tragicgloom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Spoiler
"And while I wait, happiness exists where I can get it. In these notebooks, where worlds of memories greet me, almost like achildhood friend who moved away for years and finally came back
home.
I’m more happy than not.
Don’t forget me."
I won't forget you Aaron ❤️
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, Death, and Homophobia
Moderate: Bullying and Medical content
Minor: Abandonment, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, and Drug use
frqnc22'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? Yes
4.0
To sum everything up, I loved how real this book was and how it presented parts of everything Aaron had to go through in *painful* detail. I connected with his character and cried for him probably more than I expected.
Spoiler
(Aaron: “I’m sorry my past is so terrible I couldn’t live in it anymore.”)Spoiler
For some time I thought Aaron and Thomas were gonna be endgame. I’m not good at predicting what’s gonna happen in books, movies or TV shows, so I didn’t really expect them to not get together. But, in the end, I actually like this aspect of the story (Aaron: “He loves me without being in love with me.”) Their relationship developed so nicely through the book. They deserve each other, because of how supportive, understanding and helpful they are. And I think this counts as a happy ending for them, since their friendship remains.As for the topics showed in this book, I truly didn’t expect the memory erasing procedure and the great amount of pain that came with it. I expected the story to leave me with a bittersweet feeling, but clearly didn’t expect such an introspective look on depression, homosexuality or memory loss. I’m glad I didn’t figure out what was gonna happen, because I was amazed by the storytelling. It is worth mentioning that I loved the flashbacks and where they were placed!
The sad reality depicted in the book, homophobia, was hard to read, especially all the fights and slurs. (Aaron: “This is what death feels like, I think.”) It’s hard to even imagine something as traumatic as Aaron’s life, and learning to accept yourself in a situation like his sounds nearly impossible. His whole life changed drastically just because he was brave enough to show his family the real Aaron. The fact that this also happens in real life makes everything worse.
All relationships broke my heart at some point, and some weren’t healthy for the people involved, but they were significant to Aaron’s personal growth.
Spoiler
He constantly seeks acceptance and comfort (what we all deserve from those we love) from right people (Thomas: “Just remember that I love the hell out of you, okay?”) or sometimes from the wrong people (like Collin, who called crying “little-b*tch tears because guys don’t cry”), but he realized that he deserves to be at peace with himself.He made mistakes, but the most important thing is learning from them and understanding what he did wrong in the first place. Fortunately, he understands and tries to do better
Spoiler
(Aaron: “The problem was that I didn’t know any better because I forgot my life. And now I know I can’t forget.”) I’m glad he is on good terms with Genevieve after everything that happened between them. He shouldn’t have been with Collin behind her back and she shouldn’t have stayed with him just to pretend he wasn’t gay. They’re both aware of their mistakes now.As for the ending, I didn’t expect another traumatizing experience for Aaron, but I learnt that this is not a happy book👍🏻
Spoiler
However, he is so strong for dealing with his amnesia in the way that he does, by living each day however he can (Aaron: “My life isn’t one sad ending - it’s a series of endless happy beginnings.)His way of thinking is truly inspiring, even though I was crying while reading the final pages. Truly an emotional rollercoaster, but Aaron’s development is everything! Being “more happy than not” seems difficult to achieve, but he’s doing his best, after going through the worst.
“Don’t forget me.”
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Bullying, and Hate crime
Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Blood, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Infidelity
flowerest's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
the reason for the "low" rating is that i've definitely outgrown this type of book and never got fully immersed into it, but i know i would've made this my whole personality if i read it as a teenager lol
(definitely check trigger warnings if you're planning to read it)
Graphic: Dementia, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Drug use
ingridmaria'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? It's complicated
4.75
Spoiler
seeing as this one ends so unhappily. But then again that might take away from why I liked it so much</spoilers>. Knocked a quarter point off because the first 70 pages could (maybe should) have been 30.Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Cursing, Vomit, Drug use, Child abuse, Child death, and Dementia
writingcaia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Aaron is young adult boy living in a poor Bronx neighbourhood with his mom and brother, trying to find love and friendship and who he is, and to forget his dad’s suicide and his own attempt at the same.
In a world where technology can erase traumas and past pains, people will make choices that will reverberated, in not always a great way, throughout their lives.
This is a coming of age story with a fantasy twist.
It was a very touching tale of the need to forget, of the need to remember, of crippling memories, of choices that are not choices at all, and those that are but seem to be taken from us.
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment
jennsp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
19becky97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Violence
clarmentine'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
4.0
so i had no idea what i was expecting but i was immediately surprised by the amount of characters that were introduced right off the bat as you crack into the book, and then somehow i got kinda bored of the story and felt extremely underwhelmed. if i had done a bit more research on the plot i think i definitely would've been more enthusiastic about reading it, but the experience i had with all the shock i felt from the twists made me glad that i went into it not knowing a thing. aaron is such a relatable character who almost felt comforting and made me feel cozy and cared for in a way. i know his battles, i understand his struggles, and i felt so drawn to him as if he was my best friend and not thomas'. i wanted what was best for him and every time he had a wrong thought, i would yell at him through the pages as if he was gonna come to life just to hear my nagging. before him, i'd never seen someone who'd been so dead set on offing themselves turn into someone so full of hope and believed that they had the chance to be happy again. i want that for everyone—i want it for myself.
it's been a couple hours since i finished reading, and i still feel heavy and shaken by this story; especially the last 30+ pages. even though it wasn't the ending i was hoping for, it opened my eyes to the reality that happy endings can still happen—even if they're not the kind we'd imagined.
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction