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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: Sexual content, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
Minor: Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Homophobia
kcbookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
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? It's complicated
5.0
I read this at least once a year and still love it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, Addiction, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia
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: Racism, Death of parent, Homophobia, Addiction, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexual harassment, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting
jojohahanana's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Alcoholism, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
rosage's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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
1.0
my high school self would have loved this book. however it’s is very much trauma bonding and their whole relationship is built bc of their two personal traumas.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction and Adult/minor relationship
rebecca_t's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
(slight spoilers ahead + check trigger warnings! See the bold sentence at the end for a spoiler-free, short review)
phew, I'm really disappointed in this book. I thought I was going to like it a lot but the opposite is the case. If it hadn't been so easy to read (writing style-wise, not content-wise) I would've stopped after the first 50 pages. I absolutely disliked the writing style. It wasn't necessarily bad, but every conversation made me cringe and didn't feel authentic at all. The relationship felt rushed and there were so many instances where Max and Jordan made certain comments or had thoughts about each other that gave the impression that Max and Jordan didn't even like each other.
On the topic of liking, I absolutely hated both Jordan's and Max's friends. Some people might be okay with their behavior but I think you should dump friends who don't listen to you, don’t take you seriously and who just generally make you feel like shit. Like seriously, the girls only befriended Jordan because they wanted to help him out himself, like they have any say in this as some random classmates and then only really wanted Jordan to be their stereotypical gay best friend. And then Betts, Max's friend, was just the worst straight, white and not even subtly racist guy ever. I get that the person who is subjected to racism has to decide if they're hurt by it or not, but I feel like it’s such a bad representation to not have him be actually confronted about his disgusting behavior.
Also, all the heavy topics discussed in this book felt like they were just thrown in there to make the story more dramatic. I do absolutely not want to take away from the importance of discussing things such as rape, addiction and racism, however from my point of view it was executed so so poorly. I felt like the author just wrote in the rape for the purpose of giving Max a difficult background too, as if Jordan's problems were enough. Obviously bad things in life don‘t come to you one by one, and sometimes you get hit by several ones at the same time, but this is a fictional story with only so much time to discuss the consequences and difficulties of such things, so if you're gonna mention these, do it properly.
In short: I would've skipped this book if I could go back in time. This is not some cute enemies-to-lovers story, it is annoying to read and discusses way to many heavy topics to do be able to do them justice.
phew, I'm really disappointed in this book. I thought I was going to like it a lot but the opposite is the case. If it hadn't been so easy to read (writing style-wise, not content-wise) I would've stopped after the first 50 pages. I absolutely disliked the writing style. It wasn't necessarily bad, but every conversation made me cringe and didn't feel authentic at all. The relationship felt rushed and there were so many instances where Max and Jordan made certain comments or had thoughts about each other that gave the impression that Max and Jordan didn't even like each other.
On the topic of liking, I absolutely hated both Jordan's and Max's friends. Some people might be okay with their behavior but I think you should dump friends who don't listen to you, don’t take you seriously and who just generally make you feel like shit. Like seriously, the girls only befriended Jordan because they wanted to help him out himself, like they have any say in this as some random classmates and then only really wanted Jordan to be their stereotypical gay best friend. And then Betts, Max's friend, was just the worst straight, white and not even subtly racist guy ever. I get that the person who is subjected to racism has to decide if they're hurt by it or not, but I feel like it’s such a bad representation to not have him be actually confronted about his disgusting behavior.
Also, all the heavy topics discussed in this book felt like they were just thrown in there to make the story more dramatic. I do absolutely not want to take away from the importance of discussing things such as rape, addiction and racism, however from my point of view it was executed so so poorly. I felt like the author just wrote in the rape for the purpose of giving Max a difficult background too, as if Jordan's problems were enough. Obviously bad things in life don‘t come to you one by one, and sometimes you get hit by several ones at the same time, but this is a fictional story with only so much time to discuss the consequences and difficulties of such things, so if you're gonna mention these, do it properly.
In short: I would've skipped this book if I could go back in time. This is not some cute enemies-to-lovers story, it is annoying to read and discusses way to many heavy topics to do be able to do them justice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
Minor: Cursing, Death of parent, Grief, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
laejone's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
There were parts where I felt the story lag a little bit, but the ending made me really happy and emotional.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
Moderate: Rape, Xenophobia, Racism, Racial slurs, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Addiction
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
memorable's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.75
Wow! I just finished this book as an audiobook and I’m deeply moved. Jordan and Max faced so many obstacles, so many sad moments, and are so different from each other, yet they find their way and accept each other for who they are. This book has lots of topics that are dealt with and are challenged, so you have to be in the right mindset to be able to deal with them. But in the end, this book is really hopeful. I loved it!
I think it’s even better when you read it as part such as the theatre play were a little confusing to listen to. I also gotta admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of “the wives”, yet I really liked how they all talked about setting boundaries in the end.
I think it’s even better when you read it as part such as the theatre play were a little confusing to listen to. I also gotta admit that I wasn’t a huge fan of “the wives”, yet I really liked how they all talked about setting boundaries in the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Racial slurs, Racism, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Bullying
Toxic masculinity Gambling Gaslighting Talks about/ descriptions of food HIV/AIDS Low self esteem/ lots of down talking oneselflavender_lake's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-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
2.25
I wish I could give this a better rating!
I really liked the characters and enjoyed how openly they communicated (not every romance needs to be rooted in misunderstandings!). The darker topics, which I appreciate were included, were dealt with in a thorough and empathetic way.
Sadly, the pacing and overall style fell flat for me.
There were quite a lot of redundancies and scenes with no apparent point, which made it hard for me to get through the novel. I feel like the story could have been told in a more concise way and should have taken up no more than 200 pages.
Also: The many brand names throughout the novel bothered me. They were probably integrated to make the story feel more realistic, but to me, they felt more like pop-up-ads: distracting.
I really liked the characters and enjoyed how openly they communicated (not every romance needs to be rooted in misunderstandings!). The darker topics, which I appreciate were included, were dealt with in a thorough and empathetic way.
Sadly, the pacing and overall style fell flat for me.
There were quite a lot of redundancies and scenes with no apparent point, which made it hard for me to get through the novel. I feel like the story could have been told in a more concise way and should have taken up no more than 200 pages.
Also: The many brand names throughout the novel bothered me. They were probably integrated to make the story feel more realistic, but to me, they felt more like pop-up-ads: distracting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Mental illness, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit
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