Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

378 reviews

emilybee23's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad 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

5.0


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vb_marie's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

A narrative self-help book with a creative twist. The premise is different from what I've come across in this genre. However, the writing could have been a bit better.  I felt the first few chapters could have been a little shorter and less cliché. Additionally, some of the dialogue seemed stiff and unrealistic.

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chikyo's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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vnram's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring reflective 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

4.5


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haiiley01's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book found me at what seems like the perfect time. Nora's inability to cope with the life she was living felt all too familiar to me, and watching her grow to appreciate the small things in life was something I didn't know I needed. I finished listening to this book this evening, which felt significant for me as it is my 23rd birthday, it just seemed to remind me that my life is something that is lived in chapters and stages; as Mrs. Elm would say, "Things will get better." 

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sarabrogan's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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whatdidshedraw's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I wish I had found this book sooner, but I’m glad that I found it now. I had to put it down to cry at several points because Nora’s regrets and struggles hit so close to home. For someone who lives with depression and anxiety, this is both an empowering story and a compassionate wake-up call. 

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hello_ned's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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

5.0

Re-read this book for maybe the 5th time, ready to meet Matt Haig soon :)

I've cried many times over this book, not really this time because Ive just read it so often and also pretty recently. But it still reminded my why I love this book so much. Right now I'm in a major point of change in my life, and there's just so much in my hands that I can do or not do and it can change my life forever.

"Doing one thing differently is very often the same as doing everything differently."

I'm very much guilty of "life fright"  and I love Matt Haig's idea that the only way to learn is to live, so you've got to do things even if you gotta do things scared. 

After reading "The Life Impossible," I read some of his other famous books, and it really struck me how much of his books are interconnected, based on his experiences, and share ideas with "The Life Impossible."
Theres a couple lines here that resonate with that.

"I wanted to be somewhere he had never been. I wanted somewhere where I didn't have to feel his ghost. But the truth is, it only half works, you know? Places are places and memories are memories and life is fucking life."

This reminds me of Matt Haig talking about his experience in Ibiza, where he thought he could escape that place and escape his feelings. But it isn't the place that carries all the hurt, and running away from it won't fix you. 

Here are some more quotes I absolutely love from this book.

"You have yourself in quite high esteem there"
"Shouldn't I? I mean, Shouldn't everyone, what's wrong with self-esteem"

"You're overthinking it."
"I have anxiety. I have no other type of thinking available"

"We spend so much of our time wishing our lives were different, comparing ourselves to other people and other versions of ourselves."

"Howl howl howl howl
(Motherfucker)"

"It seems impossible to live without hurting people."
"Well, in fairness, dying hurts people too."

" "Im all right. I'm all right. I'm all right. I'm all right." Each 'all right' got progressively closer to tears, then horse-shoed back around to calm again."

"The prison wasn't the place, but the perspective."

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lane_livs's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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strangelet's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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