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skudiklier's reviews
602 reviews
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.5
It's written well, and Mungo is a likable and sympathetic character (especially his autism, which I immediately related to). But overall this book is just too sad, dark, and upsetting to me. I didn't get enough out of it for the darkness to be worth it. I might have DNF'd it if it wasn't for a book club I'm hosting; the time pressure was my only real motivation to keep reading. I didn't even necessarily want to know what would happen, because I knew it wouldn't be good.
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Murder, Abandonment, and Classism
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Outing
Minor: Fatphobia
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Fatphobia, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child death and Domestic abuse
Did not finish book. Stopped at 6%.
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Confinement, Drug use, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Mental illness, Slavery, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Murder, Pregnancy, and Outing
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Classism
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Blood, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Suicide
- 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
4.75
(Also I normally wouldn't comment on the sex scenes specifically, good or bad, because that's embarrassing to me lmao. I would prefer to not acknowledge that when idk who will read this. So it's a mark of just how good they were that I feel the need to at least mention it in my review!)
Sometimes I start a (straight) romance and the male lead is described as so rude and humorless that I have no idea how they're going to bring me around to liking him by the end, or thinking he's a good fit for the female lead. This was one of those, but Biller did indeed end up putting me firmly on the side of the relationship! I love them together and really enjoyed this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Graphic: Child abuse, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Moderate: Death, Vomit, Death of parent, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Domestic abuse
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I don't know. I did enjoy it in a way, and it was compelling, and I found myself rooting for Alex in spite of myself. But I don't think I'd recommend it to anyone. Maybe it's just not my kind of book. I'd love to hear someone argue for why it's good/what its purpose is beyond just being tense and stressful and somewhat entertaining.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, Stalking, Car accident, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for the chance to read and review this ARC.
Graphic: Sexism and Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Drug use, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Transphobia, Police brutality, Grief, and Pregnancy
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The audiobook narrators were all great as well.
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicide, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Cursing, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Pregnancy
Minor: Racism and Death of parent
5.0
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, and Sexual content