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keonaaw's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Deadnaming, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer
matchamarimo's review
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
richy_qu33r_readzz's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Homophobia, Misogyny, Transphobia, Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Cancer and Sexual assault
bookdragonkatie'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: Bullying, Child death, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cancer, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment
christineplum's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Cancer, Homophobia, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment
kerstynleigh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So creepy and emotional and good. Really loved it.
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Bullying and Dysphoria
Minor: Cancer
thepeonyinink's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Moderate: Body horror, Cancer, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Sexual harassment
lilshelly'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
3.5
I don't know how to feel overall. I loved most of the book. But the last quarter felt so rushed. Alot of major plot happens in like the last 50 pages. If it had been paced out better, it would have been an easy 4 star. I'm also just disappointed at the ending we got after seeing Mars go through so much.
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Homophobia, Transphobia, Violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Deadnaming, Terminal illness, and Blood
Minor: Sexual assault and Sexual content
earth_to_mars's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Anyway, what I love about this book is Mars. They're like a little sibling who I want to protect from the weird Midsommar-esque Aspen Conservancy Summer Academy they go to for the summer after the tragic (and strange) death of their sister Caroline. I love that this book is in Mars' perspective as it aids in the growing paranoia and suspicion that the academy is not what it seems. We learn a lot about how he thinks and how he sees the world around him.
At the same time, we get very little characterization of the people around him (i.e. Wyatt, Bria, Mimi and Sierra) and while that can be a deal breaker to some, it wasn't terrible. We still get some of their personalities as they interact with Mars over the course of the summer.
The pace is a little strange. It starts of very fast, grabbing you in, the middle section is a bit of a drag though as not much is happening and we just follow Mars through mundane camp activities, only for the story to pick right up around the third act. I get it's to build suspense, but it dragged a little through the middle.
My two main issues that keep it from being a five star book are the fact that despite it being called The Honeys we barely get to see Mars interacting with them. The three girls have the least amount of characterization despite the fact the book is named after them. Also, the representation feels off. Mars is genderfluid, and while I am not, I am trans, so I understand her struggles to an extent. Mars would complain a lot, about being misgendered as a boy, and it's clear to me that they do not like being masculine or perceived as masculine. But throughout the book, he only ever uses he/him pronouns despite preferring any/all pronouns. It felt La Sala was playing it safe and ended up missing the mark (I don't think it's done maliciously, I think La Sala needed to do more research, maybe talk to genderfluid people). There was also the dreaded queer metaphor of how Mars' gender is like floating in a lake and sometimes he goes to one side of the lake, sometimes the other and sometimes he floats in the middle. Please, please I am begging authors and writers to stop with weird metaphors (looks directly at Schitt's Creek) unless it is absolutely necessary (i.e. A fantasy world that doesn't have the same terms as Earth).
But hey, I think this was a good first book to get back into reading again. It has made me more interested in the horror genre and hopeful in finding good contemporary LGBTQ+ literature. It was a fun, and occasionally disturbing (in the best way) and I would definitely recommend this book for those wanting a start in the horror genre.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Homophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, and Transphobia
Minor: Sexual assault, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
sammy357's review
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Blood
Minor: Cancer and Suicide
Lots of insect depictions (mostly bees, some spiders)