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orlagal's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
megelizabeth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.0
"The year didn’t just change, a quick click of digits, the world cracking apart. It was a slow bleeding. One thing into another."
This is such an impressive book. The writing style and the storytelling are incredibly clever and the atmosphere is ridiculously strong throughout. It's a truly immersive, captivating story that creeps up on you and then never quite lets you go. It's also the perfect combination of completely heartbreaking and yet also so full of heart.
This is a story that is quiet but devastating and that just packs such a perfect punch. I really appreciated both the predominant themes around family and identity and loss, and also the more subtle (only just) historical nods to the AIDS crisis and the Troubles.
The only criticism I really have isn't really the author's fault, which is that I found the blurb to be quite misleading. As a result slightly disappointed by some of the sections focusing on Matty's childhood and teenage years and time spent at Hampstead, as I expected there to be more of a 'found family' feel and this didn't really come through for me. Overall, though, I still had a great reading experience and got a lot out of this book, so I'd highly recommend if you're even remotely intrigued!
This is such an impressive book. The writing style and the storytelling are incredibly clever and the atmosphere is ridiculously strong throughout. It's a truly immersive, captivating story that creeps up on you and then never quite lets you go. It's also the perfect combination of completely heartbreaking and yet also so full of heart.
This is a story that is quiet but devastating and that just packs such a perfect punch. I really appreciated both the predominant themes around family and identity and loss, and also the more subtle (only just) historical nods to the AIDS crisis and the Troubles.
The only criticism I really have isn't really the author's fault, which is that I found the blurb to be quite misleading. As a result slightly disappointed by some of the sections focusing on Matty's childhood and teenage years and time spent at Hampstead, as I expected there to be more of a 'found family' feel and this didn't really come through for me. Overall, though, I still had a great reading experience and got a lot out of this book, so I'd highly recommend if you're even remotely intrigued!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Transphobia, Violence, Blood, and Death of parent
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Car accident
Minor: Racism