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Reviews tagging 'Drug use'
Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans
11 reviews
pandorasxbox's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Murder
Minor: Drug use and Kidnapping
jacemchale's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
When I finished this book I did "clutch it to [my] chest and think... finally, a book for the anxious queers with a sense of humor" and I loved every second of this book. I especially think that if I had found this book when I was closer to Bianca's age it would've hit even closer to home.
Bianca Torre is afraid of everything, and there's nothing more relatable. We never stop being afraid of everything, it's about continuing on despite the circumstances, and this book manages to impart that message while also being hilarious. This book is great for a range of ages, and queer fearful adults can also get a lot catharsis out of this book.
The humor, the topics (birds, theatre, anime, lesbian sheep, etc), the mystery, are all so engaging.
I'm really overjoyed that I found this book that my library recommended in a "blind date with a book" as having "a surprising amount of birds". There was a surprising amount of birds, but also it brought me a lot of unexpected joy to read something like this.
This book found the right reader ❤️
Bianca Torre is afraid of everything, and there's nothing more relatable. We never stop being afraid of everything, it's about continuing on despite the circumstances, and this book manages to impart that message while also being hilarious. This book is great for a range of ages, and queer fearful adults can also get a lot catharsis out of this book.
The humor, the topics (birds, theatre, anime, lesbian sheep, etc), the mystery, are all so engaging.
I'm really overjoyed that I found this book that my library recommended in a "blind date with a book" as having "a surprising amount of birds". There was a surprising amount of birds, but also it brought me a lot of unexpected joy to read something like this.
This book found the right reader ❤️
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Racism, Suicide, and Vomit
aceofknives's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
5.0
Super cute YA story of nonbinary discovery set against a murderous brid cult mystery. Friendship, found family, and acceptance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Deadnaming
Minor: Drug use
tbd24's review
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
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
4.5
loved this book! funny, surprisingly dark, very realistic. I have not yet read a YA coming out book that is also about other things that doesn’t sound clunky and shoehorned and like the author is afraid of getting cancelled lmao but this book pulls it off! Bianca is a very believable teenager with severe anxiety and on their way to personal self discovery when they witness a murder and are forced to do something about it. I literally laughed out loud at a handful of lines, and call me crazy but i was so delighted when Bianca and Anderson just skip school and smoke weed. We need more teen books about teens who act like teens. Anyway, yes, big fan, I found this book purely through happenstance and I loved every second of it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Police brutality, and Stalking
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-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
4.5
Oh, this was a delight. A little bit of a campy thriller, with Bianca figuring out their identity and learning to live with their fear and anxiety. Realizing they aren't as alone as they thought they were. I loved that it felt like this book didn't take itself too seriously, really allowing the characters to shine through. And there's a cute little romance too!
Bianca is definitely the star of the show, but Anderson is a close second. The best friend, and his family becomes like a second family to them. I would definitely read more adventures from them fore sure!
Also, highly recommend the audiobook. Vico Ortiz (from Our Flag Means Death) narrates it and does a fantastic job!
Bianca is definitely the star of the show, but Anderson is a close second. The best friend, and his family becomes like a second family to them. I would definitely read more adventures from them fore sure!
Also, highly recommend the audiobook. Vico Ortiz (from Our Flag Means Death) narrates it and does a fantastic job!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Kidnapping, and Dysphoria
Minor: Drug use and Suicide
emily_mh's review
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Unfortunately I wasn’t super engaged or captivated by this one because of the writing style. The author treats the reader as if they can’t think for themselves; for example, they’ll over-explain a joke, include unnecessary commentary, etc. It just felt too clumsy. Because of the writing style, the overall book was so bloated. Scenes went on for too long and there were scenes that didn’t need to be there at all. It could have been way more investigation-focussed.
The character development in the MC Bianca was well done, however. The anxiety rep was thorough and it was cool seeing them facing their fears. I also liked seeing them build up their little social spider web of support - very sweet. I do wish Anderson had been given more of an arc; there was room for it regarding his shame around anime but this didn’t go anywhere meaningful.
I thought the romance was cute! It really encapsulated the shyness of young love, and didn’t distract from the story which was appreciated. I also loved how many times the word lesbian was used.
But despite these positives, it always came back to the writing style which I never clicked with.
Rep: lesbian nonbinary MC w anxiety, pansexual Chinese-American LI, queer Black SC, Black trans SC, Black bisexual nonbinary minor character
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Cancer, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Transphobia, Blood, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: fainting Minor: menstruation, divorce, internalised misogynyonthesamepage's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-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
3.0
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Nobody is fearless, Bianca. Nobody. What matters is that despite your list, despite how long it is and how scared you are, you don’t give up.
If you're looking for a book that talks about what it feels like to struggle with your gender identity as a teenager, I think this is a great one to pick up. I can't speak to how accurate the experience is, but it felt like it came from a very personal place. Watching Bianca come to terms with their identity and how they proceeded to open up to people was really touching. Parts of their journey do feel a bit unresolved, however, especially when it comes to their family.
Where this really fell flat for me is the mystery. A YA mystery where a teen sets out to solve a murder is a really hard sell for me to begin with, but it can still work. However, in this case, a lot of the plot felt really convenient. They continuously stumbled upon the right people or the right locations to find the next clue. One moment that really stuck out to me was when Bianca and Anderson were interviewing someone in the victim's building. They asked this older woman a few questions, and the woman then asked them if they suspected foul play. They said yes, and she just nodded, and the conversation proceeded from there. I just can't buy into an adult just nodding along when she hears two teenagers are investigating a murder like it's no big deal, instead of immediately calling their parents, which is the normal thing to do. The resolution of the mystery borders on ridiculous, and the entire motivation behind it doesn't make a lick of sense to me.
So in short, would recommend for struggling with gender identity, would not recommend for the murder mystery.
Also, shoutout to the author for mentioning my favourite anime of all time, Case Closed/Detective Conan. 💜
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Drug use
citrus_seasalt's review
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Gun violence, Blood, and Dysphoria
Minor: Drug use and Suicide
shelvesofivy's review
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
I think I'm obsessed.
Bianca had me laughing out loud from the very first page, crying happy tears a few times in the middle, and laughing some more all throughout.
As for the mystery aspect, I definitely predicted the main big bads, but it never retracted from the experience. There was just the right balance of danger and goofiness.
The characters are where it shines though!! Bianca is an incredible pov character, from their humor, to their love for the people around them, to their very real fears, and to overcoming them while still being afraid ♡
I'm a self-proclaimed crybaby with books, and the moments of friendship and found family had me in tears ♡
Bianca had me laughing out loud from the very first page, crying happy tears a few times in the middle, and laughing some more all throughout.
As for the mystery aspect, I definitely predicted the main big bads, but it never retracted from the experience. There was just the right balance of danger and goofiness.
The characters are where it shines though!! Bianca is an incredible pov character, from their humor, to their love for the people around them, to their very real fears, and to overcoming them while still being afraid ♡
I'm a self-proclaimed crybaby with books, and the moments of friendship and found family had me in tears ♡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Kidnapping
Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, Torture, Transphobia, Vomit, and Stalking
stephmcoakley's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Biphobia, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail