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kelseyrm's review
dark
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
first of all, i'm honestly a little disappointed. when i first started reading this book, i thought it was going to be at least a four star rating for me. first of all, the cover art is AMAZING. it's so beautiful to look at. and second of all, this book reminded me a lot of a book i read over quarantine my heart and other black holes by jasmine warga (maybe because it's also about two suicidal teens who are love interests) , but even though i don't remember much about that book i still think it was a more accurate portrayal of its subject line.
it's very obvious that this book was written by someone who has likely not ever been depressed/suicidal, i don't want to assume anything though ofc, maybe just hasn't been in a while? it didn't seem very accurate in derek's case, especially at the end of the bookwhere he literally tries to MURDER brooke so they can "be together"? now idk why they tried to explain that he did that bc he was depressed, because that literally makes no fucking sense did the author do any research? it also really stigmatizes mental illness and the author as a self proclaimed "mental health advocate"...yeah not a good look
now i liked brooke a lot, at times i thought her personality was exaggerated especially when <spoilers>she sleeps w/ derek for the first time and is all like "i know i'm a woman and supposed to not want this but i do..." like i can promise you NO teenage girl is thinking that during sex lol</spoilers> also she drinks straight milk...red flag
best character? this is extremely obvious. it's duckie i love him. also gay rep, this is like the only diverse character in the book. no poc characters at all, or if there are any i missed it bc there was only one line mentioning it.
i'd say the characters were mildly likeable, i definitely wanted brooke to get better. but at times i just felt like their personalities were a bit flat/cliche? like we have the bad boy love interest, the gay best friend, the abusive dad, the angsty teen girl. honestly halfway through the book i was like "is this written by a man". idk brooke just seemed like she was. the author is nonbinary though which i didn't even notice until i looked it up, unfortunately
idk ending was a little disppointing, kind of cringe at some parts. wouldn't recommend this book probably, it was fine though, i just liked the past two books i've read more. also A LOT of content warnings, so check those out before you read
it's very obvious that this book was written by someone who has likely not ever been depressed/suicidal, i don't want to assume anything though ofc, maybe just hasn't been in a while? it didn't seem very accurate in derek's case, especially at the end of the book
now i liked brooke a lot, at times i thought her personality was exaggerated especially when <spoilers>she sleeps w/ derek for the first time and is all like "i know i'm a woman and supposed to not want this but i do..." like i can promise you NO teenage girl is thinking that during sex lol</spoilers> also she drinks straight milk...red flag
best character? this is extremely obvious. it's duckie i love him. also gay rep, this is like the only diverse character in the book. no poc characters at all, or if there are any i missed it bc there was only one line mentioning it.
i'd say the characters were mildly likeable, i definitely wanted brooke to get better. but at times i just felt like their personalities were a bit flat/cliche? like we have the bad boy love interest, the gay best friend, the abusive dad, the angsty teen girl. honestly halfway through the book i was like "is this written by a man". idk brooke just seemed like she was. the author is nonbinary though which i didn't even notice until i looked it up, unfortunately
idk ending was a little disppointing, kind of cringe at some parts. wouldn't recommend this book probably, it was fine though, i just liked the past two books i've read more. also A LOT of content warnings, so check those out before you read
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Blood, Murder, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death and Alcoholism
Minor: Physical abuse
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