Reviews

Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri

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readingdistracted's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

mayormccheese's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring reflective 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? No

3.0

stephgsimps's review against another edition

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4.0

Nayeri's voice was so captivating, amusing and entertaining. His storytelling allows you to truly feel front row as he weaves his tales of his firsthand experience and stories from his Iranian culture.

quitejessi's review against another edition

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5.0

Daniel (Khosrou) spins a tale comprised of many tales full of sadness, hope, and new life. The book is targeted towards MG/YA, but I think it's probably better for YA/Adult. Sometimes, though, Daniel would tell stories that were a little too juvenile for my tastes. There are no chapters (it's a stream-of-thought type of story), and the transitions between myth, reality, and narrative might be difficult for a younger kid to follow. It was pretty slow and mildly confusing for the first third of the book, but the narrative seemed to get tighter as it went. I personally liked the method of storytelling, as it felt personal to the author. I also loved how he incorporated his Christian faith into the book. It didn't feel cheesy or trite, but sincere. I imagine this would be even more impactful as an audiobook.

(4.5 stars)

alicia_th's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny inspiring slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

deathcabforlucy's review against another edition

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5.0

This book is perfect. It’s not outright or obvious in its perfection, but it’s incredibly rich and fulfilling at every turn, once you realize what he’s doing. I learned so much. It’s written for a middle school audience, but I found it compelling even as a college student. I feel the deep love and appreciation that Nayeri has for his mom. I share an appreciation for those memories that I’m not quite sure are true, but hold tight to anyway. The writing was effortless but heart wrenching and the observations made about the world continually struck through my heart. I loved it.