laurenalexsc's review
4.0
Laugh out loud funny, no exaggerations...I literally laughed out loud. Daniel, Travis, and Marjani are the best comedic trio. I've also learned so much about spinal muscular atrophy that I wouldn't know otherwise. Loved it!
faythrwu's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
elainenotbenes's review
5.0
This book has everything: Kidnapping, sports, cougar moms, love, stoner friends, high-speed wheelchair driving, and that thing where you fall in love with this book.
findyourgoldenhour's review
5.0
"I have brought light into this world, and I have been given light from this world. And what light it is! I can say that I have lived. Can you say that you have lived?...I have loved, and I have been loved. This is all we should want. This is all you have to do right now. It's right in front of you. So just take it. I know I plan to."
I started this one feeling a little leery; as the mom of an autistic person, I usually stay away from anything remotely associated with the special needs world in my fiction. I worry it'll be too simplistic, too depressing, too enraging. It's all just too tender a topic for me.
I needn't have worried about that here. I loved this book and devoured it in two days. The storyline is your basic plot driven narrative; it wasn't what made me love this book. It's the voice of the main character, which is so genuine and compelling. He's a young man living with some severely limiting challenges, but he is not an object of our pity nor a source of "inspiration"(ugh). He's a regular guy who has regular thoughts, with a grounded perspective on what actually matters in life. He has meaningful relationships and a feeling of purpose. He is funny! I especially loved that he communicated nonverbally with those closest to him; this may feel like a stretch to some readers, but as the mother of someone who cannot reliably communicate using speech, it felt true to our experience.
Representation matters. Normalize main characters with disabilities without the burden of our pity.
I started this one feeling a little leery; as the mom of an autistic person, I usually stay away from anything remotely associated with the special needs world in my fiction. I worry it'll be too simplistic, too depressing, too enraging. It's all just too tender a topic for me.
I needn't have worried about that here. I loved this book and devoured it in two days. The storyline is your basic plot driven narrative; it wasn't what made me love this book. It's the voice of the main character, which is so genuine and compelling. He's a young man living with some severely limiting challenges, but he is not an object of our pity nor a source of "inspiration"(ugh). He's a regular guy who has regular thoughts, with a grounded perspective on what actually matters in life. He has meaningful relationships and a feeling of purpose. He is funny! I especially loved that he communicated nonverbally with those closest to him; this may feel like a stretch to some readers, but as the mother of someone who cannot reliably communicate using speech, it felt true to our experience.
Representation matters. Normalize main characters with disabilities without the burden of our pity.
sbsreads's review
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- 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
4.0
machilld's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
purpleviolin91's review
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
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? Yes
4.5
At times this book was hard to put down. I loved the disability representation. Despite dealing with serious topics like disability and kidnapping, this book made me laugh several times! There was a certain small thing I was hoping would happen in the end that didn’t so I took off half a star.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping