ghostlyprince's review
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Classism, Death, Child death, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Pedophilia, Alcohol, and Sexual violence
Minor: Hate crime, Slavery, Gun violence, and Police brutality
Racial slurs are used by people who can reclaim it but thought I should add the warning just in case, We do get a flashback scene of the main protag being sexually assaulted but it's not nearly as graphic as the first book- however there is lots of discussion regarding sexual assault in the book,blainereads's review
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
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
3.5
This book is immensely weird (but maybe in a good way?)
I love a bit of magical realism as much as the next person, but some of the magic/paranormal/unexplained phenomena were a little too mysterious to the point that certain scenes were difficult to follow. This is compounded by the fact that I am not a religious person and cannot relate to that kind of spiritualism AT ALL, so the references to Jesus and the Bible etc were…challenging, at moments, to push through. I still got the message loud and clear, but the journey to arrive there was a little unpleasant at times.
I mainly picked this one up because, like the author and character, I also attended Dartmouth as a minority student and wanted to see how that experience was explored. While, overall, I did enjoy it and definitely recognized threads of truth in the themes and incidents (especially as it relates to social class), the exaggerated nature of characterizations caused a little bit of skepticism here and there. I think it’s possible to show the school as a very hostile place without setting it up as some sort of villainous caricature of a racially divided bell (only for it then to abruptly turn into a kind of utopia was an odd about-face, too). I’m also curious if someone who isn’t familiar with the campus got as much out of it as I did—there was a lot of name dropping like “collis cafe” and “Molly’s” and “baker tower” and “the Aires” with no real effort to set the scene, so even though *I* could picture it perfectly, it probably wouldn’t be so visceral for someone unfamiliar and might leave them wanting for some more lush description.
With all that said, unlike some other reviewers, I thought the way the author moved between time and space was extremely clever. I especially enjoyed how the adults (the HS guidance counselor & professor, the deaN & psychiatrist) we’re juxtaposed as two sides of a coin. That was very effective and not something I’ve seen done—especially in YA or NA—very often. It was also very easy to like the main character and you were instantly rooting for her, despite her flaws and sometimes abrasive nature. The friendship dynamics, I felt, were the real highlight of this book and I personally wish all the time devoted to romance pursuits had instead been handed over to further developing the friend group.
Anyway, this was engaging and entertaining enough that I finished it quickly, and I did see some of my experience reflected back to me and I could see it being very impactful for a young person who is marginalized (either by race, culture, or class) who is entering one of these unique very wealthy, very white spaces for the first time. And for that alone, this book is a worthwhile read.
I love a bit of magical realism as much as the next person, but some of the magic/paranormal/unexplained phenomena were a little too mysterious to the point that certain scenes were difficult to follow. This is compounded by the fact that I am not a religious person and cannot relate to that kind of spiritualism AT ALL, so the references to Jesus and the Bible etc were…challenging, at moments, to push through. I still got the message loud and clear, but the journey to arrive there was a little unpleasant at times.
I mainly picked this one up because, like the author and character, I also attended Dartmouth as a minority student and wanted to see how that experience was explored. While, overall, I did enjoy it and definitely recognized threads of truth in the themes and incidents (especially as it relates to social class), the exaggerated nature of characterizations caused a little bit of skepticism here and there. I think it’s possible to show the school as a very hostile place without setting it up as some sort of villainous caricature of a racially divided bell (only for it then to abruptly turn into a kind of utopia was an odd about-face, too). I’m also curious if someone who isn’t familiar with the campus got as much out of it as I did—there was a lot of name dropping like “collis cafe” and “Molly’s” and “baker tower” and “the Aires” with no real effort to set the scene, so even though *I* could picture it perfectly, it probably wouldn’t be so visceral for someone unfamiliar and might leave them wanting for some more lush description.
With all that said, unlike some other reviewers, I thought the way the author moved between time and space was extremely clever. I especially enjoyed how the adults (the HS guidance counselor & professor, the deaN & psychiatrist) we’re juxtaposed as two sides of a coin. That was very effective and not something I’ve seen done—especially in YA or NA—very often. It was also very easy to like the main character and you were instantly rooting for her, despite her flaws and sometimes abrasive nature. The friendship dynamics, I felt, were the real highlight of this book and I personally wish all the time devoted to romance pursuits had instead been handed over to further developing the friend group.
Anyway, this was engaging and entertaining enough that I finished it quickly, and I did see some of my experience reflected back to me and I could see it being very impactful for a young person who is marginalized (either by race, culture, or class) who is entering one of these unique very wealthy, very white spaces for the first time. And for that alone, this book is a worthwhile read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Mental illness, Addiction, and Racism
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
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