purpleviolin91's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Some parts of this were really good. But some parts were a bit dry. I did enjoy reading about another country and its culture (though this is fiction so can’t verify the accuracy).
krakow54's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.0
lil_bokchoy's review against another edition
5.0
this is the queer Filipinx YA lit i needed when i was a kid
maidinnah's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
A touching contemporary YA novel about a teen grappling with her identity, sense of belonging, and family history, all against the backdrop of a beautifully described, vibrant, bustling Manila. Fantauzzo also portrays the mind of a vulnerable, near-angsty Corazon very well. She feels like a relatable and real teenager healing from an abusive relationship while taking her first, tentative steps toward learning about and building truly loving ones -- familial, platonic, and romantic.
Although the story concluded with a neat little bow on top, I felt that the
Although the story concluded with a neat little bow on top, I felt that the
Spoiler
Iggy/Cory romance was rushed and Bea's exit from the story brought her relationship with Cory to a halt. Additionally, I would have wanted a deeper exploration of Rommel Sr's infidelity, more so to flesh out the themes of love and family history more. Jun's own journey of coming to terms with his feelings of abandonment and shame was great though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Adult/minor relationship, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Cursing, Classism, Colonisation, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
kburns2004's review against another edition
3.0
While it wasn't my favorite book, I really do appreciate how they handled the student-teacher relationship and how Cory was made to see how wrong it was. It did feel like two different books and I think one of the subplots could have been eliminated to focus more on the others.
eschorrlesnick's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Homophobia
joydevivre's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
buffy87's review against another edition
3.0
*spoilers ahead*
While I was reading this book, it was like the pages were turning themselves. There's not an intense layer of action or massive plot twists. The main character is pretty well developed and I was invested in Corazon. It was written with a lot of emotion and I can appreciate that. However, the other characters were very flat and under-developed, that I didn't like.
The first page got my attention immediately. I'm not sure how relatable this would be to a religious young womxn coming to terms with their sexual orientation but as a straight reader I *felt* it. I could relate to Corazon and I felt the feelings inside of me.
I absolutely LOVED that it was sprinkled with Tagalog. I did a lot of Google translate and I thoroughly enjoyed that process. I never felt like I was being pandered to. I liked doing the legwork to figure out what was being said - my personal pet peeve is when a language asides English is italicized and immediately defined. In this book it felt natural when it was defined, like that is what Cory thinks.
Now, I don't know enough about the Phillipines but the way it was portrayed in this book seemed very Orientalist. Dangerous foreign place that's dirty and poor. That's not the impression my Filipinx students give me when they speak of their previous home so maybe it was written in a poorer neighborhood. Either way, there was an interesting method of portrayal that left me wanting to do a postcolonial analysis on the book.
My biggest gripe is I wish the relationship with Grace was explored more, especially the negative parts. Just to make it clear to a younger reader that it's REALLY not okay. The first half romanticized the interaction (which makes sense) but I wanted more on the "how could she" part, and the realization. I just worry a youth reader with trauma or misinformation might look at it as "but it was okay and only hurt BC they got caught."
Adults: recommend, worth reading
High school: recommend
Junior high: mature readers who can understand the abusive nature of the relationship
While I was reading this book, it was like the pages were turning themselves. There's not an intense layer of action or massive plot twists. The main character is pretty well developed and I was invested in Corazon. It was written with a lot of emotion and I can appreciate that. However, the other characters were very flat and under-developed, that I didn't like.
The first page got my attention immediately. I'm not sure how relatable this would be to a religious young womxn coming to terms with their sexual orientation but as a straight reader I *felt* it. I could relate to Corazon and I felt the feelings inside of me.
I absolutely LOVED that it was sprinkled with Tagalog. I did a lot of Google translate and I thoroughly enjoyed that process. I never felt like I was being pandered to. I liked doing the legwork to figure out what was being said - my personal pet peeve is when a language asides English is italicized and immediately defined. In this book it felt natural when it was defined, like that is what Cory thinks.
Now, I don't know enough about the Phillipines but the way it was portrayed in this book seemed very Orientalist. Dangerous foreign place that's dirty and poor. That's not the impression my Filipinx students give me when they speak of their previous home so maybe it was written in a poorer neighborhood. Either way, there was an interesting method of portrayal that left me wanting to do a postcolonial analysis on the book.
My biggest gripe is I wish the relationship with Grace was explored more, especially the negative parts. Just to make it clear to a younger reader that it's REALLY not okay. The first half romanticized the interaction (which makes sense) but I wanted more on the "how could she" part, and the realization. I just worry a youth reader with trauma or misinformation might look at it as "but it was okay and only hurt BC they got caught."
Adults: recommend, worth reading
High school: recommend
Junior high: mature readers who can understand the abusive nature of the relationship