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sc104906's review against another edition
1.0
Stephen, Owen, Kent, Mallory, and Simone all live in an upper class suburb of Chicago. This town thrives on the concept of "keeping up with the Jones's," which has resulted in a history of suicide clusters. The summer before this school year, a new suicide cluster has begun. The characters are reeling from the loss of their classmates and working to ways to keep more from dying.
I had a hard time with believing the voices within this book. Many of the perspectives did not feel like teenagers, with outdated pop culture references and teenager boys saying things that were completely unrealistic. In fact, many of the male characters felt very similar to the queen bee female character. I felt that the motivations behind certain character's motivations needed to be better developed. For example, how can Mallory be a complete jerk, but also be a great peer counselor, it didn't seem to fit. I also felt that there was not a balanced portrayal of suicide, it was more dark comedy mixed with statistics. This book wasn't for me, but might work for Lancaster's typical adult readers.
I had a hard time with believing the voices within this book. Many of the perspectives did not feel like teenagers, with outdated pop culture references and teenager boys saying things that were completely unrealistic. In fact, many of the male characters felt very similar to the queen bee female character. I felt that the motivations behind certain character's motivations needed to be better developed. For example, how can Mallory be a complete jerk, but also be a great peer counselor, it didn't seem to fit. I also felt that there was not a balanced portrayal of suicide, it was more dark comedy mixed with statistics. This book wasn't for me, but might work for Lancaster's typical adult readers.
resslesa's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing -too large for most teens (435 pages!) and too many perspectives -none of whom I cared about. I love Jen Lancaster but felt this just missed the mark. Important subject (high pressure expectations for teens leading to increased suicide in wealthy communities ) but this is not the book to communicate that to teens at least for me. Alas. Full disclosure -read 100+ pages than skipped to the end but just didn't see it getting any better.
whimsicallymeghan's review against another edition
4.0
The town of North Shore is best known for its prestige of sending teens to ivy league colleges. Everyone there strives for greatness or has it thrusted upon them. All the parents in this town care more about how their kids look on paper, then what they’re actually interested in, and it’s starting to wear these kids down. It’s gotten to the point that there are multiple suicides a year. When another happens, the students of North Shore High School have had enough and they decide to band together to start helping one another, instead of competing against each other. This was a really tough read. There were chapters that were just so heavy, that breaks needed to be taken in order to get through it all. This reader almost didn’t know if they would make it through the whole book, but they had a feeling in the back of their mind that once it got as dark as it did, that there would be some light. This dealt with really intense, yet very important topics, in which the reader really appreciated. It was so good to see these characters not give up on each other, when that would have been the easy solution. The things that these characters went through felt really real, from the stress of trying to fit in, trying to get into your top school, trying to meet all these crazy demands by having an exorbitant amount of schoolwork and extracurricular activities, to falling in love for the first time, to falling out of love for the first time – it all felt genuine and relevant. Some of the characters felt a little more irritating to read, especially the parent figures in this, why were none of them supportive to their kids?!, but watching as they each grew from the circumstances and became better selves was rewarding to read. The plot itself was good in the sense that it spoke volumes in the way society puts pressure on teenagers to have their lives all figured out by the time they’re ready go to college, as if not going to college or waiting to go is the end of the world. This showed the ugly realities of what can come from too much pressure, but what can also come from trying to save each other, too. This was fast-paced in some parts, slower in others, but it worked well for the type of story. The writing was good, this author liked to use the same phrases over and over, which got old quick. As well, the reader didn’t think it was believable that all the characters said the same things. In the end though, this was a powerful book with a strong message, just be sure to check trigger warnings before diving in.   Â
rebeccadanielle's review against another edition
3.0
I really enjoyed this story. It's got the always heavy theme of youth suicide, but I feel that this one has been done in a better way than others I've read before. This story doesn't shame or glorify youth suicide. I did find the story a little slow in the beginning and I'm still not sure if I liked all the POVs this book offered, I personally prefer a two POV max. The second half of the book was more interesting to me. I really did like how this book had the characters thinking about suicide prevention and I feel that it's an important way to get a talking/thinking point across to readers of books like this.
michelle_pink_polka_dot's review against another edition
5.0
I was really surprised by this book. It sucked me in and 400+ pages flew by pretty darn fast. There were a few minor things I didn't love-- some teen talk, some HEA couplings, some pushiness/forced usage of statistics and educational information-- but I really loved the importantness of the story and the personalities of the characters.
