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kyriannaj's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
dramagirl2003's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
i am kind of speechless
sam and sadie are basically the dream team, and marx is such a good facilitator. the author's choice of time era was perfect, and she obviously wrote from somewhat of a personal experience
p11:
sam and sadie are basically the dream team, and marx is such a good facilitator. the author's choice of time era was perfect, and she obviously wrote from somewhat of a personal experience
p11:
And yet, he knew himself and he knew he was the type of person that never called anyone, unless he was absolutely certain the advance would be welcomed.
ha! me
p39: i bet dov is her bf
p40: WHAT
p41: ha, she's right, she totally is like the solution player
p43: girlie this doesn't seem healthy, go get real friends
p66: huh? the MCs are born in '74? they're old
p82: they're not speaking again? seriously
p209: that is a twist! to be fair if this is the reason they stop speaking I can understand that
p265: purely based on the fact that one of the sections is called marriages,i predict that marx and zoe will be one of them
p267: you what
p283: don't tell memarx and sadie are the ones that get married
p331:bet she's pregnant
p335:are we sure marx is ok? like ARE WE DAMN SURE
p338: before I read any further let's have another prediction based this section title...if it's called the npc becauseMARX DIES OR SMTH AND SADIE SPENDS HER WHOLE LIFE ON MAPLEWORLD INTERACTING WITH AN NPC THEY BASE ON MARX I AM GOING TO SOB HYSTERICALLY
p340: I'M SCARED
p344: no! i'm gonna cry for poor charlotte and adam cause i bet they won't get to make their game now and they really needed this ☹️
p351: sam! that is an unnecessary insult bro
p356: NOT ANT
P360: OH THANK THE LORD
p361: OH HE FREAKING BETTER NOT!!DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE THAT CHILD WITHOUT A FATHER!!
p363:JUST HOLD ON MARX, COME ON!!!
p365: AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 😭😭😭😭😭
@esthersanderson! GIRL! DID YOU BUY ME THIS BOOK JUST TO PUT ME THROUGH ALL THIS EMOTIONAL TRAUMA???
p368: how am i supposed to move on in this book knowing thatmarx is dead??
p404: oh my goshhhh, it's the "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" speech
p446: ok this a slightly immature reason not to speak, but she's grieving so we'll forgive her
p40: WHAT
p41: ha, she's right, she totally is like the solution player
p43: girlie this doesn't seem healthy, go get real friends
p66: huh? the MCs are born in '74? they're old
p82: they're not speaking again? seriously
p209: that is a twist! to be fair if this is the reason they stop speaking I can understand that
p265: purely based on the fact that one of the sections is called marriages,
p267: you what
p283: don't tell me
p331:
p335:
p338: before I read any further let's have another prediction based this section title...if it's called the npc because
p340: I'M SCARED
p344: no! i'm gonna cry for poor charlotte and adam cause i bet they won't get to make their game now and they really needed this ☹️
p351: sam! that is an unnecessary insult bro
p356: NOT ANT
P360: OH THANK THE LORD
p361: OH HE FREAKING BETTER NOT!!
p363:
p365: AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 😭😭😭😭😭
@esthersanderson! GIRL! DID YOU BUY ME THIS BOOK JUST TO PUT ME THROUGH ALL THIS EMOTIONAL TRAUMA???
p368: how am i supposed to move on in this book knowing that
p404: oh my goshhhh, it's the "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" speech
p446: ok this a slightly immature reason not to speak, but she's grieving so we'll forgive her
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Blood, Medical content, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Vomit, Car accident, Abortion, Cultural appropriation, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
julesparra's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexism, Xenophobia, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Physical abuse, Excrement, Vomit, and Cultural appropriation
lightthebeam's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book is divided into parts, and if you think of it as the sum of those into a whole - I think readers will enjoy it more. The book doesn’t pick one time to stay in throughout, there are jumps foreword and back and the beginning features heavy foreshadowing (honestly it kinda just states the what’s to come in some parts) and doesn’t make the reader work hard in guessing how things may develop. There is a slight identity crisis in writing style and what the book is accomplishing but again if you think of it in parts, it makes more sense and is less confusing.
