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soog's review
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I received a free copy of this book as part of a StoryGraph giveaway
This book was... strange. It was pretty easy to read, maybe aimed at a slightly younger audience, and it was fairly hooking. I think my main issue with it was the amount of unused potential. It began with a very interesting premise - it's half told from the perspective of a to-be suicide bomber, with a questionable motivation, but strong beliefs in the cause. It's set in an apocalyptic future with the classic utopian planet which only the richest/ most able will ever have a chance of reaching. Once Jorden is aboard the space station, however, the parts of the plot which most interested me quickly disappeared. It focuses heavily on the YA romance side of things, and while there is some focus on morality, it is presented more as "Jorden feels bad about lying to/ potentially killing his new girlfriend" and it doesn't feel as though his perspective changes that much throughout, except when it comes to Hayley. The romance isn't badly written, but it feels as though the author half forgets the situation that characters are in and leans into ship tropes and clichés. Also, there are some moments which feel half thought out and then forgotten. I could swear at one point Dawn gets close to confessing feelings for Hayley, and then this is never mentioned throughout the rest of the book.Nancy tells Jorden that there is another, backup bomber in case he doesn't go through with it, but this is only briefly considered and it's not clear if this was true.
In short, this was an enjoyable enough book but it didn't feel quite 'done' yet. There were loads of storylines that could have been really interesting but unfortunately were just not explored to their full potential.
This book was... strange. It was pretty easy to read, maybe aimed at a slightly younger audience, and it was fairly hooking. I think my main issue with it was the amount of unused potential. It began with a very interesting premise - it's half told from the perspective of a to-be suicide bomber, with a questionable motivation, but strong beliefs in the cause. It's set in an apocalyptic future with the classic utopian planet which only the richest/ most able will ever have a chance of reaching. Once Jorden is aboard the space station, however, the parts of the plot which most interested me quickly disappeared. It focuses heavily on the YA romance side of things, and while there is some focus on morality, it is presented more as "Jorden feels bad about lying to/ potentially killing his new girlfriend" and it doesn't feel as though his perspective changes that much throughout, except when it comes to Hayley. The romance isn't badly written, but it feels as though the author half forgets the situation that characters are in and leans into ship tropes and clichés. Also, there are some moments which feel half thought out and then forgotten. I could swear at one point Dawn gets close to confessing feelings for Hayley, and then this is never mentioned throughout the rest of the book.
In short, this was an enjoyable enough book but it didn't feel quite 'done' yet. There were loads of storylines that could have been really interesting but unfortunately were just not explored to their full potential.
tumn's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
i got the chance to read this book from a giveaway :)
—and truly was not expecting to enjoy it sooo much, the plot was a bit shaky at first, to later come together of course, but the characters are what really sold me at times a bit naïve but for being teenagers they were written very well, and very lovable even when you don’t agree, it is so nice to get that perspective that makes you question what is right and worth those risks, i loved the romance and betrayal and the end message of the scarifies we are willing to make for not only ourselves but others and ugh it hurt so good. i cannot wait for the second book to come out because i willll be reading it.
—and truly was not expecting to enjoy it sooo much, the plot was a bit shaky at first, to later come together of course, but the characters are what really sold me at times a bit naïve but for being teenagers they were written very well, and very lovable even when you don’t agree, it is so nice to get that perspective that makes you question what is right and worth those risks, i loved the romance and betrayal and the end message of the scarifies we are willing to make for not only ourselves but others and ugh it hurt so good. i cannot wait for the second book to come out because i willll be reading it.
missn80's review
adventurous
tense
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? It's complicated
2.25
I had difficulty finishing this book. The concept was original, I liked that. But none of the characters felt real, so it was hard to relate to them or deeply enjoy the story. The story is also filled with predictable phrases, and scenarios. As a result, my favourite character was Nano and maybe the doctor. I wouldn’t buy a follow up of the series, but it was fun to have read this.
Oh, and I loved that Haley was a plus-sized girl without there being a side-story about her needing to loose weight or anything like that. That was refreshing (an extra .25)
Oh, and I loved that Haley was a plus-sized girl without there being a side-story about her needing to loose weight or anything like that. That was refreshing (an extra .25)
natslibrary's review
2.5
I promised myself in the beginning of the year that I would read at least one book that isn’t romance or fantasy. And since I really like science-fiction movies, I thought, why not try a sci-fi book. And the perfect opportunity came when I won this book at a giveaway.
It was really hard to get into it at first; there were lots of moments where I was confused about what was going on. I feel like the author needed to explain some stuff more clearly (like what Jorden was trying to do because it felt all over the place, like he wasn’t sure himself) and also not go into that much detail about other stuff (like some of the space/time stuff that only made me even more confused).
Even though, it was really interesting at first, I did not really like how Haley and Jorden’s relationship progressed. Since the book is fast paced, everything kept happening really really quickly. Too quickly for my liking. One chapter Jorden is starting to fall in love with Haley and the next he does stuff to really hurt her. Can’t say I’m a big fan. Even though I understood his logic behind whatever he was doing, I can’t sympathise with him.
I’m just not a big fan of any of the characters to be honest. I found Haley kind of annoying, especially when people complimented her, and she would just not accept it. Jorden was is kind of all over the place. But the one I really didn’t like was Dawn; she was just really annoying with the way she always meddled with things even though she didn’t have the full picture.
There were a lot of questions left unanswered for the second book but I’m not really sure if I’m going to continue the series.
