charlesmrose's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
(Side note - was anyone else rolling their eyes when Jonah said he went to Wheaton? This boring twit got into the extremely competitive "Christian Harvard"? With what money, what credentials, and what smarts?)
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, and Rape
Conversion therapy is explicitly described.aely's review
- 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
4.0
Parks-Ramage managed to write realistic characters who go through SO much trauma, with a bittersweet ending that left me feeling… complicated.
My only critique would be that the book felt so depressing and hopeless that at times it was very hard to return to the story.
Other than that, the book is a grim cautionary tale about abusive relationships and sexual assault. It was very emotional and well written. I hope that Jonah is able to live happily after the books ends. That is all.
Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Cursing, Gaslighting, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Classism, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Addiction, Death, Murder, Domestic abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Stalking, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Blood, Trafficking, Dementia, and Abortion
kwarnimont's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Sexual content, Rape, Kidnapping, Violence, Drug use, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, and Confinement
Moderate: Classism
cherryblossomreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Den beskrives dog som en historie, hvor et 'idyllic' forhold mellem Jonah og Richard ændrer sig til noget mørkt, men jeg følte ærligt aldrig at det var godt mellem dem, og et ødelagde lidt starten af historien for mig.
Men den er voldsom. Virkelig voldsom. Læs CW og TW (Content og Trigger Warnings) inden, du går i gang, hvis du vil være forberedt.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Classism and Suicide
bells_shelves's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Torture, Trafficking, Murder, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Homophobia
bluehairedlibrarian's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
With that said, this book is dark and traumatic, but the writing quality kept me reading despite the horrors on the page. Jonah is a compelling narrator and I sympathized with him while also thinking he was a complete idiot at times. The situations he got himself into could be excused by his naivete and Midwestern religious upbringing, but at the same time, he was incredibly naïve. He's also a very unreliable narrator, but I liked the framework that is revealed later on in the book. I thought it a bit strange for it suddenly to revolve around his non-relationship with a side character, and the ending felt strange and little forced.
I can't say I enjoyed this book, but I don't regret finishing it either. It's difficult and does not fall under the Gothic Horror trope at all. It's a difficult read, but a mostly well-written one.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Confinement, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Bullying, Child abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Pedophilia, and Torture
lvluplevi's review
- 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
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicide, Rape, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide attempt, Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, Torture, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Death of parent, Confinement, Death, Child abuse, Alcohol, and Drug use
marter2001's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Rape, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Homophobia, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Mental illness, Drug use, and Drug abuse
dylandarezzo's review
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Pedophilia
deezy's review
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Religious bigotry, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, and Trafficking