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thriftedbookworm'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: 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
dododenise'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book does a surprising amount with the number of pages it has. Yet, as someone who enjoys speculative fiction and dystopia I do wish the mind altering aspect of the story was explored more beyond the scope of what it could and could not do for Aaron.
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Sexual content and Pregnancy
ottolee'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
4.75
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,savage_book_review'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? It's complicated
4.5
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!
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
- 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
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
caro_las'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Bullying, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Dementia, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
badmom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual content, Medical content, Suicide attempt, and Alcohol
Minor: Emotional abuse and Pregnancy
mousmoulo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
the reason for the "low" rating is that i've definitely outgrown this type of book and never got fully immersed into it, but i know i would've made this my whole personality if i read it as a teenager lol
(definitely check trigger warnings if you're planning to read it)
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug use
mschirem's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, Dementia, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
ingridmaria'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Drug use, Vomit, and Dementia