ree_the_owlgirl's review against another edition
hopeful
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Gun violence, and Bullying
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual harassment
kverity's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This one wasn't a personal favorite, mainly because I had a really hard time with Olivia as a character--she is purposefully selfish, and she does eventually realize the impact of her actions, but it is almost at the end. I just didn't know why her friends would have stuck around for so long. There is a lot going on plot-wise, with both Toni and Olivia having their own goals for the festival weekend. I definitely think that people looking for sapphic YA with flawed main characters will enjoy this, it just wasn't a personal fave.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Minor: Mass/school shootings
anna_23's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Bullying
jordanrds's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death of parent, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Sexual harassment
greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Murder, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual harassment, and Toxic relationship
runlaurarun's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Sexual harassment
corinniebee's review against another edition
lighthearted
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Panic attacks/disorders
robyn_fenix's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, and Gun violence
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Bullying, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Mass/school shootings and Toxic friendship
moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This one is probably closer to a 3.75 for me, but it was still a good read! I really liked that she was able to deal with tough issues well in the context of this YA romance. I also liked the complexity we saw within these characters and that what they were going through spanned past just a music festival and a romance. That being said, I did think that some of the issues surrounding the romance in the last third or so of the book felt a bit forced (I do think what was brought up could have played out well, but the idea of it happening within the course of a day was a bit too much of a stretch). However, like I said, this was still an enjoyable book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Death of parent, and Gun violence
literaryprincess's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.75
I kept waiting for this book to get better and it never did.
The concept of two talented young black girls falling for each other over a whirlwind weekend during a music festival seemed like exactly the kind of story I'd want to devour, but the combination of instalove, incredibly easy-to-hate characters, and the shoehorning in of triggering backstories for our main characters for the sake of social commentary was just too much for me to even pretend to like.
(The book does include very straightforward trigger warnings from the author at the start, which I do appreciate. I more so felt like the inclusion of these topics in the book were handled poorly.)
I went into this story knowing that the romance would take place over a single weekend, and typically short and sweet romances like this are tolerable if they aren't overdramatic. Olivia and Toni are the definition of "I would die for this stranger" after practically one conversation and it's so jarring and frustrating.
Olivia is hands down one of the worst protagonists I've ever had to read. She garners zero sympathy from me the way she consistently mistreats her best friend and faces zero repercussions aside from a slap on the wrist in a single argument. Had the narrative painted her in a negative light for even a moment it would have felt justified, but she plays the victim in every possible instance. Her entire storyline is that she jumps from relationship to relationship in an attempt to fill a hole in her life, and she's meant to realize that she doesn't need romance to feel complete, yet this is a romance book where she ends up with the girl she met two days ago and is meant to be Her Person(tm) which negates the whole point.
Toni's trauma would have been better to explore in a different book. The very real history of black men being victims of gun violence could have been well written about without the constant mention of real-life mass shootings at music venues sporadically dropped between outdated references and petty teenage drama.
Over all this book was just annoying and frustrating, which is so sad as someone who wants to see more black wlw stories.
The concept of two talented young black girls falling for each other over a whirlwind weekend during a music festival seemed like exactly the kind of story I'd want to devour, but the combination of instalove, incredibly easy-to-hate characters, and the shoehorning in of triggering backstories for our main characters for the sake of social commentary was just too much for me to even pretend to like.
(The book does include very straightforward trigger warnings from the author at the start, which I do appreciate. I more so felt like the inclusion of these topics in the book were handled poorly.)
I went into this story knowing that the romance would take place over a single weekend, and typically short and sweet romances like this are tolerable if they aren't overdramatic. Olivia and Toni are the definition of "I would die for this stranger" after practically one conversation and it's so jarring and frustrating.
Olivia is hands down one of the worst protagonists I've ever had to read. She garners zero sympathy from me the way she consistently mistreats her best friend and faces zero repercussions aside from a slap on the wrist in a single argument. Had the narrative painted her in a negative light for even a moment it would have felt justified, but she plays the victim in every possible instance. Her entire storyline is that she jumps from relationship to relationship in an attempt to fill a hole in her life, and she's meant to realize that she doesn't need romance to feel complete, yet this is a romance book where she ends up with the girl she met two days ago and is meant to be Her Person(tm) which negates the whole point.
Toni's trauma would have been better to explore in a different book. The very real history of black men being victims of gun violence could have been well written about without the constant mention of real-life mass shootings at music venues sporadically dropped between outdated references and petty teenage drama.
Over all this book was just annoying and frustrating, which is so sad as someone who wants to see more black wlw stories.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gun violence and Sexual harassment