abbruzzese's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
You’ll always be sad about this. But it doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice. It’s just something that you have to carry.
one of the cardinal rules of writing is that the first page—the first sentence, even—is supposed to hook your readers. this book did not do that, but i am so glad i stuck it out and kept going! this book is good! the plot is always moving & it was the perfect subway read because it was easy to pick up wherever i left off.
now, for the characters...
- pearl & mia are perfect. i loved them. wouldn't change a thing.
- lexie & izzy were okay characters, but it def felt like they were plot-movers if not their own people.
- trip felt sooo forgotten as a character, would have loved to see him incorporated into the plot more.
- mr. richardson was replaceable. he had one somewhat important role in the story and even then, it could have easily been written with anyone else & not changed a thing.
- mrs. richardson made me want to break fucking necks. but i guess that means she was well-written?
- and finally, moody...
Spoiler
girl what the hell happened? he's a sweetheart, he disappears from the plot, and then he turns back up as an asshole? how does he go from <i>"he would crack dumb jokes and tell stories and dredge up bits of trivia, anything to make her smile"</i> to <i>"i thought you were smarter than the sluts who usually agree to do it with him. but i guess not.”</i> ??? celeste ng, please explain wtf you were trying to accomplish with this regressive development bc i am NOT having it. i could maybe understand moody's bitterness over pearl liking trip if the brotherly conflict arc had been explored <s>at all</s> a little more, but it wasn't, so this whole sibling jealousy thing comes out of fucking NOWHERE.
anyway, other than my nitpicky critiques of the characters, i enjoyed this book! i might have to take a peek at what else celeste ng has written.
Graphic: Abortion, Racism, Infertility, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Car accident, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, and Racism
Minor: Sexual content
nadia_luq's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Abortion, Car accident, Infertility, Grief, Miscarriage, and Racism
Moderate: Kidnapping and Fire/Fire injury
birdafterdark's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Minor: Car accident
luananki'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
also the writing!! and the characters and the topic itself made everything just so much more real and relatable and i loved it
Graphic: Infertility, Abortion, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Pregnancy, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Grief, Car accident, and Alcohol
madde'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
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Racism, Abortion, and Car accident
Minor: Sexual content
mimlleigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Car accident and Abortion
Minor: Miscarriage and Infertility
vedpears's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Abortion, Racism, Sexual content, Infertility, Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Classism
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Death, and Child death
regen20's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Moderate: Abortion, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Minor: Car accident
liolucia'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
3.75
Moderate: Abortion, Abandonment, and Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual content, Car accident, Cancer, and Child death
carolinacortez's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Cultural appropriation and Classism
Moderate: Death, Infertility, Terminal illness, Abortion, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Car accident