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mirakelsey's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexism
sonatica's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really loved this book. It took a while for me to really get absorbed by it, but by the second half I just couldn‘t put it down. The characters are lovable but not without their flaws, and the story between them is bittersweet. I had not expected to root so much for their friendship in the end. Very lovely :)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Violence, Vomit, and Alcohol
winter_b's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A fun light read with some deeper and emotional themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
Violence:cronads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
seregelda's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
Delightful!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
ekgranstro's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- 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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
nolanlucy's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-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
5.0
disorganised thoughts!!:
i love that the narrator is kind of in gwen/art's head but not really. it's not like stream of consciousness and it's not boring, everything has character and personality. and so funny too!! in a real way, like pls the dialogue is so fun.
i love that the narrator is kind of in gwen/art's head but not really. it's not like stream of consciousness and it's not boring, everything has character and personality. and so funny too!! in a real way, like pls the dialogue is so fun.
so well written, easy to read but never boring. same with characters, sometimes they're difficult but they're SO loveable. i like how the intensity and serious-ness grew at a rate that was surprising and interesting but not overwhelming or unbelievable.
also diversity! in multiple ways, and it never feels forced. like an Asian lesbian love interest? and she's SO fucking cool?? yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Misogyny
violet_viper's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, Death of parent, War, and Injury/Injury detail
frenchpants's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death of parent, and War
Moderate: Alcoholism and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Sexism
bree_h_reads's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I was really looking forward to this book, so I’m glad I overall found it enjoyable.
The characters are where my thoughts are the most varied. I found all the dynamics and relationships to be varied and unique. Each once seemed to interact in an understandable and in-character way. It really helped me to understand WHY they played off of each other the way they did. The family backgrounds being varied also lent really well to characterisation. Gwen and Gabriel had the most obvious family dynamic, but Arthur’s family was major in his character and even Bridget’s came up and gave more insight into who she is and why. It was a great way to build on characters and why they are the way they are. However, that’s not to say there were no flaws. I personally found the character arcs to be a bit weak. It felt like I was missing the deeper insight into WHY the characters were changing or having revelations. Then, there’s my problem with Arthur. Personally, I found him deeply obnoxious and self-absorbed for most of the book. When the time came for him to show his growth it caught me off guard as well. I don’t think this is entirely the fault of the writing. Personally I think the narrator chosen for Arthur’s POV just wasn’t the best choice. The voice he gave Arthur was never serious and always had a more chipper, carefree sense regardless of scene tone. He also made the women in the book sound whiny and obnoxious which left a bad taste in my mouth for the character.
I also think the balance between the romance and political plot could have been done better. The romances, understandably, had a lot of focus. Gwen and Bridget’s specifically was especially well-written. However, there was a lot lacking in the political plot. There would be crumbs hinting at a larger struggle that would shake the foundations of the characters’ world. It would grab my interest and get me properly interested, only for it to remain untouched for 75% of the book. It was disappointing and made the book feel lacking.
Finally, I think the discussions and theme the book aimed to explore were interesting. I think the exploration of struggling to understand being queer and come to terms in a society where that’s not a thing were well-done and very relatable. I also liked the additional discussion of historical queerness and its erasure to push a certain idea. What felt a little lacking was the books more feminist angle. It touched upon the struggles of gender roles and how women are put down for stepping outside of that, but never went deeper. When it’s such an influence on the sapphic romance, and even a minor one on the achillean romance, I feel like it should be given more attention.
Overall it was a good read and I think if the book struck a better balance with the plot it could be an easy 4 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cursing, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Kidnapping, and Grief
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse