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savvyrosereads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Literary fiction about the Stocktons, a wealthy New York family, as they grapple with their identities and issues of class and personal happiness.
What you have to understand about this book is basically nothing happens. It’s slow and character driven and heavily focused on rich people’s problems. If you don’t like those vibes, you probably won’t enjoy the book.
But if you DO like those vibes (and I very much do), then you might LOVE this one (and I did). The audio narration, by the incomparable Marin Ireland, was outstanding, and I was so entertained the entire time. The characters really grew on me, and I’m actually sad that I’ve finished the book and I can’t just go and check in on them. If you want a slower moving, but deeply engaging, character driven read, then this is definitely one to pick up.
CW: Death/grief; mental health; drug/alcohol use
Literary fiction about the Stocktons, a wealthy New York family, as they grapple with their identities and issues of class and personal happiness.
What you have to understand about this book is basically nothing happens. It’s slow and character driven and heavily focused on rich people’s problems. If you don’t like those vibes, you probably won’t enjoy the book.
But if you DO like those vibes (and I very much do), then you might LOVE this one (and I did). The audio narration, by the incomparable Marin Ireland, was outstanding, and I was so entertained the entire time. The characters really grew on me, and I’m actually sad that I’ve finished the book and I can’t just go and check in on them. If you want a slower moving, but deeply engaging, character driven read, then this is definitely one to pick up.
CW: Death/grief; mental health; drug/alcohol use
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Grief
Moderate: Drug use, Mental illness, and Alcohol
catie_cat's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
This story was incredible. It tackles many difficult topics and subjects in a way I found to be refreshing. The characters are relatable and seem like they could be average people we meet and not some over the top fiction. I loved this story and highly recommend the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Classism
lisasilv's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
In good news, this is a relatively short book that doesn’t require brain power. In bad news, the characters are meant to be hated, the plot never has any interesting twists, and the ending is kind of dumb. There’s very little growth from any of the characters, and it’s a book about snotty privileged kids. This was definitely not a favorite of mine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Grief, and Pregnancy
elizatess17's review against another edition
reflective
medium-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, and Grief
aharper's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Grief, Pregnancy, and Classism
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
eskies's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Infidelity, Grief, and Classism
leenzreadz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
lighthearted
tense
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
It is an easy read and you can finish in a day or over a weekend, but I'm not sure who the target audience is. If it's the 1%, more specifically old money families, as a mirror to themselves and satire on their life then so be it. Otherwise it is not very relatable and the characters were unlikable. I found it quite tone deaf even when the characters had feelings/experiences that would make them more relatable. Not a fan, unfortunately, but if folks like to escape reality and imagine having "rich problems" this is the one for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Grief, and Classism
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Fatphobia, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship
bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
This was an entertaining read. I admit that going in i had expected something more substantive, but i think the story was well executed for what it was trying to do. i veered between sympathy and disgust for the pov characters throughout the book and thought the message the author was trying to convey was well illustrated. It didn’t get as deep into some of the issues addressed in the book as i would have liked, and the way conflict resolved themselves was not as satisfying as i would have liked
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism
Moderate: Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Racism, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
sjwin3's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Racism
sakisreads's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Someone wrote ‘If you want to read about rich peoples’ problems, read this’ and I felt that 😂
This book made me feel a bit conflicted, because in some parts I felt fully invested and in others I felt like shaking the characters and saying ‘We should go to therapy!’ 😳
Malcolm was my favourite character by far, but I can appreciate the Stocktons’ growth 😊
3.5 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨
This book made me feel a bit conflicted, because in some parts I felt fully invested and in others I felt like shaking the characters and saying ‘We should go to therapy!’ 😳
Malcolm was my favourite character by far, but I can appreciate the Stocktons’ growth 😊
3.5 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief