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melist6'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
3.75
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Medical content
Minor: Pregnancy
thriftedghost'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
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,gymjam_reads'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
2.5
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Physical abuse, Suicide, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
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
chelseaabu1'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: 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
tragicgloom'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? It's complicated
4.75
childhood friend who moved away for years and finally came back
home.
I’m more happy than not.
Don’t forget me."
I won't forget you Aaron ❤️
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying and Medical content
Minor: Drug use, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, and Abandonment
frqnc22's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
To sum everything up, I loved how real this book was and how it presented parts of everything Aaron had to go through in *painful* detail. I connected with his character and cried for him probably more than I expected.
As for the topics showed in this book, I truly didn’t expect the memory erasing procedure and the great amount of pain that came with it. I expected the story to leave me with a bittersweet feeling, but clearly didn’t expect such an introspective look on depression, homosexuality or memory loss. I’m glad I didn’t figure out what was gonna happen, because I was amazed by the storytelling. It is worth mentioning that I loved the flashbacks and where they were placed!
The sad reality depicted in the book, homophobia, was hard to read, especially all the fights and slurs. (Aaron: “This is what death feels like, I think.”) It’s hard to even imagine something as traumatic as Aaron’s life, and learning to accept yourself in a situation like his sounds nearly impossible. His whole life changed drastically just because he was brave enough to show his family the real Aaron. The fact that this also happens in real life makes everything worse.
All relationships broke my heart at some point, and some weren’t healthy for the people involved, but they were significant to Aaron’s personal growth.
He made mistakes, but the most important thing is learning from them and understanding what he did wrong in the first place. Fortunately, he understands and tries to do better
As for the ending, I didn’t expect another traumatizing experience for Aaron, but I learnt that this is not a happy book👍🏻
His way of thinking is truly inspiring, even though I was crying while reading the final pages. Truly an emotional rollercoaster, but Aaron’s development is everything! Being “more happy than not” seems difficult to achieve, but he’s doing his best, after going through the worst.
“Don’t forget me.”
Graphic: Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Infidelity
jshawreads'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
More Happy Than Not is the story of Aaron, scarred by his past and struggling to find happiness with the help of his friends and girlfriend. Until Thomas shows up, who Aaron gets on with so quickly and so well, and other emotions seem to start up, making Aaron question everything that has gone on before.
I dont want to delve any further into the story, because any spoilers could REALLY throw off what happens. Part of what goes down was so shocking and so unexpected by me that I was literally sat outside in my city's Gay Village, ugly crying into my drink.
A really, really good book, gripping, emotional, and devastatingly sad. Read this when in a good mental state only.
Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
growing_haru's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cursing, Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts