Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - My Year of Rest and Relaxation

Wow, I really don’t know where to begin with this one. I was attracted to the premise because I do think that engaging in rest is an act of rebellion in our capitalistic society, so I was curious to see what this would look like for the main character as she sought healing. While trauma and poor mental health can lead to maladaptive behaviors, I found myself very frustrated with the main character, her shitty behaviors, and complete apathy (and maybe actual hatred??) for every person she interacted with. As a very relational person, I struggled to relate and empathize with her. I also struggled on this front when it came to the MC’s privilege— you’re telling me that you have the financial means necessary to completely take off work for a year and still have plenty of financial stability and you choose to spend that *entire* year drugging yourself to sleep? I feel that there are other (more effective) ways to grow and heal as a person, but that’s just me… I’m a big fan of sleep (nap queen, truly), but I fail to see how abusing sleep medications so you can sleep literally all the time is healing and allows a fresh start. And in those waking moments, the focus is on “I’m still beautiful despite how others would look in my situation” and “Ew, how gross that other people are experiencing feelings and grief”. All of this paired with a “redemption/growth arc” that consisted of the MC finding beauty and meaning as she repeatedly watches a news clip of a woman jumping out of the Twin Towers on 9/11 just felt icky. Overall, I appreciate the nuance when it comes to depicting the human experience, but… this just wasn’t it for me.

Content Warnings

soupygirly's review against another edition

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dark slow-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

I have never read something like this before. Annoyingly repetitive and boring but so captivating and beautifully written at the same time.

The last sentence left me stunned because I couldn’t believe that there was no other page coming after this. The narrator needs professional help and definitely not from Dr. Tuttle. I fear I didn’t exactly hate her though… in a way I kind of got her. Couldn’t really blame her somehow. For some things. The ending left me unsatisfied, as already predicted halfway through.

I’m undecided about recommending this book. The concept itself was intriguing, that’s why I picked it up in the first place, but it definitely could have been used better. After reading various reviews I came to the conclusion that it has the potential to change your life but it probably will not. Very overrated in my opinion.

Gonna take a nap now. ⋆⭒˚☾⋆.˚

Content Warnings

tindomerell's review against another edition

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reflective sad slow-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? It's complicated

2.75

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ewicht830's review against another edition

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fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

2.75

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krosebooks's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Majority of the book is kinda a sleep haze. The writing style is uniquely weird like a dream that doesn’t make any sense. She transforms her self harm into a form of meditation, letting her subconscious do the work.

The ending is amazingly dark and beautiful.

Content Warnings

kirtreads's review against another edition

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reflective slow-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

3.25

I am not quite sure what all the hype is on this one. I spent the whole book waiting for anything interesting to happen and it really didn't. The ending of the book was a let down. The main character is insufferable, her best friend is also annoying. I get that this is supposed to be a look at the way that we deal with grief and trauma but it was just not doing it. The crazy psych was the best part about this book. This was just not it for me.

Content Warnings

roshnimc's review against another edition

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dark reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Very well written. The characters are not meant to be liked but are drawn so three-dimensional that we could identify them if we met them.

Content Warnings

hurricaneherder's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad medium-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

4.0

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