eralbesu's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Murder, Abortion, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Misogyny
Minor: Blood, Cultural appropriation, Lesbophobia, and Xenophobia
flashandoutbreak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Car accident, Mass/school shootings, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, and Blood
Minor: Abortion and Self harm
ckincade's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Toxic friendship, Injury/injury detail, Gun violence, Adult/minor relationship, Chronic illness, Grief, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Violence, Infidelity, and Mental illness
Moderate: Sexual content, Cancer, Blood, Homophobia, and Car accident
Minor: Abortion, Ableism, Drug abuse, and Cultural appropriation
Spoiler
depiction of a mass shootingajhowe2's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Cultural appropriation, Mass/school shootings, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual violence, Blood, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Body horror, Racism, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Murder, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Sexism, and Suicide attempt
lemonflower's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Injury/injury detail, Suicide attempt, Car accident, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Suicide
Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Grief, Cursing, Death of parent, Gun violence, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Murder, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Miscarriage, Cancer, Misogyny, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Alcohol, Blood, Cultural appropriation, and Racism
hcop's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Injury/injury detail
Moderate: Mental illness, Hate crime, Pregnancy, Cursing, Lesbophobia, Blood, Cancer, Murder, Car accident, Eating disorder, Racism, Homophobia, Chronic illness, Death, Sexual content, Ableism, Drug use, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abortion and Vomit
wenwanzhao's review against another edition
- 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
On a more personal level, while I enjoyed TATAT, it hasn’t become one of my all time favourites. I suppose it is just not the one for me.
The most important thing I have to say about this book is:
It’s about The Secret Third Thing.
Moderate: Gun violence, Car accident, Drug use, Blood, Animal death, Abortion, Death of parent, Suicide, Death, Mental illness, Grief, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Homophobia
amdonn8's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
I don’t think the idea of using video games to escape a flawed reality is new, but it is used here to great effect.
There was some really beautiful writing as well, with literary and artistic references galore. I enjoyed how “cultured” the characters were, and that they weren’t just stereotypical gamer or tech bros. The author really highlighted the artistic competence of video game design, which I appreciated.
Graphic: Suicide, Homophobia, Death of parent, Gun violence, and Blood
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Car accident, and Mental illness
Minor: Abortion
coookiecat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Car accident, Confinement, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Vomit, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cultural appropriation, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Medical trauma, Eating disorder, Murder, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Death, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual violence, Death of parent, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Ableism, Cursing, Body shaming, Grief, Homophobia, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Abortion, Gore, Terminal illness, and Antisemitism
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia and Animal cruelty
zoiejanelle's review against another edition
- 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
if i could give 6 stars, i would. this book destroyed me time and time again and put me back together with such love and thoughtfulness. my love for these characters is unending, and i can’t wait to read again to pick up on more of the literary allusions and references that really made this book shine.
i am not a gamer nor do i think i ever will be, but Zevin made the gaming world so lush and fascinating AND easy to become immersed in. not only were the various plot threads anf conflicts interesting, the games that Sam & Sadie (and Marx) made made me envious that i wasn’t a character in this parallel world.
the star of the show here was Zevin’s unique ability to develop characters and entice the reader to connect with each. both Sam and Sadie were somehow so relatable to me that my heart felt tugged in opposite directions when their (very realistic, very important) conflicts split them throughout the book. and seeing each of them in each other’s eyes—especially seeing how Sam viewed Sadie throughout their lives despite their disagreements—was so raw and special. i often cried at the warm and affectionate light in which each of them held each other, and that their intimacy and deep, relentless connection allowed them to persevere through the hardest of trials. it was both so easy and so hard at the same time, to believe two people could love and hate each other so much.
the depth of this book, too, was astonishing. the references to other works, the repetition of key phrases with altered meaning, the parallelism, the themes of love, identity, grief, death, and good old fashioned meaning of life… this book really challenged me to ask myself some tough questions but in the same breath was encouraging and comforting in a way i’d never really experienced before.
i absolutely wept at the end, but in a good way. how could i not? this was a truly remarkable book that i can’t wait to read again.
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Murder, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Cancer, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Antisemitism, Abortion, and Addiction