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notlikethebeer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
DECEMBER 2023 (3 stars)
Re-read this for the first time since reading it in 2019, and my views have definitely changed somewhat. Whilst it was an enjoyable enough read, I found it more immature in tone this time, not in an 'adult reads Young Adult books and complains about the maturity' way, more that it felt a little thin and over-the-top at times. In particular I found that the characters were hard to connect with, they all seemed to take things so seriously! Not just the teenagers - Heather freaking out over a rumour, the friends back home getting weirdly upset over Sienna not making a massive trip back for a one-night show - but also the adults - Sienna's parents were really overly involved in her life to be honest, I wanted them to back off! I also found that, as opposed to when I last read this, I was less phased by Caleb's backstory, although that's probably due to my own development since then. A sweet read, and it was nice to have a festive read with a bit more depth.
DECEMBER 2019 (4 stars)
I really enjoyed this, a lot more than I thought I would actually. I was completely unaware of the practice of growing trees then moving to a lot to sell them, so I found reading about Sienna's life in that respect really interesting! Her friends did come across as a little overly harsh at times, as did her parents- their decisions felt a bit weird sometimes. I think there was an interesting 'moral question' with Caleb's past, particularly in regards to patriarchal violence against women, but also in regards to abuse and the intense reactions this might provoke, and what 'counts' as abuse. Would love to explore this as a book club book sometime! Definitely more to this than your average festive read, and is going on my reread list for next year :)
Re-read this for the first time since reading it in 2019, and my views have definitely changed somewhat. Whilst it was an enjoyable enough read, I found it more immature in tone this time, not in an 'adult reads Young Adult books and complains about the maturity' way, more that it felt a little thin and over-the-top at times. In particular I found that the characters were hard to connect with, they all seemed to take things so seriously! Not just the teenagers - Heather freaking out over a rumour, the friends back home getting weirdly upset over Sienna not making a massive trip back for a one-night show - but also the adults - Sienna's parents were really overly involved in her life to be honest, I wanted them to back off! I also found that, as opposed to when I last read this, I was less phased by Caleb's backstory, although that's probably due to my own development since then. A sweet read, and it was nice to have a festive read with a bit more depth.
DECEMBER 2019 (4 stars)
I really enjoyed this, a lot more than I thought I would actually. I was completely unaware of the practice of growing trees then moving to a lot to sell them, so I found reading about Sienna's life in that respect really interesting! Her friends did come across as a little overly harsh at times, as did her parents- their decisions felt a bit weird sometimes. I think there was an interesting 'moral question' with Caleb's past, particularly in regards to patriarchal violence against women, but also in regards to abuse and the intense reactions this might provoke, and what 'counts' as abuse. Would love to explore this as a book club book sometime! Definitely more to this than your average festive read, and is going on my reread list for next year :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
bekah445's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Definitely a bit too high school for me. I still liked it, and I think a younger me probably would have loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
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