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amaldae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
And I... liked it more than I thought I would, but ultimately not as much as I might have. Ash is rude and immature and avoids introspection, which makes him an occasionally-frustrating main character. For the most part, I enjoyed the dynamic between him and Darian in that both of them did make me laugh. However, Ash consistently treats Darian poorly, which keeps the relationship fairly shallow.
I dislike it when the plot mainly progresses through things happening to the central couple instead of developing naturally between them. I felt like the two crucial plot points being driven by the actions of side characters kept Ash from growing. (The scene where his mental illness gets outed was properly upsetting. What an awful idea that people, let alone someone calling themselves your friend, sees you that way, gives you that little agency.) And so, when at the end they finally do decide to become an item, I didn't quite believe him even though he said all the right things. There was just a lot of character development I'd rather have seen on-page. A lot of hard moments that we all know are in the horizon, but that we never see the couple tackle together.
Those missing scenes were kind of why I read the book in the first place. I wanted to see someone actually living with their mental illness and fill their life with meaning again. What I got was yet another glittering tale of falling in love, but I wanted it to be so much more. It seemed to really get its characters and had all the ingredients to be more.
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Outing
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Toxic friendship
Minor: Biphobia, Drug use, Self harm, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
adrianas65's review against another edition
- 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
2.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Alcohol, and Classism
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- 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
Ash and Darian genuinely work well together, I love how their relationship develops. Ash is just as much of an asshole by the end of the book as the start, but he's more sure of himself and more willing to take risks for Darian than it seems like he was for his other friends. Due to his high anxiety, "taking risks" includes, in this case, going to the store, spending the night in the same bed, and being emotionally vulnerable. Neither of them are people it's necessarily easy to be around (Ash moreso than Darian), and that shows up in many different ways.
The ending caught me off guard, especially the incident which precedes it. I was pleasantly surprised by how things end up, but the story lingers in an uncomfortable situation for far longer than I can normally handle reading. Part of what helped is the way the narrative had handled anxiety and tension up until that point, I had built up enough trust in the author that I was able to wait for how things shook out.
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Drug use, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Death, Suicide, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
sonygaystation's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Biphobia, Drug use, Homophobia, Infidelity, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
adrienanthony's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Grief
queen_of_crows's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Forced institutionalization, and Medical content
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Homophobia
analenegrace's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
I've read most of his books at this point, and I genuinely don't know if I ever come out of them having loved them, but I also keep wanting to read anything he writes. When I saw this, his earliest book, was getting an expanded rerelease, I figured I'd pick it up; It was so very Alexis Hall in a way I think I've grown to appreciate even though they are very, very wild books to read.
Plot and character-wise, this was sad, hopeful, and kind of lovely. The writing of the Essex accent really had me laughing because it reminded me of reading Harry Styles fanfic in like 2014, I guess, which is when this book was first written...
Lastly, the religious references and comparison were hilarious, and the part where he compared "being a bit mean at a wedding" to Peter denying Jesus Christ had me actually laughing at my desk.
Graphic: Biphobia, Cursing, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Classism
Minor: Fatphobia and Forced institutionalization
lost_windsock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
loganoxymore's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Moderate: Forced institutionalization and Medical trauma
Minor: Fatphobia
achay91's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Biphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use, Forced institutionalization, and Alcohol