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samanthas92's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
great story about a teenager grieving for her dead sister also coming of age story with some girl power. could have dealt with out all the "boners" tho
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Minor: Sexual content
patedm's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
I loved the characters, but the love triangle in the book made me uncomfy. I understand people do things in grief that can’t be explained, but it still made me uncomfortable and ruined most of the book for me. I also didn’t find the love triangle necessary in this book. Make it a book about grief and finding love while grieving without that extra person and it would’ve been a much more enjoyable read!
Graphic: Death and Grief
sydneylmeyer7's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Death, Grief, and Abandonment
booksbeyondthebinary's review against another edition
emotional
5.0
Moderate: Death and Grief
ashleysager's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Death and Grief
rebeccacoutcher's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is my all time favorite book.
Moderate: Death
clovetra's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
this was a nice little book honestly, but as someone who's lost someone close to them, it fell a bit... odd? incorrect? like once the end of the book comes sure lennie says something like "my sister will always be with me", and that grief is permanent, which i liked. but it didn't feel like lennie felt that? idk it felt like she was awful and then got everything she wanted. i felt like she should've faced some reprocussions - sure her sister dying is probably the biggest reprocussion & she was grieving, she shouldn't be punished, but idk it felt a bit unrealistic and that peeved me a tad.
now i haven't lost a sister (only child things). but i did lose my dad. and with a book so centred on grief, the way lennie expresses her grief, i felt like it was very unrealistic. like yeah i know that everyone expresses grief in varying ways, but oh my godhooking up with ur sister's boyfriend? girl what the fuck? i know she explains it too by saying something like "when im with toby our hearts rebuild bailey" or some shit but im sorry i could not look past that. . just because someone is grieving does not mean their shitty behaviour gets to be excused, and i think that's what im most hung up on.
i also didn't like howeasily joe forgave lennie. sure yeah they're in love whatever but tbh i would've preferred it if she ended up alone! girl get away from relationships! she doesn't even know who she is without her sister, and instead she filled the void with toby and then joe.
i also felt like the characters kind of fell flat? lennie is very much the main character but other than that, i feel like the characters needed a bit more fleshing out. and honestly the character who was fleshed out (lennie), i found insufferable.
i think that's my main issue - not that lennie was a bit of a shit person throughout this book, but that i didn't feel any sympathy for her. like usually i can love-hate a protag like this. idk why but with nelson's other book <i>i'll give you the sun</i> i found this to be an issue with me as well - the characters were so incredibly self-destructive and awful to everyone around them i couldn't function. like no redeemable traits in lennie for me.
overall though i felt like this book was quite realistic in the way the characters express their grief, but i don't know i just did not like lennie. i don't know if that was nelson's intention but all i know is i was not live laugh loving as much as i hoped i would be :(
now i haven't lost a sister (only child things). but i did lose my dad. and with a book so centred on grief, the way lennie expresses her grief, i felt like it was very unrealistic. like yeah i know that everyone expresses grief in varying ways, but oh my god
i also didn't like how
i also felt like the characters kind of fell flat? lennie is very much the main character but other than that, i feel like the characters needed a bit more fleshing out. and honestly the character who was fleshed out (lennie), i found insufferable.
i think that's my main issue - not that lennie was a bit of a shit person throughout this book, but that i didn't feel any sympathy for her. like usually i can love-hate a protag like this. idk why but with nelson's other book <i>i'll give you the sun</i> i found this to be an issue with me as well - the characters were so incredibly self-destructive and awful to everyone around them i couldn't function. like no redeemable traits in lennie for me.
overall though i felt like this book was quite realistic in the way the characters express their grief, but i don't know i just did not like lennie. i don't know if that was nelson's intention but all i know is i was not live laugh loving as much as i hoped i would be :(
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Medical trauma, Stalking, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
veskumelooni's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment
claranasman02's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and Grief
f_amiliar_happine_ss's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.0
"What if music is what escapes after a heart breaks?"
There's a lot that goes down in this book, let's dissect it.
Lennie Walker and her family is grieving the loss of her sister, Bailey. They were very close, but not close enough apparently...
When Lennie returns to school after a couple weeks, she meets a new student named Joe. But Lennie isn't instantly swooned like everyone else, like her grandmother and uncle. Joe begins visiting every morning and requests that Lennie to play clarinet with him. She doesn't understand his infatuation at first.
Meanwhile, Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, is visiting the family often to share his grief. One of these visits sends a shock wave through his and Lennie's friendship. Through Toby, Lennie learns about some of the things her sister kept from her during her life.
Eventually she begins packing up Baileys belongings and accidentally finds a notebook. Within was details to a project Bailey started shortly before her passing.
It's a lot to unpack, especially into a linear review. It was a good book and I'd recommend it. Four stars.
There's a lot that goes down in this book, let's dissect it.
Lennie Walker and her family is grieving the loss of her sister, Bailey. They were very close, but not close enough apparently...
When Lennie returns to school after a couple weeks, she meets a new student named Joe. But Lennie isn't instantly swooned like everyone else, like her grandmother and uncle. Joe begins visiting every morning and requests that Lennie to play clarinet with him. She doesn't understand his infatuation at first.
Meanwhile, Bailey's boyfriend, Toby, is visiting the family often to share his grief. One of these visits sends a shock wave through his and Lennie's friendship. Through Toby, Lennie learns about some of the things her sister kept from her during her life.
Eventually she begins packing up Baileys belongings and accidentally finds a notebook. Within was details to a project Bailey started shortly before her passing.
It's a lot to unpack, especially into a linear review. It was a good book and I'd recommend it. Four stars.
Moderate: Death and Grief