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cec_loves_to_read_books's review against another edition
4.0
Please Don’t Hug Me by Kay Kerr is an authentic and insightful #ownvoices young adult novel. It was equal parts entertaining, poignant, sad, informative and funny. I really enjoyed getting to know the main character, Erin, more as the story progressed and the minor characters that form Erin’s world were realistic and relatable. I don’t want to give away any spoilers by saying too much more but let’s just say I was kept guessing about where Rudy, Erin’s big brother had gone. There were lots of little moments throughout the book that made me want to stop and write something down or take a pic to remember that particular part which to me is the sign of a good read! I know Kay’s new book is about to be released and I’ll definitely be looking out for it.
emily2348's review against another edition
4.5
4.5* love anything that kay kerr writes! there are so little coming of ages about autistic women so this was amazing. an absolutely heartbreaking book however wasn’t a big fan of the letter formant hence 4.5 and not 5 stars. i really need all her books in paperback omg!
brixdan's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
maddydaisy's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-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
biscotto_al_cioccolato's review against another edition
I was interested in this book only because of the own voice autism rep. That part is good enough though it does feel a bit like Autism 101, as another reviewer mentioned.
The problem is, I'm too old for YA. And maybe it's not fair of me to say this, but I don't think this is a particularly good book. There is no style to speak of (am I asking for too much?), the MC feels way younger than 17, and I couldn't tell you much about her after reading 40% of the book, which is a problem, considering that it's written from her POV. There's no plot, which I usually don't mind, but it becomes a problem when the book is boring. Oh, and I guessed what happened to her brother in the first 10 pages, so I can't find any motivation to finish this.
Bottom line: decent autism rep, but not much else going for it.
The problem is, I'm too old for YA. And maybe it's not fair of me to say this, but I don't think this is a particularly good book. There is no style to speak of (am I asking for too much?), the MC feels way younger than 17, and I couldn't tell you much about her after reading 40% of the book, which is a problem, considering that it's written from her POV. There's no plot, which I usually don't mind, but it becomes a problem when the book is boring. Oh, and I guessed what happened to her brother in the first 10 pages, so I can't find any motivation to finish this.
Bottom line: decent autism rep, but not much else going for it.
epilieaspiechick's review against another edition
I wanted to like this book so bad, but I couldn't get into the slow pace of the story or the main character. She felt like a whiner to me, but that might be a writing style clash for me.
khakipantsofsex's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Ableism
Moderate: Drug use
Minor: Suicide and Racism
textpublishing's review against another edition
The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of Please Don't Hug Me
'It’s intimate, raw and authentic … Watching Erin grow, accept herself, and find new friendships made my heart burst, in a way that is so much more intense than normal.’
Melbourne Writers Festival
'Please Don’t Hug Me is a great read for other neurodiverse readers looking to read a voice like theirs, or for neurotypical readers looking to explore life from a different perspective.’
Good Reading
'It’s a fantastic young adult novel about grief, finding your way, autism, being different, families and emotions. It’s all the feels...Please Don’t Hug Me is a wonderful addition to Aussie YA literature and will resonate with so many adolescents searching for their identity, trying to fit in, and attempting to work out how they want to be, and to be seen, in the world. And it is a gentle and tender meditation on grief.’
Cass Moriarty
'It’s intimate, raw and authentic … Watching Erin grow, accept herself, and find new friendships made my heart burst, in a way that is so much more intense than normal.’
Melbourne Writers Festival
'Please Don’t Hug Me is a great read for other neurodiverse readers looking to read a voice like theirs, or for neurotypical readers looking to explore life from a different perspective.’
Good Reading
'It’s a fantastic young adult novel about grief, finding your way, autism, being different, families and emotions. It’s all the feels...Please Don’t Hug Me is a wonderful addition to Aussie YA literature and will resonate with so many adolescents searching for their identity, trying to fit in, and attempting to work out how they want to be, and to be seen, in the world. And it is a gentle and tender meditation on grief.’
Cass Moriarty
cooloolat's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fantastic debut. Funny and sad, I laughed and cried. I'm now following Kay Kerr, another brilliant Australian writer.
mxbluet18's review
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Trigger warnings for Please Don't Hug Me include: grief and loss; death of a sibling and drowning.
☆
☆
It took me quite a long time to figure out why Erin was writing letters to her brother Rudy. When it mentioned their mother visiting him, my thoughts went to him being in prison, which is an option that does make sense. But it became a little more clear as I was getting closer to the end of the story.
~
Maybe it was me missing the clues and other people understood it much faster than I did, but I don't feel like the situation makes a big difference to the message and the point of the story regardless.
~
While I struggled to get into it, and I considered DNFing it once I found all the quotes I wanted out of it, I'm mostly glad I didn't. I enjoyed Erin's character, and her friendship with Aggie.
☆
☆
It took me quite a long time to figure out why Erin was writing letters to her brother Rudy. When it mentioned their mother visiting him, my thoughts went to him being in prison, which is an option that does make sense. But it became a little more clear as I was getting closer to the end of the story.
~
Maybe it was me missing the clues and other people understood it much faster than I did, but I don't feel like the situation makes a big difference to the message and the point of the story regardless.
~
While I struggled to get into it, and I considered DNFing it once I found all the quotes I wanted out of it, I'm mostly glad I didn't. I enjoyed Erin's character, and her friendship with Aggie.