Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green

14 reviews

the_escapist's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Addiction, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Outing, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Biphobia and Police brutality

eamily's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious reflective 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

4.25

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, and Police brutality

Minor: Bullying, Infidelity, Sexual content, Excrement, and Classism

kylieqrada's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful 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? Yes

4.0

I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. I didn't even intend to ever read it, really. I like the Green brothers, who doesn't! But I've never really vibed with John's books, and I figured Hank's were going to be more of the same. But An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is not just more John Green YA contemporary romance, in a few ways: 1) This is not YA. It is adult. Granted, new-ish adult, the characters are in their early 20s, but it is very much not YA. 2) This is not contemporary romance. It's contemporary, but more like speculative/sci-fi in a real-world setting with dashes of satire. 3) Hank definitely has his own voice, and I LOVE that voice. It's edgy, and meta, and self-aware, and very raw. I do not think it is for everyone, but it was perfect for me, especially the humor. I also deeply enjoyed listening to this on audio. If I continue the series, I will certainly do so via audiobook, because Kristen Sieh IS April May, and quite honestly her voice reminds me a little bit of my friend Chessa, which I loved, but I digress. This book also had some parallels to life in America in the 2020s that were weirdly apt. It's like, there are no giant robots named Carl on our city streets, but the way people are acting,  you would think that there were. I don't want to spoil anything, but essentially, July 13th has an eerie real-world analog that hit close to home.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Death, Gore, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Grief

lalu's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious tense

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

read for the second time in 2021 - 5 stars

This book is amazing on so many levels!

• The protagonist is completely relatable, even in these absurd events
• social media is implemented convincingly (I mean Hank Green does have some experience on that topic)
• the "defenders" are prime examples of 2020's conspiracy theorists
• a bunch of characters just casually belong to of minorities, without it feeling forced
• we have stakes
• and things are scientifically acurate (I think)

Honestly, I love this story so much!


read for the first time in 2018 - 5 stars

Auf der ganzen Welt tauchen aus dem Nichts riesige, identische Metallstatuen in Großstädten auf. Die junge Grafikdesignerin April May ist die erste, die die Skulptur in New York entdeckt und dreht sofort ein YouTube-Video über "Carl", welches über Nacht viral geht. Besessen vom Social Media-Fame und der Überzeugung, dass die Carls keine Bedrohung darstellen, wird sie zur weltbekannten Advokatin der scheinbar extraterrestrischen Besucher und macht sich damit nicht nur Freunde.

Eine tolle, spannende und nicht vorhersehbare Story. So gern und ohne mich selbst daran erinnern zu müssen, habe ich schon lange nicht mehr gelesen... Nur der Cliffhanger am Ende macht mich fertig!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Addiction and Medical content

Minor: Biphobia and Cursing