This book contains a lot of things that I like. Multiple perspectives, high school hierarchies, interesting characters, good writing. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, but it was so much MORE than what I thought it was going to be.
North Shore was an interesting town to read about. 98% of the kids at North Shore go to college-- their goal is 100%. How is this a thing???? I hope that part is 100% fiction because it ENRAGED me. Who are these people to say that all kids have to go to college or they're failures? College is not the be all end all of life. I'm not saying people shouldn't go, but they sure as shit shouldn't if they don't know what they want to do, or if they just don't want to.
The problem with this town is that there is no room for anything but status quo-- and status quo here is SCARY. It's Ivy League acceptance, it's 999 clubs and state championship winning sports, it's perfect bodies and designer clothes. AND it's being oblivious that all this is causing kids to kill themselves rather than disappoint.
The actual plot of the book follows Simone- who gets swallowed by the PERFECTION beast and turns from a hippie- go where the wind takes her kind of gal, to someone who obsesses over test scores. Mallory was also a standout-- she's the North Shore standard, and then she loses a close friend to the pressure and questions everything.
I flew through this 450-page book because of the intense NEED TO KNOW feelings it gave me. But there were a few minor things that stopped me from full-blown obsession. There was some teen-talk that was #annoying (like using hashtags while talking), and some HEA stuff that I didn't feel was that realistic to the situation. Also, I know this is based on a true story, and I appreciate the research that the author clearly did, but I felt like some of the statistics and educational information could be heavy-handed and pushy at times.
OVERALL: I really enjoyed this and could see a lot of teens relating to the pressure the characters were under. I felt like this book was able to both tell a story AND shine a light on a real-life situation in a coherent way. It will suck you in with the character's stories, but then show you what can happen when teens are under too much pressure from all angles. I totally recommend.
My Blog:
Pink Polka Dot Books
This book contains a lot of things that I like. Multiple perspectives, high school hierarchies, interesting characters, good writing. I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, but it was so much MORE than what I thought it was going to be.
North Shore was an interesting town to read about. 98% of the kids at North Shore go to college-- their goal is 100%. How is this a thing???? I hope that part is 100% fiction because it ENRAGED me. Who are these people to say that all kids have to go to college or they're failures? College is not the be all end all of life. I'm not saying people shouldn't go, but they sure as shit shouldn't if they don't know what they want to do, or if they just don't want to.
The problem with this town is that there is no room for anything but status quo-- and status quo here is SCARY. It's Ivy League acceptance, it's 999 clubs and state championship winning sports, it's perfect bodies and designer clothes. AND it's being oblivious that all this is causing kids to kill themselves rather than disappoint.
The actual plot of the book follows Simone- who gets swallowed by the PERFECTION beast and turns from a hippie- go where the wind takes her kind of gal, to someone who obsesses over test scores. Mallory was also a standout-- she's the North Shore standard, and then she loses a close friend to the pressure and questions everything.
I flew through this 450-page book because of the intense NEED TO KNOW feelings it gave me. But there were a few minor things that stopped me from full-blown obsession. There was some teen-talk that was #annoying (like using hashtags while talking), and some HEA stuff that I didn't feel was that realistic to the situation. Also, I know this is based on a true story, and I appreciate the research that the author clearly did, but I felt like some of the statistics and educational information could be heavy-handed and pushy at times.
OVERALL: I really enjoyed this and could see a lot of teens relating to the pressure the characters were under. I felt like this book was able to both tell a story AND shine a light on a real-life situation in a coherent way. It will suck you in with the character's stories, but then show you what can happen when teens are under too much pressure from all angles. I totally recommend.
