Reviews tagging 'Grief'

This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

39 reviews

kshertz's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

It was a quick and easy read, and I kept waiting to really see what the Takeaway was from this summer. But it seems like it was really just a snapshot out of this person‘s life where they felt like they really had gone through some hard things. Which I definitely understand and it’s definitely interesting, but doesn’t necessarily need to be made into a book if that makes sense. It didn’t seem to have this ending that really highlighted what the purpose was for making this a book but it was very interesting and I enjoyed following along with the story. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amris's review against another edition

Go to review page

3.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

corries_booknook's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

elinesee's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amelody's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

midnightmarauder's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This One Summer follows Rose, a young teenage girl as she and her family go on their annual getaway to the fictional Awago Beach. There, Rose gets to see her longtime best friend, Windy, and the pair find out more about each other and what they want out of life.

I initially read this book because I heard it was banned due to its inclusion of LGBT characters, amongst other topics. However, there's no explicit inclusion of any LGBT characters. Allusions were made of Windy being lesbian/bisexual (ex. her saying that she doesn't want a husband; going to the 'lesbian camp'; showing slight jealousy when Rose shows interest in the boy who works at Brewster's, etc.), but it is never explicitly stated. 

Other reasons why the book ended up being banned are because of the profanity and sexual comments that the children make, including Rose and Windy. They overhear two workers at Brewster's call the girl's they're hanging with
sluts
, and Rose and Windy begin to repeat it. Even after Rose's mom overhears the two using such language and tells them it isn't appropriate, they repeat it later on in the novel. On top of that, the two Brewster's workers
actively talk about sex
and one of the girls they mess around with goes on to
get pregnant
. Those themes make a little bit more sense as to why some parents weren't happy with the novel.

Overall, I liked the book. This is the second book I've read by the Tamaki cousins; the first one being Roaming. I do like This One Summer much better, because the characters actually feel like they have some sort of depth (albeit minor).  
Expand filter menu Content Warnings

bi_n_large's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective 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? It's complicated

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

wad3mil3sgarru2's review against another edition

Go to review page

sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

sglance9's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

frantic_vampire's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Somehow this book captures the essence of summer. The vacation, the lake, and late night scary movie sessions with your friends. There was family drama, there was small town drama, and all the adventures a pre-teen on summer vacation could want. Though at times it felt like Rose was a little callous towards a lot of the things that were happening around her. But on the other hand, that’s kind of the way teens and pre-teens can be. My feelings on this one are all over the place. I loved it, I hated it, it made me long for the summers of my childhood. So I think I’m giving this one three and a half stars.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings