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jay_jade736's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Well this was a read
Pros
1. The flow between chapters was smooth and it made reading quite easy. They were short and the passages just fits together well (not in a lyrical or grammatical sense, but I guess metaphorical).
2. Max’s mom.
Cons
1. There’s absolutely no plot. The book’s description clearly states a food truck and how that impacted their lives, but in the later half of the book, the food truck just get sidelined for other subplots that weren’t properly executed. Heck, the rape plot, Jordan’s mom plot, and the food truck plot are not even fully addressed by the end of the book. The book’s lack of cohesion and direction in plot line is that bad ☠️.
2. Jordan is insufferable. Constantly whining and flat as a whole. Max keeps on saying that he’s so beautiful but Jordan doesn’t know it, but how? How is Jordan beautiful when the only things we know about him are that he’s skinny, white, weak, frail, gay, a virgin, and has green eyes?
3. Jordan’s mum is atrocious. I hate how the book presents here mental illness and the way other characters makes fun of her (it’s 2024 now, grow up Bill Konigsberg), but no development for her whatsoever despite the book focusing on her as part of Jordan’s character development.
4. Max is better but he’s also quite annoying. He literally belittles Jordan in his mind in the early parts of the book and then states later on that he’s so attractive. HUHHHH??? He also dismissed Jordan’s vulnerability when he asked max “do you hate me?”. The boy literally responded with “SHUT UP” ☠️☠️. Also, you don’t like Jordan if the only reason you like him is that he’s Jordan. Saying things like “I like his arms” or “I like his green eyes” doesn’t count. Furthermore, can we talk about the allusion that Max wants Jordan to also have a dude bro build? Bill Konigsberg may have fooled others, but he surely didn’t fool me.
5. The coupling isn’t good whatsoever. No chemistry between the two. Idk why Jordan likes Max, and Max only likes Jordan because he’s “Jordan”.
6. The writing style is bad. I’m not sure if this is Konigsberg’s style of writing but who tf writes something like this:
“I can’t stop thinking. About who she likes”
LIKE JUST COMBINE THE SENTENCES SERIOUSLY ☠️☠️☠️
I expected to hate this book, which I do, but the early to mid parts of it made me think otherwise. Too bad, the mid to ending segment was atrocious. Wasted potential. Will not be reading another book from the author. Also, a waste of time and money.
Pros
1. The flow between chapters was smooth and it made reading quite easy. They were short and the passages just fits together well (not in a lyrical or grammatical sense, but I guess metaphorical).
2. Max’s mom.
Cons
1. There’s absolutely no plot. The book’s description clearly states a food truck and how that impacted their lives, but in the later half of the book, the food truck just get sidelined for other subplots that weren’t properly executed. Heck, the rape plot, Jordan’s mom plot, and the food truck plot are not even fully addressed by the end of the book. The book’s lack of cohesion and direction in plot line is that bad ☠️.
2. Jordan is insufferable. Constantly whining and flat as a whole. Max keeps on saying that he’s so beautiful but Jordan doesn’t know it, but how? How is Jordan beautiful when the only things we know about him are that he’s skinny, white, weak, frail, gay, a virgin, and has green eyes?
3. Jordan’s mum is atrocious. I hate how the book presents here mental illness and the way other characters makes fun of her (it’s 2024 now, grow up Bill Konigsberg), but no development for her whatsoever despite the book focusing on her as part of Jordan’s character development.
4. Max is better but he’s also quite annoying. He literally belittles Jordan in his mind in the early parts of the book and then states later on that he’s so attractive. HUHHHH??? He also dismissed Jordan’s vulnerability when he asked max “do you hate me?”. The boy literally responded with “SHUT UP” ☠️☠️. Also, you don’t like Jordan if the only reason you like him is that he’s Jordan. Saying things like “I like his arms” or “I like his green eyes” doesn’t count. Furthermore, can we talk about the allusion that Max wants Jordan to also have a dude bro build? Bill Konigsberg may have fooled others, but he surely didn’t fool me.
5. The coupling isn’t good whatsoever. No chemistry between the two. Idk why Jordan likes Max, and Max only likes Jordan because he’s “Jordan”.
