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elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
puck_jay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence and Car accident
cait's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Deadnaming, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
taliejane's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Is this a well-written, unproblematic series with a plot that makes sense and a semblance of a grounding in reality? No. Do I even necessarily recommend it? No. Am I entirely obsessed with it to the point that I'm still thinking about it months later and am deep in the trenches of the fandom? YES 5 STARS THIS SERIES RUINED MY LIFE ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Neil Josten has been on the run from my crime lord father as long as he can remember. Yearning for some semblance of a life, he joins an Exy team in his senior year of high school. Unexpectedly, he is noticed by a college Exy coach and recruited to the Palmetto foxes. However, he really SHOULD NOT become a high profile college athlete because, a) he is, as mentioned above, on the run, and b) one of his team mates is part of the crime family associated with his father. YEAH IT'S A MAFIA/COLLEGE FOOTBALL/QUEER ROMANCE SERIES. Fight me Goodreads!! I love it!!
CW: Violence, Murder, Torture, SA, Addiction (like it's a mafia story so...).
Okay so the romance doesn't really start until the third book. Because the characters are usually busy with not-getting-murdered-by-the-mafia and romance takes a back seat behind like trauma and winning college sports games.
But damn does Sakavic craft a story. I know the author is problematic too and the characterisations are often clichéd. I haven't had a chance to look into her much yet but just, let me have this 😭
The plot is messy as hell. But if you can offer it the suspension of disbelief you'd give something like a supernatural romance (and I grew up watching The Vampire Diaries and Twilight) then it is GRIPPING. To say I devoured these books (audiobooks cause it was exam season) is an understatement. My heart was RACING.
The characterisations in this book are really what make it. I mean the author basically takes a bunch of messy teenagers, puts them through the most insane trauma, and then let's them be sweet and supportive and loyal to one another. You're screaming at the book LEAVE THEM ALONE and then they protect each other. The love interest (sort of, like mans not a romantic lead or anything) Andrew is essentially written as a numb-to-the-world, psychopath who cares about almost nothing, except the protagonist's life. OKAY HE CARES ABOUT NOTHING BUT NEIL AND ALSO HIS TEAMMATES AND TWIN BROTHER. I'M CRYING.
Look, there are more books in the world that I could ever read. So I'm going to cling to the ones that make my heart beat fast in my chest and fill my thoughts for months afterwards because that makes me feel alive. It's not Austen or Brontë okay but it's 5 stars.
Graphic: Sexual violence and Violence
gcarney15's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
bellasbookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Outing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Rape and Self harm
please check tags I think I got most of them but.sophiacongdon00's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gun violence, Rape, Sexual violence, and Torture
basementofbooks's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Rape, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
Minor: Animal death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Medical content, and Alcohol
despina_pngrk's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Torture and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Sexual content and Sexual violence
itsjusterika's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Drug use, Sexual violence, Torture, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Rape and Torture
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders