hiltzmoore's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This might be my favorite of the year. The author captured June's grief, the quirkiness of the sisters' relationship, the overwhelming ignorance and fear surrounding AIDS in the mid to late 80's, and even (and I loved this aspect) the world of the high school musical all in one book. There were many "My God, this book!" moments as I was reading. Absolutely ideal young adult book that didn't speak down to the audience. At times quirky-funny, this book mostly gut wrenched me the entire time I was reading it. Well done!
shrike_'s review against another edition
5.0
I shall tell no lies, I ended up on Tell the Wolves I'm Home because of the cover and the punchy title. As a general rule, I'm not really a huge consumer of young adult or young adult-centric literature - so I opened up to the first page with a good amount of skepticism.
Imagine my surprise when, by the end, I was bawling like a baby and taking pause breaks to wipe my eyes between pages. We're talking category five here, face scrunching, chest aching sort of sadness. And what made it worse is the knowledge that, while the story itself was a work of fiction, the core elements were a reality.
Part of the horror and the beauty of 'Tell the Wolves I'm Home' is knowing, from an early point in the story, you have a good idea how things will pan out. And in the frame of a young girl and a punchy title and an eye-catching cover, you think maybe it isn't going to end poorly. But this is, to some extent, a reality, and it does with full force.
I have brought this up consistently for years whenever conversation turns to stories that have made you cry. And while I've only revisited it once (and cried again then, to no one's surprise) I consider it an old reliable when it comes to an aching sort of helplessness that can only derive from likeable characters and a well written story.
Imagine my surprise when, by the end, I was bawling like a baby and taking pause breaks to wipe my eyes between pages. We're talking category five here, face scrunching, chest aching sort of sadness. And what made it worse is the knowledge that, while the story itself was a work of fiction, the core elements were a reality.
Part of the horror and the beauty of 'Tell the Wolves I'm Home' is knowing, from an early point in the story, you have a good idea how things will pan out. And in the frame of a young girl and a punchy title and an eye-catching cover, you think maybe it isn't going to end poorly. But this is, to some extent, a reality, and it does with full force.
I have brought this up consistently for years whenever conversation turns to stories that have made you cry. And while I've only revisited it once (and cried again then, to no one's surprise) I consider it an old reliable when it comes to an aching sort of helplessness that can only derive from likeable characters and a well written story.
mad_eleine_c's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
imbos's review against another edition
5.0
My new favorite book of the year. A coming of age story that has sort of a To Kill A Mockingbird feel to it. Young girl dealing with the prejudices of the time she lives in. Her beloved uncle has just died of AIDS which was very new and a very scary thing in the 1980s. It brought back exactly how people thought and reacted to AIDS back then. June befriends her uncle's partner and they bond through their mutual love of her uncle.
keraashley's review against another edition
3.5
The familial relationships and evolution was nice. I liked the change around the painting. Very sad in general, and idk that making the MC feel the way she did about her uncle and his partner was necessary.
lizzyfields's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- 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
helenh1975's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
juliepe33's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
_sarah_reads_'s review against another edition
3.0
I loved the story (5 stars for the story). I could not stand the main character--June was supremely annoying to me. I wanted to throttle her at basically every key point in the story. Her weakness in the face of her manipulative sister, her silence when she should have spoken, her acquiescence to lies when she could have shouted the truth. June made me want to stop reading this book. But by the time stuff got really intense, the book was almost over, so I stuck it out. I kept wanting June to get strong, speak up, tell her sister to f*ck off. But I don't feel like it ever happened.