psycheros's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
john_bizzell's review
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
bambamsam's review
5.0
This was Fucking Fantastic. I loved every second of it, even to the last line. This book was perfect, not a single complaint. Each character had so much humanity, you could feel their emotions. Even if they were wrong you could empathize with them. The way the story is pieced together is beautiful and represents the real struggles in life, and from discrimination. I loved the main character. I felt like I could relate to him in so many ways. The book felt fresh and modern. This is probably in my top 5 books of the year. I can't recommend this enough!
mitchvandiver's review
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
4.0
adriannarivard's review
emotional
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
5.0
znvisser's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-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
3.5
This book started out as a sociological study applied to some characters (much like Andrés applying his public health perspective to everything). After a while however, the characters and their families and stories develop and become more tangible, and that’s when the story became more interesting to me. It was also an interesting way to show the flaws of the main character more explicitly, and moreover, the influence his leaving has had on the people he cared about. The story begs the question if he could have done more to change direction on the fates of his loved ones if he had bothered, and eventually Andrés slowly starts to reflect on such questions as well, even if there is not one simple answer to any of those.
This was an interesting read, but not one that I looked forward to reading in between sessions; each chapter I had to work to immerse into the story again, due to perspective switches (including first or third) and chapters often being introduced by a new topic rather than a character or storyline. There were some interesting insights in Andrés’ reflections, but also some repetitive and less original ones. Worth the read though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, and Infidelity
Moderate: Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Xenophobia, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Medical content, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Addiction, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Sexual assault, Cultural appropriation, Islamophobia, Police brutality, and Abortion
todayweread's review
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
eh. not for me, but not all bad