hayleythegoose's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia and Body shaming
Moderate: Sexism and Ableism
Minor: Eating disorder and Misogyny
lisa_m's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
Okay so do I misremember every other John Green book I've ever read and liked? This was the absolute worst book I've read maybe ever? I feel like I might have to reread Looking for Alaska (which I really liked 5 years ago..) to see if his writing has really always been this bad? I mean he knows how to be funny sometimes but god this was boring.
I'm kind of sad about not liking this book because it's one of the books that has been on my tbr since forever. I would probably have dnfed it if it had set my self the goal of reading every John Green book... (Do I regret that? - maybe..)
I can't remember ever giving a book 1 star. Usually when a book is bad or I didn't like it I can still see value in it or see how someone else might enjoy it. Not with this one though. The plot was super week - NOTHING happened and there is no explanation for anything. The characters were boring and I didn't care for them.
Also there are so many problematic things that took me out of the reading experience. The word 'retard' is used as an insult frequently throughout the book, the characters religion, weight, ticks and mannerisms were just constantly made fun of and it was uncomfortable to read. Also the whole book is sooo repetitive. I hate the constant use of fug, fugger, fugging.. also what is a jewfro and why is it CONSTANTLY mentioned even though you say the characters is 'not really jewish'???
I did not care about the Theorem and all the maths in this book. I didn't understand it - or even try to understand it but even I as someone who doesn't know a lot about maths, I knows that what he's trying to do is not possible. He's just looking for an excuse as to why he is constantly dumped.
Also the Katherine flashbacks... If they are written well I actually really like time jumps. We could have learned more and more about every Katherine until in the end it all made sense. But in this book those stories were just sort of thrown in there and in the end he even REPEATED it all again! Why did I read all the previous Katherine stories then?? I really don't care. One book that did this well was 'People We Meet On Vacation' by Emily Henry. The flashbacks really built up to a big conclusion and made the book interesting.
Also I love Roadtrip books so I thought this would be right up my alley. Well I thought wrong. The 'roadtrip' is them sleeping in the car once after Colin gets dumped and then finding a nice comfy house where they can stay for free as long as they want?
I'm also mad that Hassan was just used as the fat comic relief character. Colin is really not the best friend and when Hassan addresses that it just gets glanced over and he forgives him for everything.
Also the whole book was so mysogynistic. Refering to women as shallow and sluts/easy. Girls just felt very objectified in general. There was A LOT that made me super uncomfortable so here are 3 of my least favourite examples:
"She was incredibly hot - in that popular-girl-with-bleached-teeth-and-anorexia kind of way, which was Colin's least favourite way of being hot" Are you serious right now?? Also no one cares. Shut up.
They are at a fast food chain: "Colin asked the woman behind the cash register, whose body seemed to have suffered from perhaps a few too many meals at her place of employment,..."
"She looked prettier than she ever had before - Colin always preferred girls without makeup." Once again, we do not care. Also the 'she's prettier without makeup thing' is mentioned multiple times..
I didn't tab the things I hated and I'm definitely not skimming it again to find them so sorry I can't provide more evidence but I feel like this book is only for white male teenagers who want to believe that all their problems in life stem from girls not wanting to date them / breaking up with them.
Honestly I just really wanted this book to end. That is the reason I read it in one day because I knew I did not want to pick it up again tomorrow..
I think I made it clear now that I did not like this book. However the one thing I liked is that it occasionaly made me chuckle. There was some funny imagery but really .. how could anyone genuinly enjoy this book?? I am baffled. There was no storyline, no plottwist, no likable romance, no good flashbacks... Even the really quotable relatable lines that his other books have (to an extent that makes that slightly cringy) are non existent. Like the best 'quote' I could find was "You can love someone so much but you can never love people as much as you can miss them." And like yes, it sounds good. But can you tell me what you are actually trying to say with that?
Endnote: I am really disappointed by this and also very scared to pick up Will Grayson, Will Grayson which is another highly anticipated John Green book. Did I just turn smart enought to see that these books are bad? Or please let it be just this one.
