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strangelet's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
daisymoffit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
hayleythegoose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Death, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Drug use, Self harm, Terminal illness, and Vomit
Minor: Animal cruelty, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Sexual harassment
amandaamodeo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
tessamd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
kastix's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal death, Cancer, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Stalking, and Sexual harassment
cassiacow's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I personally found the writing style a bit too 'simple' - much like Coelho's The Alchemist, it is clearly written as a self-help book under a superficial story. The philosophy that was discussed also didn't resonate with my particular brand of depression - but it was still interesting to read through the lens of someone with different struggles to me.
However, this was such an easy read and one that definitely could help someone reading it at the right time - if you are paralysed by regrets about your life, for example, this book is definitely worth a read. I read it at a time when I've been feeling very unsure about my future, at the recommendation of a friend - and I can see how it would help some people in that scenario, but I don't feel I got as much out of it as some people did.
Overall, really enjoyed this book! Definitely a quick easy one that anyone feeling a bit lost can try.
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, and Vomit
riverofhorton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
noodlesny's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Self harm, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
haileyhardcover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
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Oooh we’re gonna get honest and dark with this review, folks… buckle up or back out now!
I’ve been suicidal (always passively, and sometimes actively) since I was 6-years-old. That’s not a typo. I can very clearly remember sitting in my childhood bedroom, legs dangling off of the edge of my red bunk bed, and thinking “I’m going to kill myself.” I’ve managed to trick myself into staying alive for the last 30 years, but I can’t say it’s been easy and I’ve made a lot of choices I wish I could take back - closed a lot of doors I wish I had walked through, run through others that I should have slammed shut. In the really dark moments the thing I regret most is not just ending things when I was 6 or 16 or 26. A whole book of regrets.
The concept of The Midnight Library really appealed to me. On the edge of death, Nora is given the opportunity to address her greatest regrets and sample the lives she could have had if she’d made different choices, in the hopes of find one where she could be happy - one where she would want to keep living. Spoiler Alert:
Maybe it’s wrong for me to hate the optimistic ending, but I do. If an anti-suicide message was the goal (and of course it was, because who is out here writing pro-suicide novels?) I truly would’ve preferred the gut punch ending of Nora realizing her root life was the best one for her and still dying anyway. A “learn from this character’s mistake” kind of approach. You made your death bed, now die in it.
Disappointing ending aside, it’s not a bad book, but it’s not great either. I can’t say I particularly liked any of the characters, it’s difficult to stay grounded in a story that’s primarily spent jumping between different lives, and there were plot points that were just fully abandoned (like Hugo and the other “sliders”… why even bother with that?) but it’s an enjoyable enough concept, easy to binge, and most of the chapters are very short, which I love. I doubt I would pick this book up again, but it was a decent way to occupy my brain for a couple of days.
Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury