The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
alexabyers's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Alex and BrittanyÂ
Brittany is the popular girl at school who is deemed to be living the perfect life but behind the house door, her world is in shambles constantly. Her older sister needs help from a caretaker, her mother critiques her every breath, and her dad is never around. She just wants some normalcy and to not have to be perfect 110% of the time.Â
Alex is from the other side of town. He is in the gang that took his fathers life but only because he has to to protect his mom and brothers. Brittany makes him want to get out but he knows he canât otherwise he could be killed.Â
Brittany is the popular girl at school who is deemed to be living the perfect life but behind the house door, her world is in shambles constantly. Her older sister needs help from a caretaker, her mother critiques her every breath, and her dad is never around. She just wants some normalcy and to not have to be perfect 110% of the time.Â
Alex is from the other side of town. He is in the gang that took his fathers life but only because he has to to protect his mom and brothers. Brittany makes him want to get out but he knows he canât otherwise he could be killed.Â
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Death of parent
tiana_king's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-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
4.25
Okay so the premise is a bit flimsy. HOWEVER. The banter between the love interests is amazing. Plenty of interesting things happen and the characters are complex. A nice contemporary romance.Â
Graphic: Alcohol, Medical trauma, Classism, Death of parent, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Toxic friendship, and Death
Moderate: Kidnapping and Murder
Minor: Child abuse, Sexual content, and Infidelity
naewuvs's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Torture, Emotional abuse, Murder, Violence, Sexual content, Racism, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Gun violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Cursing, and Drug use
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders
alexamp4's review against another edition
medium-paced
- 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
2.5
This was a middle school fave. I remember finding it extremely hot and romantic and like aspirational (in the way twilight is aspirational). But wow itâs pretty racist. And ableist maybe? Lots of Latino stereotypes. Alexâs ex girlfriend, Carmen, is especially a poorly written character. I find it interesting the author thanked some Latino studies students/professors in her acknowledgements when I feel like she did a really bad job not just in overall representation but in writing dialogue in Spanish. Iâm not a Spanish speaker but I think the line, â âShe might be a mamacita but she ainât got nothing on this hombre.ââ Is bad in any language. The dialogue in general was pretty bad.Â
I also think using Brittanyâs disabled sister as a plot device to show how âbadâ her home life actually is is pretty ableist. Although I will say I think the way Brittany and Shellyâs relationship was portrayed was a pretty good example. The choice to have Shelly choose to move to a âfacilityâ is an interesting one that Iâm not qualified enough to deem problematic or not.Â
Overall, this book has pretty shitty writing and I canât even give it a good rating for what it is because of how racist it is. Iâm interested to look up this authorâs work now  and see if sheâs improved her representation at all. Although I definitely still see the appeal it had for tweens at the time but I think tweens now are too woke for this.Â
I also think using Brittanyâs disabled sister as a plot device to show how âbadâ her home life actually is is pretty ableist. Although I will say I think the way Brittany and Shellyâs relationship was portrayed was a pretty good example. The choice to have Shelly choose to move to a âfacilityâ is an interesting one that Iâm not qualified enough to deem problematic or not.Â
Overall, this book has pretty shitty writing and I canât even give it a good rating for what it is because of how racist it is. Iâm interested to look up this authorâs work now  and see if sheâs improved her representation at all. Although I definitely still see the appeal it had for tweens at the time but I think tweens now are too woke for this.Â
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Racism
Moderate: Ableism
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