels like he was just there for me to hate. Overall, this book was just okay for me.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Infertility, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent