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thesaltiestlibrarian's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
SLIP would have benefited from 100 more pages of story and character building. Whoever decided to make this so short really took aim and shot this book in the foot. We had a really decent concept and not enough room for it to breathe.
The kicker here—and what took off the two stars for me—was the light use of a suicide attempt for moving a plot forward, considering suicide is, you know, such an easy-breezy topic and fun real-life issue. The ONLY thing we know about Phoebe's character outside of her attempts is that she loves music. Again, if SLIP had gotten another hundred pages, it would have let the narrative and characters grow, given us room to feel how complicated mental health can be for the people whose loved ones are suffering. As it is...I was left feeling blah about this one.
The kicker here—and what took off the two stars for me—was the light use of a suicide attempt for moving a plot forward, considering suicide is, you know, such an easy-breezy topic and fun real-life issue. The ONLY thing we know about Phoebe's character outside of her attempts is that she loves music. Again, if SLIP had gotten another hundred pages, it would have let the narrative and characters grow, given us room to feel how complicated mental health can be for the people whose loved ones are suffering. As it is...I was left feeling blah about this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
greenlivingaudioworm's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide attempt
itsmeyseniab's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I was provided an ARC by Algonquin Young Readers in exchange for an honest review - all thoughts are my own.
I was really excited to get my hands on this one as it combines two of my favorite things (hard-hitting contemporary and graphic novels), but I'm sad to say that I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would.
I was so intrigued going into this novel because the plot sounded unique to anything I've read in the past, but ultimately it felt all over the place at times and I had to fill in a lot of blanks myself. Don't get me wrong, I completely understood the overall message and lesson, but I think it could've been fleshed out a little bit more (for example the friendship between Jade and Phoebe:we are led to believe that Jade's been "defining herself by their friendship" but those signs were never there prior to Phoebe's suicide attempts. I get that the attempts were the catalyst for the entire story/Jade's emotions she's working through, but to suggest that the entire friendship was rooted in a sort of off-balance power dynamic was jarring to me. The romance in this novel also felt very rushed - I just wish the lead up was a little more prominent!
That being said, I thought the depiction of Jade's inner turmoil was extremely realistic and well done (and I love how it was reflected in her artistry!) It was a great representation of how mental illness truly affects us all, even if an individual isn't necessarily battling with it themselves. I thought the art style was great as well, and really enjoyed the contrast between the gray and pink color palettes to denote a happy memory/moment from the more negative, mundane thoughts Jade was having. Although I was expecting to enjoy this a bit more than I did, I'm looking forward to seeing what else these two create in the future!
I was really excited to get my hands on this one as it combines two of my favorite things (hard-hitting contemporary and graphic novels), but I'm sad to say that I didn't enjoy it nearly as much as I thought I would.
I was so intrigued going into this novel because the plot sounded unique to anything I've read in the past, but ultimately it felt all over the place at times and I had to fill in a lot of blanks myself. Don't get me wrong, I completely understood the overall message and lesson, but I think it could've been fleshed out a little bit more (for example the friendship between Jade and Phoebe:
That being said, I thought the depiction of Jade's inner turmoil was extremely realistic and well done (and I love how it was reflected in her artistry!) It was a great representation of how mental illness truly affects us all, even if an individual isn't necessarily battling with it themselves. I thought the art style was great as well, and really enjoyed the contrast between the gray and pink color palettes to denote a happy memory/moment from the more negative, mundane thoughts Jade was having. Although I was expecting to enjoy this a bit more than I did, I'm looking forward to seeing what else these two create in the future!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Self harm, Blood, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug abuse