Reviews with content warning for Murder - Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans

24 reviews

kell_xavi's review

emotional funny mysterious

3.0

Strong debut novel. Engaging, smart, snappy, with strong characters and well-written relationships. A few moments in the gender exploration were explanatory in a clunky way, but I related to much of the queer beginning too. It was nice to see it easily incorporated and accepted in the narrative. I liked the soft romance, the caring friendship waiting to get stronger, the siblings and parents and supportive friends. I didn’t connect to the writing of the mom, whose comments seemed insensitive to me—I wasn’t sure what the desired effect was. There are a lot of funny and entertaining moments throughout though, a good mystery that supplies uncomplicated hints along the way, and—if not in the emotions and mental processes around panic and social anxiety—a sense of anxiety as a presence; and courage gaining on it.

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emily_mh's review

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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

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onthesamepage's review against another edition

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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. 💜

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citrus_seasalt's review

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4.0

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britand's review

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adventurous funny mysterious

Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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shelvesofivy's review

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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 ♡

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bookcheshirecat's review

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

“Perhaps the real murder investigation is the friends we make along the way.”

I loved Bianca as a protagonist so much! I really related to their list of fears and their anxiety around most situations. I had a feeling I’d love the book for this reason and I was right 💗 Bianca is a nonbinary, introverted teen birder who prefers to watch people out of her bedroom window. They know how creepy that might seem, but often it’s easier than having to interact with anyone personally. One evening they witness their neighbor “Mr. Conspiracy” get murdered … and it seems like he was asking for help. The police rule it a suicide and (predictably) dismiss Bianca’s testimony. Bianca has so many fears, but cannot help but try to solve the murder and get justice for Mr. Conspiracy.

I loved how they had to tackle their fears during the investigation, but it’s still clear in the end that it didn’t magically ‘cure’ them. I wish therapy had been brought up for Bianca, but I still liked how their fears were addressed – the end has the full list they reference throughout the book! Another thing Bianca deals with is discovering that they’re a nonbinary lesbian. They don’t feel comfortable being addressed with “she/her” pronouns but struggle to correct others and come out. I liked the discussions around their gender identity and coming of age, especially as Bianca was still figuring things out!

The premise of this Mystery/Thriller was SO good and entertaining. I loved the idea of an anxious, introverted teen being the only witness to a murder and the only person able to get justice for them. Bianca is not the typical hero you’d imagine to lead a murder investigation, which made this book so much better and fun to follow! I listened to the audiobook and was always excited to get back to it because I wanted to know what happened next! There were some darker themes as well, as Bianca and their new friends get in danger during their investigation. Between attacks and being stalked, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want to find out the truth about Mr. Conspiracy’s death and the organisation he was investigating. I have to admit that some elements of the mystery were pretty predictable for me, but I still liked the suspense and sense of danger!

“Apparently I’m taking be gay do crime too far.”

The secondary cast was the best!! Bianca doesn’t really have friends but finds themselves opening up to others for the first time. Anderson is their neighbor and kind of friend – both of them hang out only outside of school as they love anime! He’s more popular, but a kind, funny guy who agrees to join Bianca in the investigation. I loved their friendship so much and how it deepened throughout the book! In the end, they became real friends and grew so much closer together. Anderson has a brother who’s trans and it was so great to see Ronan and Bianca talk about their gender identities. Ronan has been out for a while and just gets Bianca’s situation, so he can offer advice and encouragement! Then there’s Bianca’s crush Elaine! She’s the only other teenager in their birding group and Bianca has been pining after her for ages. Elaine later decides to help them out and makes clear that she likes Bianca, even if they are awkward and introverted! Their budding romance was cute and I felt for Bianca’s uncertainty toward Elaine.

“I’m both tearing up and smiling. A laugh escapes me. It’s so silly. I feel like I’m meeting myself for the first time.”

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pinesandpages's review against another edition

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5.0

This review is essentially a list of things I liked a lot. Vibes off the chart for this book. Highly recommend, tho it’s weird and quite niche.

Lots of little great moments:
•great chapter titles
• The lesbian sheep explanation and then throughline
• watching Anderson and Bianca get closer and deepen their friendship. He’s a great friend and I also liked the Coleman family dynamics
•The fact that they dubbed it “Feathergate” 😂
• Lots of great little amusing asides from Bianca’s POV. I enjoyed the incorporation of Bianca’s numbered fears scattered throughout, that was a fun addition.
• I also like watching Bianca start the process of figuring out their gender.
• Also obviously I like all the birding moments, that’s what drew me in in the first place!
• I also enjoy that we watch Bianca get braver throughout the book. At first they never wanted to leave their bedroom but even halfway through they started branching out and doing small new things. Baby steps! And then by the end! Look at them go!
• This books combines a deep interest in a lot of weird things: birding, anime, Shakespeare, gender identity exploration, thriller, cults, etc. Not that gender identity exploration or thrillers are weird, but with all of those things combined, this book covers a lot of ground but never in a way that is too much or leaves anything hanging.

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stephmcoakley's review against another edition

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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

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lowkeymarie's review

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

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