laurataylor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Car accident, Cancer, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical content, Murder, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
shelbyreagan's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Abortion, Violence, Racism, Gun violence, Drug use, Pregnancy, Medical content, Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Death, Cursing, Car accident, and Cancer
maddiebusick'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
Graphic: Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Sexism, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, and Suicide
Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Cursing, Classism, Violence, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Drug use, Alcohol, Antisemitism, Cancer, Sexism, Racism, Racial slurs, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
qrschulte'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 didn’t find Sadie and Sam particularly likable, but I completely understood their motivations and their choices were believable.
This was a really ambitious book, and I think Zevin executed it really well. You can tell she put in a lot of time researching to make it realistic. It’s clearly a love letter to gaming, and I really appreciated the style of the different sections. I think it added a lot to the narrative. This is definitely a book that I will enjoy even more on a future read, though having a physical copy would make it easier to flip back to remind myself of different sections.
Graphic: Death of parent, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Body shaming, Car accident, Chronic illness, Death, Dysphoria, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexism, Suicide, Blood, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Cursing, Abortion, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Eating disorder, Terminal illness, Vomit, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and War
Not a true adult/minor relationship, but the power dynamic was definitely like one. The ableism is more internalized.annasbooks00's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Vomit, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Chronic illness, and Gun violence
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Grief, Violence, Sexual violence, Alcohol, and Sexual content
kimschouwenaar'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
4.25
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Car accident, Gun violence, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Vomit, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Pregnancy, Cancer, Animal death, Drug use, and Gaslighting
krisroll'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: Antisemitism, Body horror, Drug use, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Vomit, Cancer, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Alcohol, Blood, Cursing, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic friendship, Violence, Abortion, Infidelity, Medical content, Murder, Racism, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
kiwij96'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
4.25
It is very character-led, and at times the paragraphs jump time to speed up the plot without missing any information. That is, of course, unless something becomes relevant later on and a quick history is fleshed out in full, (imo this often feels like it is disrupting the flow of the present) but this rarely happens.
My main issues with this book:
- The amount of times the word "said" is used during dialogue.
- Part 1 and Part 9 in their entirety. These parts feel clunky to me, but they are also important to the story.
- Dov, just as a person, I understand his importance as a character. But honestly, I hate him.
- The slight sexualisation of both Zoe and Sadie. Why was it their clothing that got highlighted and never the men?
- At times the timeline of the story felt off and I didn't know where I was sometimes in relation to it.
However, I loved that these characters were allowed to be human - they were selfish, determined and frustrating at times. But they were realistic characters who experienced real life issues.
Just please to god check your content warnings before going into this because ooft.
Spoiler
Marx and Sadie both deserved better and I will die mad about itGraphic: Mental illness, Vomit, and Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide, Cancer, Car accident, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Racial slurs, Abortion, Homophobia, Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, and Pregnancy
eleek0609'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
Graphic: Medical content, Alcohol, Mass/school shootings, Suicide, Sexual content, Grief, Death, Cursing, Cancer, Drug use, Death of parent, Vomit, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Gun violence
karen_lo'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
Those descriptions of everyday activities and hobbies made me feel right at home.
The characters were absolutely amazing, and the way they spilled their thoughts, emotions, histories, and fears made them feel like real human beings.
The different types of love explored in the book were simply beautiful. They all tangled together, evolving and surviving through the challenges of life.
I loved the inside jokes and the bursts of inspiration while they created video games. It even sparked my curiosity about video games as a new form of art.
I also absolutely loved how the story was told. It flowed so naturally, and I could easily kept up with the timeline shifts.
Amazing book, definitely never read a love story like this one before.
Graphic: Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Adult/minor relationship, Terminal illness, Car accident, Death, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, and Homophobia
Moderate: Hate crime, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Cursing, Grief, and Vomit
Minor: Mass/school shootings, Cancer, Murder, and Racial slurs