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fancyjess_party's review against another edition
- 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? No
2.75
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Genocide, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
mirandalikesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
In parts I felt like it could have used an edit. The main character used the word inane/inanity often enough that it was noticeable. I also thought some of the footnotes could have been cut. All in all though would recommend!
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Infidelity, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Rape, Terminal illness, War, and Pandemic/Epidemic
rsagarin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Hate crime, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Grief
bella_cavicchi's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
In short: another Angie Kim winner. I'm pleased.
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Grief, Death of parent, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Infidelity, Racism, Xenophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Minor: Rape, Violence, Colonisation, and War
kotletka_polina's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
But I liked this book. Even though it has too much yapping at times, I really sympathised with the characters, feeling what they were feeling at that moment: rage and infuriation at their fathers’s secrets, nervousness and suspicion with each new peace of information revealed. I even found the narrator relatable somehow.
Even though it’s not the vibe I expected to get I still pretty much enjoyed it. Read the entire book in a couple of sittings without getting tired of complicated vocabulary (English isn’t my first language). It brings awareness to numerous important subjects and highlights issues I hadn’t paid enough attention before. I liked this book more than I expected.
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Rape and War
alexisgarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Infidelity, Racism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
_david_'s review against another edition
- 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
4.0
The main character shows some bad behavious: making quick assumptions, speaking around a nonspeaking character instead of to them, and just acting as a general teenager. However, the future main character, whose POV we're following, calls her past self out on it and voices her shame. In general I feel like Mia would've made more sense as a teenager than someone in college/uni.
The author's background in philosophy shines through, especially in the exploration of happiness. It's clearly written by someone with an academic background.
The ending left a positive lasting impression. I'm sure I will think back on it often during the rest of my life.
The reason that I'm giving the book 4 stars instead of 5 is because the writer POV often annoyed me with her perspective. I specifically refer to all the moments which said something along the lines of "but with the information I know now, why [odd thing] happened made sense" without any further explanation. It happened too much and sometimes for relatively minor occurrences. It disrupted the flow of the story and was hard to take serious after a while. A small point that I disliked but not enough to affect the score, that only Mia, Adam (the dad) and Eugene were well rounded characters. Hannah (the mother) and especially John were quite flat eventhough they were very important to the story.
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Infidelity, Racism, Rape, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Police brutality, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Chronic illness, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Murder, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Cancer, Toxic relationship, Dementia, and Classism
jocelyn62013's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence, Blood, Police brutality, and Medical content
Minor: Rape and War
katrinarose's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Ableism and Medical content
Moderate: Racism and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Rape, and Blood
hinkleh's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Ableism and Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape and Medical content