My Blog:
Pink Polka Dot Books
tjarmstrong's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
2.0
robinsversion's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fantastic, absolutely brutal, absolutely brilliant. Jen has no fucking idea how teenagers talk but she’s such an amazing writer it doesn’t matter.
charmaineac's review against another edition
5.0
Um, TW: suicide, because obviously. I never thought I'd be the person to post one, but information on the Werther Effect had me convinced. This book shook me up — and from both perspectives. I think the scariest thing is that I am totally on the trajectory of becoming Stephen's parents. I want my future kids to excel. But I'm also going to be a management consultant, and that sometimes requires travelling Monday to Thursday. I'm okay with the lifestyle now, because I'm young. But I think about my co-workers, who are right beside me working from 6 am to 1 am straight. What impact does that have on the children?
And then there were the statistics on Asian-Americans specifically. I don't know if being Asian-American contributed to Stephen's situation since his parents seemed to completely "whitewash" their household. If anything, is it a result of tiger-parenting? Is it biological? I definitely want to know more, because it means that my peers and my future children are the ones most at risk. The stats on MIT shook me to the bone. Ever heard of Waterloo?
Speaking of peers — it was amazing to see someone truly depict what it's like to grow up in the pressure cooker of a pre-professional, upper-middle class environment. That's my university in a nutshell! And what Lancaster says in the author's note is true: it all just escalates as we grow older. There's competitiveness, there's rampant partying where all your friends are wasted (to escape? To forget?), there's drug use and abuse. What's sad is that we all have Mallory's aspirations to become investment bankers, consultants, lawyers, and other influential people. But what are the ramifications of that? That's what this book shows. And the sad part is that despite growing up in an environment with absentee parents, many of these kids want to follow in their footsteps.
I think the ending veered a little into after-school special territory, particularly with Liam and Mallory's sudden about-face. I wish some of her less-redeeming qualities were still on display by the end. I wish we saw more of a struggle of her trying to practice what she preached (that peer counselling session was POWERFUL).
Now, I'm sure books like these are controversial. Personally, I find this one incredibly powerful because it helped put me in several different people's perspectives: understanding their problems, coping mechanisms, actions, and reactions. It's tragic and raw. But also, above all other books I've read on this topic, this one was also incredibly informative. Sometimes this veered into "student rant/soliloquy" territory, but it still felt authentic and tasteful. Jen Lancaster wrote this with a light and sensitive touch, and I commend that!
And then there were the statistics on Asian-Americans specifically. I don't know if being Asian-American contributed to Stephen's situation since his parents seemed to completely "whitewash" their household. If anything, is it a result of tiger-parenting? Is it biological? I definitely want to know more, because it means that my peers and my future children are the ones most at risk. The stats on MIT shook me to the bone. Ever heard of Waterloo?
Speaking of peers — it was amazing to see someone truly depict what it's like to grow up in the pressure cooker of a pre-professional, upper-middle class environment. That's my university in a nutshell! And what Lancaster says in the author's note is true: it all just escalates as we grow older. There's competitiveness, there's rampant partying where all your friends are wasted (to escape? To forget?), there's drug use and abuse. What's sad is that we all have Mallory's aspirations to become investment bankers, consultants, lawyers, and other influential people. But what are the ramifications of that? That's what this book shows. And the sad part is that despite growing up in an environment with absentee parents, many of these kids want to follow in their footsteps.
I think the ending veered a little into after-school special territory, particularly with Liam and Mallory's sudden about-face. I wish some of her less-redeeming qualities were still on display by the end. I wish we saw more of a struggle of her trying to practice what she preached (that peer counselling session was POWERFUL).
Now, I'm sure books like these are controversial. Personally, I find this one incredibly powerful because it helped put me in several different people's perspectives: understanding their problems, coping mechanisms, actions, and reactions. It's tragic and raw. But also, above all other books I've read on this topic, this one was also incredibly informative. Sometimes this veered into "student rant/soliloquy" territory, but it still felt authentic and tasteful. Jen Lancaster wrote this with a light and sensitive touch, and I commend that!
thereza's review against another edition
4.0
"The Gatekeepers" is definitely NOT an easy read.Its NOT an enjoyable one.Its an important one.So very important.Strong,real, heartbreaking and eye opening.Broke my heart multiple times and *sobs* goreaditokay