Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Parachutes

The cover was initially what brought me here and what kept me going was the storytelling. Yang reveals a plethora of topics in her 476 pages of a novel - including racism, assault, rape, sexuality, coming out, emotional and verbal abuse among others. It was heartbreaking when I found out the personal ties Yang has with Claire & Dani’s story. The struggles and the aftermath were written in a way that felt raw and painful. This would be ideal for a college aged student or a mature upper level high schooler who can handle serious, possibly traumatic themes in this book. The representation and potency of this novel is fully developed in this novel.

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bookswithabbey1's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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zpbrook's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

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dominicangirl's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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wortfluesterin's review

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective tense 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? It's complicated

4.75

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lil_micks's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring tense fast-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? No

3.75

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alliemikennareads's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective sad tense 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

4.5

When I picked this up for book club, I was not expecting it to be the most poignant book on debate culture that I have ever read- and that’s not even really the primary theme of the book. This book navigates many topics that I’m not an own voices reviewer for and don’t want to speak to the validity of (the international student experience especially). But I think this is an extremely realistic depiction of high school life and drama. I usually hate split perspectives but it worked so well here. I felt at times the narrative voices could have been a little more distinct and the characters more developed, and their tone sometimes felt a little younger than they were. But overall this is a really well written book and I couldn’t put it down.

I didn’t expect to relate to this book in the way that I did. I felt sick to my stomach about 10% into the book when we first start getting to know Mr. Connelly because I had an inkling of where this was headed. It’s a story I’ve heard before. It’s a story that quite easily could have been my own.

But debate culture is toxic for anyone that isn’t a white male. And it was at times for me. This book gets it 100% to a T. The absolute gaslighting. The lack of boundaries. The fear of confronting uncomfortable moments because you don’t want to make waves. The power imbalance that exists in most rooms you enter, and the discomfort along with it.

I don’t know where I’m going with this except to say that this book resonated with me in ways I never expected it to. It will stick with me for a long time.

Content Warnings

jojo_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional inspiring 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

3.5

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