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padancer's review against another edition
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? Yes
1.5
One star because I pity Jack and half a star for trying
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship
Moderate: Rape and Violence
streberkatze's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
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
3.0
This book works the same way as a train wreck: Unpleasant, but you can't look away. Not a single likeable character to be found, and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop the entire time. But it didn't, and that made the ending really underwhelming, unfortunately, as others have noted. The book would have benefitted from a more high-impact ending, as it really feels like this is what it's building toward. I highly recommend the audio version. It gets across the claustrophobic and uncomfortable atmosphere incredibly well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Car accident
lothwolfjedi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
2.0
Je suis déjà contente d’avoir terminé ce livre. Malgré l’écriture de qualité, plusieurs raisons pour ce rating :
1) À titre personnel, j’ai un gros problème avec les personnages qui se mettent volontairement dans des situations impossibles, je n’arrive pas à avoir d’empathie pour eux et je n’entre donc pas dans le livre
2) la fin ???? Tout ça pour ça ???? Je regrette d’avoir fini, finalement.
1) À titre personnel, j’ai un gros problème avec les personnages qui se mettent volontairement dans des situations impossibles, je n’arrive pas à avoir d’empathie pour eux et je n’entre donc pas dans le livre
2) la fin ???? Tout ça pour ça ???? Je regrette d’avoir fini, finalement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use
Moderate: Rape
bookishcookiemonster's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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
3.0
Felt like it could have been shorter. What kept me hooked was how very stressful it was to watch this character consistently make the most absurd choices and think, that in a place like the Hamptons, people wouldn't be able to trace her back to her actions. Just wanted to see if she would have to answer for her actions
Could've done without everything that happens with Jack, but I guess the author felt it was necessary to the plot to show how the messiness of Alex.
Overall, it was good, but could've been shorter.
Could've done without everything that happens with Jack, but I guess the author felt it was necessary to the plot to show how the messiness of Alex.
Overall, it was good, but could've been shorter.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Classism
Minor: Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
carojust's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
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
2.75
This is like a Gen Z version of Homer's Odyssey, where we follow a woman named Alex in her 20s through a series of missteps and a troubled cast of strangers, each with their own trauma or threats. Over the course of a few days, she is trying to get back to her boyfriend / sugar daddy, with no transportation or phone or money.
I was stressed reading this, and truly despised everyone in this book. There were out-of-character moments when Emma Cline wrote really thought-provoking commentary on elitism, relationships, abuse and sexism, but they were moments of clarity detached from the mess that was Alex, stumbling through her journey with pain killers, booze, sex and fear. She's running from an abusive man wanting his money back, while running towards her "safest" option, another man who has money, a vicious cycle.
There were lots of references to Alex thinking she was a ghost, as she moved through life as an accessory, never spoken to, and quite literally looked through. She survived by playing these strangers, by blending in, and appealing to them with sex and pleasant company. Race wasn't a factor in this, and I assumed she and everyone around her were white (lots of "blond hair," "Germanic" descriptions), so this made her deception even more frictionless as she entered these social circles.
I closed this book and was like, yep, got it, I'm depressed and slightly annoyed. And I've been here before with other "messed up pretty girl" narratives.
This is worth a read if you want something darker, grimy, reflective of today's imbalanced relationships and wealth disparity.
I was stressed reading this, and truly despised everyone in this book. There were out-of-character moments when Emma Cline wrote really thought-provoking commentary on elitism, relationships, abuse and sexism, but they were moments of clarity detached from the mess that was Alex, stumbling through her journey with pain killers, booze, sex and fear. She's running from an abusive man wanting his money back, while running towards her "safest" option, another man who has money, a vicious cycle.
There were lots of references to Alex thinking she was a ghost, as she moved through life as an accessory, never spoken to, and quite literally looked through. She survived by playing these strangers, by blending in, and appealing to them with sex and pleasant company. Race wasn't a factor in this, and I assumed she and everyone around her were white (lots of "blond hair," "Germanic" descriptions), so this made her deception even more frictionless as she entered these social circles.
I closed this book and was like, yep, got it, I'm depressed and slightly annoyed. And I've been here before with other "messed up pretty girl" narratives.
This is worth a read if you want something darker, grimy, reflective of today's imbalanced relationships and wealth disparity.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Drug abuse, Drug use, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
dyer's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Drug use, Mental illness, Rape, Stalking, and Alcohol
lily_eames's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
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
1.5
Zero plot and zero redeemable characters. Ending made absolutely no sense. Some of the writing was okay, I guess? I really wanted to like it, but it suffered from the worst cool girl, Gone Girl rip off protagonist since Ottesa Moshfegh’s universe.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse
Moderate: Rape and Sexual content
jesus_wept's review against another edition
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
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Car accident, Toxic friendship, and Classism