It was really hard to get into it at first; there were lots of moments where I was confused about what was going on. I feel like the author needed to explain some stuff more clearly (like what Jorden was trying to do because it felt all over the place, like he wasn’t sure himself) and also not go into that much detail about other stuff (like some of the space/time stuff that only made me even more confused).
Even though, it was really interesting at first, I did not really like how Haley and Jorden’s relationship progressed. Since the book is fast paced, everything kept happening really really quickly. Too quickly for my liking. One chapter Jorden is starting to fall in love with Haley and the next he does stuff to really hurt her. Can’t say I’m a big fan. Even though I understood his logic behind whatever he was doing, I can’t sympathise with him.
I’m just not a big fan of any of the characters to be honest. I found Haley kind of annoying, especially when people complimented her, and she would just not accept it. Jorden was is kind of all over the place. But the one I really didn’t like was Dawn; she was just really annoying with the way she always meddled with things even though she didn’t have the full picture.
There were a lot of questions left unanswered for the second book but I’m not really sure if I’m going to continue the series.
r_owa_n's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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
Oh God, I literally couldn't put this book down. I really enjoyed the main characters and the story, although the ending felt a little bit rushed. As a person whose native language is not English, I must say, it was a really pleasant and fast read. I recommend it for romance, Sci-Fi fans, or people who are new to the Sci-Fi genre.
I certainly will read more books by Debbie Iancu-Haddad and I will definitely wait for the sequel!
I certainly will read more books by Debbie Iancu-Haddad and I will definitely wait for the sequel!
eli02's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I won an arc of this via the StoryGraph giveaway! I love SciFi so that was really exciting. However, it took me quite a long time to finish this book because l kept wanting to DNF it.
Plot: The plot was okay, all in all. I did notice some plot holes that really took me out of the book and made the world-building feel not completely thought through (to give some examples, how is it not more suspicious that a young man seems to be the only one in his "family" who appears well fed and to have the excess energy to build muscles? Especially if food is super limited on earth? Why can a girl afford makeup and nailpolish but not food? Why is makeup even still being produced if earth is so low on resources? And, my least favourite of all, how does a device that seems to be a defibrillator save someone from choking and make them conscious again?).
I was also surprised with how weight was treated in this book. The synopsis mentions "plus-sized heroines just living their life with no mention of weight loss", which l took to mean that weight would be a non-issue in this book. However, the female protagonist talks negatively about her own weight and body on multiple occasions. Having the male lead call her "kind of chubby in a cute way" also plays into one of my least favourite tropes of chubby/fat characters as love interests.
The characters were generally not for me, I don't like the naive girl/manipulative boy dynamic. Also, my absolute highlight of this book, the main character's robotic service dog, was killed off, which really made me want to never finish this.
Writing: The sentences are rather short, which is probably great for new readers (especially those that don't usually read in English) but tended to disrupt my reading flow. I also felt that, especially at the beginning, some worldbuilding details could have been woven in more elegantly. Sometimes the book simply told me things that would have had more impact would they have been explored more.
Plot: The plot was okay, all in all. I did notice some plot holes that really took me out of the book and made the world-building feel not completely thought through (to give some examples, how is it not more suspicious that a young man seems to be the only one in his "family" who appears well fed and to have the excess energy to build muscles? Especially if food is super limited on earth? Why can a girl afford makeup and nailpolish but not food? Why is makeup even still being produced if earth is so low on resources? And, my least favourite of all, how does a device that seems to be a defibrillator save someone from choking and make them conscious again?).
I was also surprised with how weight was treated in this book. The synopsis mentions "plus-sized heroines just living their life with no mention of weight loss", which l took to mean that weight would be a non-issue in this book. However, the female protagonist talks negatively about her own weight and body on multiple occasions. Having the male lead call her "kind of chubby in a cute way" also plays into one of my least favourite tropes of chubby/fat characters as love interests.
The characters were generally not for me, I don't like the naive girl/manipulative boy dynamic. Also, my absolute highlight of this book, the main character's robotic service dog,
Writing: The sentences are rather short, which is probably great for new readers (especially those that don't usually read in English) but tended to disrupt my reading flow. I also felt that, especially at the beginning, some worldbuilding details could have been woven in more elegantly. Sometimes the book simply told me things that would have had more impact would they have been explored more.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
mmarques's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The Goodbye Kids is an entertaining fast read. Although slightly slow to start, after a short while, I found it hard to put down.
Unfortunately, I found the motivations of one of the characters not fully believable.
Unfortunately, I found the motivations of one of the characters not fully believable.
calicat42's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
This felt a lot like the trolley problem played out in a dystopian world. In a way it’s a philosophical thriller, if those exist, because it seems to tell the story of our earth’s potential future dystopia.
As a romance reader, it’s not the typical book to read for this genre, but I think it was important for the story to show how much humanity is getting wrecked as corporations and wealthy elite make the earth uninhabitable.
Worth every second to read, and I need to know what happens next; both for the book and to have some hope!
As a romance reader, it’s not the typical book to read for this genre, but I think it was important for the story to show how much humanity is getting wrecked as corporations and wealthy elite make the earth uninhabitable.
Worth every second to read, and I need to know what happens next; both for the book and to have some hope!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Deportation
maxinevsg's review
adventurous
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I thought the book covered some difficult topics and emotions that unfortunately evolved too quickly in the writing. I wish some parts had gone slower and in more depth. Because overall the story line and characters are interesting, I just wanted more details about their evolutions. I also liked that I did not guess the ending and do want to read the next book when it comes out!
lails_x's review
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
5.0