I did not like the sudden narrator switch, it’s something I tend to not like at all in books but I do think it worked to further the story and of course it provided a unique perspective but I found it jarring and awkward.
The characters in this book will piss you off, and while parts of it are so beautiful overall it does leave you feeling sad. Maybe that’s just me. It’s meant to leave off hopeful but it feels sorrowful instead.
I thought the middle of this book was the most beautiful - everything before the pioneer game chapters. I devoured the beginning of this book, but at the end it wasn’t as captivating and I felt like I was reading in circles, the character progression had stagnated but honestly they were just in a stagnant place which I understand. Overall I did really enjoy this book, there were just parts of the writing style I found to be a hinderance to the actual story, it felt like there was a slight identity crisis but it did make for a unique and thought provoking read.
I did not like the sudden narrator switch, it’s something I tend to not like at all in books but I do think it worked to further the story and of course it provided a unique perspective but I found it jarring and awkward.
The characters in this book will piss you off, and while parts of it are so beautiful overall it does leave you feeling sad. Maybe that’s just me. It’s meant to leave off hopeful but it feels sorrowful instead.
I thought the middle of this book was the most beautiful - everything before the pioneer game chapters. I devoured the beginning of this book, but at the end it wasn’t as captivating and I felt like I was reading in circles, the character progression had stagnated but honestly they were just in a stagnant place which I understand. Overall I did really enjoy this book, there were just parts of the writing style I found to be a hinderance to the actual story, it felt like there was a slight identity crisis but it did make for a unique and thought provoking read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
anushaaa's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Overall I was confused and intrigued by this book. It was an enjoyable read, the author didn't make us as the reader feel unintelligent by spelling anything out, but this was also a flaw because in some sections it was very confusing what was going on. There also would be little explanation for some sequences in the novel, which is why I skipped some pages near the end, something I never do with books. This could just be me, I've seen many good reviews of the book, and otherwise it grappled with themes of life very well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Suicide
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, and Xenophobia
Minor: Pregnancy
fancyjess_party's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
ebreheny25's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
5.0
Wow. This book lived up to all of its expectations. While it wasn’t as emotional of an ending as I anticipated. It still hit nonetheless. I think this should be a required reading anywhere and everywhere. So much love and admiration to Gabrielle Zevin.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Abortion, and Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Xenophobia
wilhelmena's review against another edition
3.0
This book was a fun read and mostly enjoyable, I felt that I probably won't think about it much after today, it didn't make me consider the world in a new way. I found it to be cheesy at times which is fine but considering the weighty topics at times- it made it feel too light, like it was forcing joy in where it didn't need to be. I would reccomend this to someone who likes YA, fast paced books with lots of fun and new ideas throughout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Ableism, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Abortion
tinystars's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This whole story is one big miscommunication trope. I hated all the characters by halfway through. Kept thinking it'd improve and it just got worse. So depressing with no character growth.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicide, Xenophobia, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, and Abortion
gossamer_lens's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
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
3.25
I have very mixed feelings about this book. As far as the writing style goes it is a 10/10 for me. I loved how the text bounced from past to present and from various points of view and perspectives. It was a book that kept me hooked on finishing it despite how much I disliked certain aspects of it. The writing style saved this book from being a 1.5 star.
So to talk about what I didn't like.
Characters - I basically didn't like any character in the book except for one. I didn't hate them, but I found two of the central characters to be very dry and boring. They felt like a lot was going on, but they were written to be so "real life messy" that they felt like flat characters of the phrase "people are complicated." This is fine I guess, but in real life, I hope to never be closely tied to people who are so "complicated" that they cannot think to apologize, reach out, or otherwise acknowledge their flaws. I love my friends and family and I expect some basic courtesy in return at the very least. So it was hard when literally none of the characters in the book demonstrated any knowledge of the concepts of forgiveness, therapy, communication, or establishing boundaries.
Plot - Overall this book didn't have a lot happen plot-wise. Some people do well in their careers and they all still have issues before, during, and after their successes. Not a problem... but when the book is so character based and I didn't love the characters... it made the writing style do a ton of the heavy lifting and left me hoping for more the whole way... only for it to end. Reflecting makes me realize it never gave me... "more".
