This was such an interesting book. Did not expect to like this as much as I did and was definitely not expecting the story to go in the direction that it went.
Synopsis: I don't feel as though I have ever seen an accurate synopsis of this book. Most of the other reviews I have seen also share the same shock that I did when reading. This story follows Eleanor, an odd, unfiltered and habitual woman who suffers from a traumatic past. Eleanor works through this past with new friendships and therapy as she repairs her closed-off heart.
Plot: I realize that the synopsis is quite short, but this is another character study book and not a super plot heavy storyline. That being said, I absolutely loved this. This is an important side of recovery, trauma and abuse that I personally haven't read before. It was actually chilling sometimes and kept me invested throughout the entirety of it, despite not being plot heavy. There was even a great plot twist at the end.
Characters: Eleanor is the best unlikeable character everywhere. She says everything we all think in our minds with no regrets and it was so fun to be in her mind. She is absolutely fascinating and the character growth was also incredible. Trauma in stories can be really hard to write and write correctly and I think Honeyman did an amazing job with Eleanor. Raymond was also a super great character and was so sweet and lovely the entire book. I was really worried that the book was going to turn into a romance but I was pleased that for once, a man was just a friend. And a great friend at that, Raymond was so supportive and always had the right things to say.
Overall, this was unlike anything I've ever read and I really really loved it. I came into this expecting a light-hearted fun read but came out with an emotional, warm but also hilarious novel. Took me a while to finally read this, but I am so glad I did.
4/5 stars.
TW: Emotional/mental abuse from parent, physical abuse from significant other, rape, murder of a child, alcoholism, suicidal thoughts/attempt, depression, PTSD.
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