betweentheshelves's review
emotional
hopeful
slow-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
3.5
Thanks to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for providing me an advanced copy of this to review! Maris Reichardt is an author who has been on my radar, but I’ve never read anything by her. I was excited to get the chance, and the story line sounded unique and interesting!
At the start, I did enjoy the conversations Juniper has with her parents when she disagrees with their beliefs. They felt like real conversations, and Juniper brought up good points. However, her parents were extremely stubborn and frustrating, which is part of the point of the story. A lot of people who are anti-vaxxers are very, very grounded in their beliefs, and Reichardt portrayed this well in the book.
For me, none of the characters in this book were particularly likeable. I just don’t think they were quite fleshed out enough. A lot of the book is focused on Juniper trying things out for the first time and getting outside of her bubble, being able to find her own voice. Which is great! But it meant that some of the character development fell to the wayside. I would have liked to see some of the side characters developed a bit more, as some of them felt quite one-sided.
All in all, this is an enjoyable book that gives power to teens who just want to make their own choices when it comes to their bodies. Maybe not all teens will relate to Juniper’s specific situation, but there’s some level of it that will feel relatable to them. A quick read that’s sure to leave you thinking.
I struggled a bit with this, honestly. More to come in a review tomorrow!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Grief, and Medical content
caseythereader's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
📚 Whew, meet the book that's going to be the most-banned book in no time! A SHOT AT NORMAL looks antivaxxers in the eye and doesn't back down.
📚 I loved Juniper and how curious and smart she was - she took her parents' "think for yourself" ethos to heart.
📚 I'm having a hard time articulating it at the moment, but this book walks a fine line between not turning the parents into cartoon villains while also not taking a "let's hear both sides" approach.
📚 Though, sometimes, when Juniper is arguing with her parents, she does so in paragraphs of talking points that don't sound like the real words of a teenager.
📚 I loved Juniper and how curious and smart she was - she took her parents' "think for yourself" ethos to heart.
📚 I'm having a hard time articulating it at the moment, but this book walks a fine line between not turning the parents into cartoon villains while also not taking a "let's hear both sides" approach.
📚 Though, sometimes, when Juniper is arguing with her parents, she does so in paragraphs of talking points that don't sound like the real words of a teenager.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Miscarriage
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