Reviews with content warning for Self harm - Chlorine

wow. i did not expect that. i went into this not knowing much and i think that is the best way to go into it but definitely check the trigger warnings. chlorine is a dark coming of age novel about the horrors of girlhood, being a competitive swimmer with the pressures of being an athlete and the desire to become who you are truly are. it was hard to read at times but i couldn’t put the book down. it’s weird, alluring, surreal and very queer. i don’t think this is for everyone though but a great debut novel.

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nicole625's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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xxbrismxx's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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gothradiohour's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

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pucksandpaperbacks's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense

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

CW: Depictions and descriptions of self harm & body horror, racism, emotional, physical, and verbal abuse, sexual assault, medical content, toxic relationship w/ adult, inappropriate relations with an adult; concussion; mention & depictions of an eating disorder; suicidal thoughts.

I received the audiobook from Libro.fm for review. All opinions are my own.

Chlorine is not a tame book whatsoever. If you've been in the swimming world especially as a student athlete, you'll relate to Ren's story of the pressure that comes with wanting to be the best and when the adults around you are the abusers. I enjoyed the writing, storytelling, and especially the dual POV of Cathy and Ren.

Catherine Ho does a fantastic job with Ren's voice and adding the horror elements when necessary.

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bee_03's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

i enjoyed the premise and themes within the story, but ultimately i couldn't connect to the story as much as i wanted to due to the writing style. i thought the anticipation was done well though; while i went into the story suspecting what the climax would be, it was the anticipation for it that kept me reading. overall, a unique story, and i'm interested to see what the author comes up with in the future.

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charlesalexander's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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pookiee's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No

3.25

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