Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

62 reviews

thriftedbookworm's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad 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

4.0

if you’re looking for a book that will leave you feeling happy, this probably isn’t the book for you (despite its name). a beautifully written novel about wanting to forget the bad parts in life, but realizing that is a part of what makes you human. we live in a world that is messy, filled with ugliness and beauty, and silvera’s work brings that out wonderfully. while it was a bit slow to start, by about halfway i couldn’t put it down and wanted to cry for aaron by the end of it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Drug use, Sexual content, Dementia, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol

Minor: Domestic abuse and Pregnancy

kylebook's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Self harm

tobiii's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

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Content Warnings

Minor: Homophobia and Self harm

splashcat360's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Hate crime and Homophobia

ottolee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Outing, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Deadnaming and Fatphobia

All of the graphic content feels “earned”. It’s part of the exploration of homophobia in the Latinx community, esp internalized hatred and shame. But it is very intense and,

while the MC survives it,

the ending being “more happy than not” is up for interpretation. The deadnaming comes across like the cis MC not realizing he’s deadnaming/being transphobic, not being malicious. Perhaps another facet of the casual ignorance of the community. Still, was kinda off-putting and not necessary. And idk if the author is also unaware he’s being transphobic.

gabrielledurrett's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

savage_book_review's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• 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? It's complicated

4.5

Adam Silvera's trademark style of sensitively exploring the discovering and acceptance of sexuality through the lens of a teenage boy, complete with a sci-fi twist is on full display here, and it makes for a beautifully written, heart-wrenching, terrifying-and-yet-completely-relatable read. 

Aaron is a fairly typical teen on the surface - always playing ridiculous games with his mates, taking the girlfriend who adores him out on dates and writing his own comic book. But his life hasn't been easy - he has the scar on his wrist to prove that. I cannot fault the characterisation; Silvera's writing perfectly captures that balance of a person being "normal" on the outside and yet struggling with trauma and their own demons on the inside. His is definitely not a sugar-coated existence, and Silvera has a real knack for making his lead characters so incredibly real, which just makes the 'fantastical' element that much more engaging.

In this case, it's name-dropped a few times early on in the story, and if you've read the author's other works it's not hard to take a stab at guessing what might be on the horizon. But likewise, he's all about giving you hope. And in this case, the twists and turns are perfectly timed to keep you engaged and to keep that hope burning in your chest. 

The secondary characters are also well drawn, but ultimately the more central they are to the story, the more fleshed out they are. This does mean that people like Aaron's mother, brother and his old friends are there and interesting, but they just don't have the same depth to them. In turn, as Aaron's interactions with them are important catalysts in the story, it does leave the whole work feeling just a little bit 'thin' for me. I could have done with perhaps another hundred pages where the background story was developed and explored in more detail. That being said, I can potentially see this issue as perhaps being a writing device, as it does sort of fit with the POV. Nevertheless, I still feel like I needed more. 

In a roundabout way, this story explores what might happen if a person could be "cured" of homosexuality. IMO, what's there to cure?! It's a beautiful illustration of what the struggles people go through when discovering their own preferences might feel like, and how the temptation of 'normality' might appeal, but that who you are will shine through no matter what. It's also a study in acceptance; even the harshest of days contribute to who you are. I can't say it's an uplifting read, but it holds a powerful message.

Absolutely worth the read!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Pregnancy

jennboyack_scott's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Cursing, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Medical content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

chelseaabu1's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, and Grief

Moderate: Cursing, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent

Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, and Alcohol

wiktoria_bojda's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

1.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Self harm