Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

I originally was going to give a 3.5 but bumped it up for a CRJ reference.
A little slow to get into but quickly became an engaging read that I had to see through to the end. I will definitely read A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor next!

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jerseynoonatic's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.0

There is a lot to like about this book, and I'm looking forward to reading book 2. The humor was just ok, and the romance was weird and a little pointless. But the story is fantastic and creative.

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brittanykroeckel's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.25

Great book that is easy to read and follow. I loved how personable the first-person telling was and the realness of April May. The near end had a slightly unexpected turn but then had a predictable outcome. Not an average story which I appreciate and had me even thinking about what this scenario would look like in real life. Didn’t give it 5 stars because character interactions felt childish and bland.

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grizzlysnack's review

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adventurous mysterious reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

Hank Green should stick to creating YouTube videos and educational content.

I understand that this story is meant to be reflective and show that humanity is not a horrible thing, but rather something each and every human shares and should create with one another. The way that this story delivered that message frustrates me.
April (our main character) points out multiple times that she is a bad person—she actively shows the audience exactly how bad she is to the people she supposedly loves. April is not a likable character, and yet we’re supposed to root for her.

April is so self-centered that I feel as though she’s incapable of being ‘humanity’s liaison’, which you find out is the role set upon her, after seeing New York Carl.
April acts on impulse, rarely (sincerely) forgives or acknowledges when she’s wrong, and is narcissistic. That doesn’t make me want to buy another book from Hank Green, with April talking in my ear for 9 hours

I will listen to a content creator’s views all day long, but as soon as you throw those views into a fictional character that actively proves themselves to be a morally shitty person, you’ve lost my sympathy for that character’s decisions and reasoning.

0.5 stars because there are a few topics that could be written about and make a convincing story, but those topics are rarely brought up between the 338 pages I just read.

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