I'm kind of sad about not liking this book because it's one of the books that has been on my tbr since forever. I would probably have dnfed it if it had set my self the goal of reading every John Green book... (Do I regret that? - maybe..)
I can't remember ever giving a book 1 star. Usually when a book is bad or I didn't like it I can still see value in it or see how someone else might enjoy it. Not with this one though. The plot was super week - NOTHING happened and there is no explanation for anything. The characters were boring and I didn't care for them.
Also there are so many problematic things that took me out of the reading experience. The word 'retard' is used as an insult frequently throughout the book, the characters religion, weight, ticks and mannerisms were just constantly made fun of and it was uncomfortable to read. Also the whole book is sooo repetitive. I hate the constant use of fug, fugger, fugging.. also what is a jewfro and why is it CONSTANTLY mentioned even though you say the characters is 'not really jewish'???
I did not care about the Theorem and all the maths in this book. I didn't understand it - or even try to understand it but even I as someone who doesn't know a lot about maths, I knows that what he's trying to do is not possible. He's just looking for an excuse as to why he is constantly dumped.
Also the Katherine flashbacks... If they are written well I actually really like time jumps. We could have learned more and more about every Katherine until in the end it all made sense. But in this book those stories were just sort of thrown in there and in the end he even REPEATED it all again! Why did I read all the previous Katherine stories then?? I really don't care. One book that did this well was 'People We Meet On Vacation' by Emily Henry. The flashbacks really built up to a big conclusion and made the book interesting.
Also I love Roadtrip books so I thought this would be right up my alley. Well I thought wrong. The 'roadtrip' is them sleeping in the car once after Colin gets dumped and then finding a nice comfy house where they can stay for free as long as they want?
I'm also mad that Hassan was just used as the fat comic relief character. Colin is really not the best friend and when Hassan addresses that it just gets glanced over and he forgives him for everything.
Also the whole book was so mysogynistic. Refering to women as shallow and sluts/easy. Girls just felt very objectified in general. There was A LOT that made me super uncomfortable so here are 3 of my least favourite examples:
"She was incredibly hot - in that popular-girl-with-bleached-teeth-and-anorexia kind of way, which was Colin's least favourite way of being hot" Are you serious right now?? Also no one cares. Shut up.
They are at a fast food chain: "Colin asked the woman behind the cash register, whose body seemed to have suffered from perhaps a few too many meals at her place of employment,..."
"She looked prettier than she ever had before - Colin always preferred girls without makeup." Once again, we do not care. Also the 'she's prettier without makeup thing' is mentioned multiple times..
I didn't tab the things I hated and I'm definitely not skimming it again to find them so sorry I can't provide more evidence but I feel like this book is only for white male teenagers who want to believe that all their problems in life stem from girls not wanting to date them / breaking up with them.
Honestly I just really wanted this book to end. That is the reason I read it in one day because I knew I did not want to pick it up again tomorrow..
I think I made it clear now that I did not like this book. However the one thing I liked is that it occasionaly made me chuckle. There was some funny imagery but really .. how could anyone genuinly enjoy this book?? I am baffled. There was no storyline, no plottwist, no likable romance, no good flashbacks... Even the really quotable relatable lines that his other books have (to an extent that makes that slightly cringy) are non existent. Like the best 'quote' I could find was "You can love someone so much but you can never love people as much as you can miss them." And like yes, it sounds good. But can you tell me what you are actually trying to say with that?
Endnote: I am really disappointed by this and also very scared to pick up Will Grayson, Will Grayson which is another highly anticipated John Green book. Did I just turn smart enought to see that these books are bad? Or please let it be just this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Vomit, Bullying, Fatphobia, Grief, Gun violence, Abandonment, Ableism, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Medical content, and Misogyny
rory_john14's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Cursing, Infidelity, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Violence, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Gun violence
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Blood, Body shaming, Racism, and Vomit
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