6. The writing style is bad. I’m not sure if this is Konigsberg’s style of writing but who tf writes something like this:
“I can’t stop thinking. About who she likes”
LIKE JUST COMBINE THE SENTENCES SERIOUSLY ☠️☠️☠️
I expected to hate this book, which I do, but the early to mid parts of it made me think otherwise. Too bad, the mid to ending segment was atrocious. Wasted potential. Will not be reading another book from the author. Also, a waste of time and money.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
jainabee's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
The story is a very sweet and fun teen romance romp, even as it weaves in very serious and challenging themes and topics. Nuanced characters emerge through confronting their own presumptions about each other and about themselves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Addiction, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Biphobia, Cursing, Kidnapping, Cultural appropriation, and Abandonment
Remarkably realistic and accurate portrayal of rape, dissociation, gaslighting, addiction, and moving through various stages of trauma. The challenging material is handled with great care and shows healthy, functional family and community responses to trauma.a_l_reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Outing, and Gaslighting
ricardo_sb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Violence and Vomit
alyxinthestars's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death of parent
davidbythebay's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
An emotional story touching upon several difficult topics, this was a beautiful exploration of youth, coming of age, and being gay. When two gay boys take over a food truck for the summer, the story looks likes its going to be a sweet unknown/enemies to lovers trope. And it sort of is. But it's more about realizing what our boundaries are, how to communicate, the strength in speaking your truth and in supporting others' truths, and coping with significant trauma. It's about speaking what you want and having someone listen to it and abide by it. Boundaries are the key theme of this book and it handles them beautifully. Really, a sweet read that spoke volumes in a matter of pages.
TW: parent death, grief, addiction, gambling, rape, sexual assault, gaslighting, bullying
TW: parent death, grief, addiction, gambling, rape, sexual assault, gaslighting, bullying
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia and Vomit
bitsandbobsdivination's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I really enjoyed Openly Straight and it’s Sequel but this one just didn’t hit right.
The friend groups I felt really uncomfortable with right from the beginning and they never really redeemed themselves by the end. The “wives” especially as they felt so over the top and stereotyped. I know it was to make a point of GBF’s but one tiny mention at the end that it changed and suddenly all was good now was weird.
That being said, most of the plot if this book felt so strange and out of order at times too. Especially since there were a ton of plots mixing together for a climax that never really got solved… It just kinda did an after school special introspection about the title for a moment and then ended?? Plus the mom clearly needed help the whole time and then just got shoved under the bus? It could have been handled so much better!
That all being said, the way in which rape, dissociation, toxic masculinity, and self-esteem were covered were done much better but still, kinda clunky, like it could have been expanded upon in less choppy ways.
I’m sure I could go on about how Jordan and Max’s relationship was built up without any real chemistry, or how we had random chapters that were full on filler, but I’m gonna end it here by saying it wasn’t all bad, but I don’t plan on reading it again…
That being said, most of the plot if this book felt so strange and out of order at times too. Especially since there were a ton of plots mixing together for a climax that never really got solved… It just kinda did an after school special introspection about the title for a moment and then ended?? Plus the mom clearly needed help the whole time and then just got shoved under the bus? It could have been handled so much better!
That all being said, the way in which rape, dissociation, toxic masculinity, and self-esteem were covered were done much better but still, kinda clunky, like it could have been expanded upon in less choppy ways.
I’m sure I could go on about how Jordan and Max’s relationship was built up without any real chemistry, or how we had random chapters that were full on filler, but I’m gonna end it here by saying it wasn’t all bad, but I don’t plan on reading it again…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Grief
ranjanireviewsreads's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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? It's complicated
5.0
Ever wondered what it feels like to grow up? During, it's difficult to differentiate one moment from another. In hindsight, it might be easy to merge memories.
The Music of What Happens is what I would recommend if you want the answer to that question. Bill Konigsberg uses witty, snappy language with hidden heartfelt moments to authentically portray the joy, misery, loneliness, and connection felt in the late teen years. Growing up gay, biracial, lonely; it's not something everyone can understand, much less wonder about.
Heartfelt, real, and incredibly beautiful; The Music of What Happens is a reflection of the teenage experience of coming of age, falling in love, and figuring out how to be your own person. A must read for the young adult contemporary reader.
The Music of What Happens is what I would recommend if you want the answer to that question. Bill Konigsberg uses witty, snappy language with hidden heartfelt moments to authentically portray the joy, misery, loneliness, and connection felt in the late teen years. Growing up gay, biracial, lonely; it's not something everyone can understand, much less wonder about.
Heartfelt, real, and incredibly beautiful; The Music of What Happens is a reflection of the teenage experience of coming of age, falling in love, and figuring out how to be your own person. A must read for the young adult contemporary reader.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Homophobia, Misogyny, and Rape
Minor: Body shaming, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, and Grief
riella_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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? It's complicated
3.5
This was a lot more emotional and hard hitting than I originally expected. This hit hard on "light" homophobia and racism, where friends and family are making jokes about gay sex and how the main character isn't brown even though he's Mexican. Some parts were actually pretty hard to listen to, and there were lots of trigger warnings
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
iksme's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.75
This book,,, this book made me cry. OMG this is the gay romance you need to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Death of parent