docb’s review of Everything was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt > Likes and Comments
97 likes · Like
I agree that this book had very little purpose. An empty concept, little plot, and pathologized characters left me feeling empty and wishing I had my four hours back!
I was so angry!! And like people REALLY loved this? Did we read the same book?!
Omg I thought I commented on this! Did the author acknowledge his use of Vonnegut’s quote as the title? Like, is this book using/in dialogue with his work (Slaughter-House Five) orrrrr…?
Honestly I literally don’t even remember. My first instinct is no we never got anywhere close to acknowledgment. Part of what drew me to request the ARC was the reference!!
This fully encapsulates how I felt. The whole book felt like it was trying to have flowery, weighty prose. Its attempts at depth felt incredibly forced instead of naturally flowing onto the page.
I’m 82% through this book and I agree. Sad and boring and no real nuance on death which is what I was expecting.
chump. wrote: "This fully encapsulates how I felt. The whole book felt like it was trying to have flowery, weighty prose. Its attempts at depth felt incredibly forced instead of naturally flowing onto the page." yes! absolutely agree at the forced nature of the whole thing, someone trying to understand death instead of someone who does
Kez wrote: "I’m 82% through this book and I agree. Sad and boring and no real nuance on death which is what I was expecting." by 82% I was so over it! I may or may not have skimmed quite a bit toward the end...
I agree with this review completely. I didn’t include it in my review, but multiple times I was thinking, “of course a man wrote this and genuinely thinks they did something”. I found several parts, like the descriptions of people jumping in front of the trains to simply be trauma porn. Dahlia as a midwife was never attached to her work seemingly and she was deeply lacking considering she was supposed to be the representation of the opposing force of Travis.
Agree completely! If you want a better read on the subject, I highly recommend Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle.
Same feelings. I actually gave up reading about 2/3 the way through, right after L’s death. This should be the point in a story when I’m feverishly reading and can’t put the book down. But it was just so boring.
Maddy wrote: "I agree with this review completely. I didn’t include it in my review, but multiple times I was thinking, “of course a man wrote this and genuinely thinks they did something”. I found several parts..." couldn't agree more!
Marie wrote: "Agree completely! If you want a better read on the subject, I highly recommend Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle." thank you for this rec!!
Lauren wrote: "Same feelings. I actually gave up reading about 2/3 the way through, right after L’s death. This should be the point in a story when I’m feverishly reading and can’t put the book down. But it was j..." so so boring, I couldn't wait for it to be over
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Ten Cats
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Jul 14, 2026 08:18AM
I agree that this book had very little purpose. An empty concept, little plot, and pathologized characters left me feeling empty and wishing I had my four hours back!
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I was so angry!! And like people REALLY loved this? Did we read the same book?!
Omg I thought I commented on this! Did the author acknowledge his use of Vonnegut’s quote as the title? Like, is this book using/in dialogue with his work (Slaughter-House Five) orrrrr…?
Honestly I literally don’t even remember. My first instinct is no we never got anywhere close to acknowledgment. Part of what drew me to request the ARC was the reference!!
This fully encapsulates how I felt. The whole book felt like it was trying to have flowery, weighty prose. Its attempts at depth felt incredibly forced instead of naturally flowing onto the page.
I’m 82% through this book and I agree. Sad and boring and no real nuance on death which is what I was expecting.
chump. wrote: "This fully encapsulates how I felt. The whole book felt like it was trying to have flowery, weighty prose. Its attempts at depth felt incredibly forced instead of naturally flowing onto the page." yes! absolutely agree at the forced nature of the whole thing, someone trying to understand death instead of someone who does
Kez wrote: "I’m 82% through this book and I agree. Sad and boring and no real nuance on death which is what I was expecting." by 82% I was so over it! I may or may not have skimmed quite a bit toward the end...
I agree with this review completely. I didn’t include it in my review, but multiple times I was thinking, “of course a man wrote this and genuinely thinks they did something”. I found several parts, like the descriptions of people jumping in front of the trains to simply be trauma porn. Dahlia as a midwife was never attached to her work seemingly and she was deeply lacking considering she was supposed to be the representation of the opposing force of Travis.
Agree completely! If you want a better read on the subject, I highly recommend Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle.
Same feelings. I actually gave up reading about 2/3 the way through, right after L’s death. This should be the point in a story when I’m feverishly reading and can’t put the book down. But it was just so boring.
Maddy wrote: "I agree with this review completely. I didn’t include it in my review, but multiple times I was thinking, “of course a man wrote this and genuinely thinks they did something”. I found several parts..." couldn't agree more!
Marie wrote: "Agree completely! If you want a better read on the subject, I highly recommend Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle." thank you for this rec!!
Lauren wrote: "Same feelings. I actually gave up reading about 2/3 the way through, right after L’s death. This should be the point in a story when I’m feverishly reading and can’t put the book down. But it was j..." so so boring, I couldn't wait for it to be over