Video games - I was super excited to read a book that centered video games. Over the last few years I have slowly become more and more aware of games. I was generally aware of them growing up but stuck to books. Then 2020 hit and my gamer husband (fiance at the time) got me invested in games by gifting me Animal Crossing. Since then I've played a bunch of cozy games, alongside a good smattering of fighters, platformers, Assasian's Creed, Indie games, etc. But besides that I've now watched hours upon hours of video game history video essays by developers, artists, and players. All this knowledge I thought would be helfpul and fun.
Instead, it made me vastly annoyed as I found the author gave credit to the most basic and well-known games while making up a lot of games OR taking actual games and giving them new names as if the author herself invented them. This wouldn't have bugged me so much had the writing not come across as "super gamer is making up cool ideas". At the back of the book the author makes acknowledgment to several games and to me it read as "this is what I referenced" and implied that the unmentioned things were her own invention. Looking across discussion forms and listening to my fellow book clubers talk about this book, this seems like how a lot of people read the book and her acknowledgment. I guess I don't expect a fiction book to have an annotated bibliography... but I expect more of an author than taking people's real-life work and not acknowledging them at all AND changing the names of games to try and hide that she is essentially taking others work and writing those concepts into her work.
I could write a dissertation on what all this author drew from real-life artists' work without acknowledging it. But the most egregious example is probably that of her not giving credit to a Jewish woman whom she not just took the game from but also some of the surrounding circumstances. Just very odd and the Washington Post goes into it in more detail here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/03/24/train-board-game-brenda-romero-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow/
So to talk about what I didn't like.
Characters - I basically didn't like any character in the book except for one. I didn't hate them, but I found two of the central characters to be very dry and boring. They felt like a lot was going on, but they were written to be so "real life messy" that they felt like flat characters of the phrase "people are complicated." This is fine I guess, but in real life, I hope to never be closely tied to people who are so "complicated" that they cannot think to apologize, reach out, or otherwise acknowledge their flaws. I love my friends and family and I expect some basic courtesy in return at the very least. So it was hard when literally none of the characters in the book demonstrated any knowledge of the concepts of forgiveness, therapy, communication, or establishing boundaries.
Plot - Overall this book didn't have a lot happen plot-wise. Some people do well in their careers and they all still have issues before, during, and after their successes. Not a problem... but when the book is so character based and I didn't love the characters... it made the writing style do a ton of the heavy lifting and left me hoping for more the whole way... only for it to end. Reflecting makes me realize it never gave me... "more".
Video games - I was super excited to read a book that centered video games. Over the last few years I have slowly become more and more aware of games. I was generally aware of them growing up but stuck to books. Then 2020 hit and my gamer husband (fiance at the time) got me invested in games by gifting me Animal Crossing. Since then I've played a bunch of cozy games, alongside a good smattering of fighters, platformers, Assasian's Creed, Indie games, etc. But besides that I've now watched hours upon hours of video game history video essays by developers, artists, and players. All this knowledge I thought would be helfpul and fun.
Instead, it made me vastly annoyed as I found the author gave credit to the most basic and well-known games while making up a lot of games OR taking actual games and giving them new names as if the author herself invented them. This wouldn't have bugged me so much had the writing not come across as "super gamer is making up cool ideas". At the back of the book the author makes acknowledgment to several games and to me it read as "this is what I referenced" and implied that the unmentioned things were her own invention. Looking across discussion forms and listening to my fellow book clubers talk about this book, this seems like how a lot of people read the book and her acknowledgment. I guess I don't expect a fiction book to have an annotated bibliography... but I expect more of an author than taking people's real-life work and not acknowledging them at all AND changing the names of games to try and hide that she is essentially taking others work and writing those concepts into her work.
I could write a dissertation on what all this author drew from real-life artists' work without acknowledging it. But the most egregious example is probably that of her not giving credit to a Jewish woman whom she not just took the game from but also some of the surrounding circumstances. Just very odd and the Washington Post goes into it in more detail here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2023/03/24/train-board-game-brenda-romero-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic friendship
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Rape, and Violence
Minor: Xenophobia