electraheart05'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
Graphic: Abortion, Homophobia, Gun violence, Grief, Terminal illness, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Sexism, Antisemitism, Racism, Mental illness, Car accident, and Cancer
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
marv_elous'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
4.5
Spoiler
This was one of the first books in years that’s made me cry. Marx’s death got to me a LOTGraphic: Gun violence, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Homophobia
Minor: Abortion, Sexism, Antisemitism, and Racism
There are prevalent discussions of sexism and racism in the gaming space, homophobia, and severe fun violencecareinthelibrary'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
3.5
Reading and getting all these easter egg references to games we know and love was so cool. The references of MGS, Harvest Moon, etc were exciting to come across and hear what Gabrielle Zevin/her characters thought of them. This left me wanting the fictional games to play for myself.
Some of these chapters were so viscerally AMAZING. (spoiler free) - The portions with Sam's mother and their gruesome and tragic discovery on the sidewalk, the thrilling and also tragic scene with Marx at the office, these scenes are so memorable and were written like perfect jewels of narrative.
Some of the toxic friendship and toxic romance stuff wasn't my cuppa but I can see why others would like it.
All in all, there were aspects that I enjoyed more and some less, but I did think this was engrossing, deep, complex, and fun. I recommend especially for gamers!
Graphic: Violence, Injury/injury detail, Rape, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Sexual assault, Death, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Sexual content, Gun violence, Medical content, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Ableism, Blood, Car accident, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cultural appropriation and Genocide
carolynkwolff's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Ableism, Violence, Antisemitism, and Racial slurs
librosylagrimas'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
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Chronic illness, Car accident, Gun violence, Murder, and Suicide
Minor: Antisemitism, Homophobia, and Mental illness
anxiousnachos's review against another edition
4.0
Content warnings: death of a loved one, death of parent, mass gun violence, amputation, chronic pain, cancer, car accident, suicide, depression, post-partum depression, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, abortion, anti-semitism, homophobia, anti-Asian violence, grief, sexism and misogyny in the games industry
Graphic: Sexism, Misogyny, Cancer, Car accident, Suicide, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Abortion, Antisemitism, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Domestic abuse, Racism, Grief, Toxic relationship, Death, Death of parent, and Gun violence
aabubuyog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Gaslighting, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Gun violence
Minor: Abortion
aseel_reads'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
4.0
Moderate: Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Cancer, Murder, Pregnancy, Antisemitism, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Car accident, Dementia, and Homophobia