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clairebau's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
My critiques are few. There were too many minor characters with too-few contributions to the story at large. Like with most books, I felt the ending was a bit rushed and not as fleshed out as the beginning (which, in the case of this book, was especially carefully done). Slight deus ex machina at the end, but there was enough leading up to it that I'm not mad about it.
I'd love if this author focused less on plot-ambitious stuff and kept at the coming of age, realistic romance sort of thing, as that's what I thought she excelled at. I'll likely be rereading this one.
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and War
talonsontypewriters's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Bullying, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Rape, Self harm, and Vomit
f18's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and War
gelicoidal's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent
vel16's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
1. Its so interesting to read a book about the protagonists failing. Both Patricia and Laurence fail a lot, from the very first chapter - I like this. They are both flawed, very flawed, and whilst I usually don't get on with books with unlikeable protagonists, they're interesting enough for me to want to keep reading about them.
2. Switching perspectives is another thing I don't usually like in books, however it Works here - mainly because whichever perspective we see it from, its still mostly about both characters.
3. It is set in 3 different times - the protagonists as children, teenagers, and adults. This can be done in ways I dont like (such as Song of Achilles) however here I really liked it - the pacing was good, it didnt drag, what was needed to be told was and then the story moved on.
The reason this is 3 stars is mainly because of some weird bits towards the end. I loved loved loved the parts of the book with them as children/teens, but the adult lart of the story just didn' do much for me. I can't quite put my finger on exactly what the problem was, but it seemed like the story jumped forwards with no context or explanation. I may well have missed something, and I am looking forward to rereading the book in a few years.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts