Reviews

Miss You Love You Hate You Bye by Abby Sher

brooke_review's review against another edition

1.0

I try to find redeeming qualities in all of the books I read, but unfortunately there is little to like about Abby Sher's novel Miss You Love You Hate You Bye. If the title, with its lack of punctuation, feels like one long run-on sentence to you, then be prepared because his book reads much the same way. Focusing on the friendship between two high school girls amidst the separation of one of the girl's parents and the way this traumatic news manifests in her life, Miss You Love You Hate You Bye has a lot of potential. Sadly, its execution is downright awful. The characters are shallow and unlikeable, and Sher writes as if she is on speed, rushing readers from one topic to the next without developing any of the plot points. And speaking of the plot, it is outlandish and ridiculous. This book touches on some rather serious topics, but does not give any of them the gravity that they are due. Not only can this have grave consequences for the book's intended young consumers, but it also makes for an unenjoyable reading experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Books for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

notlikethebeer's review against another edition

4.0

Over a week after finishing this, I saw a card that had the word 'balls' in big font. My first thought was 'oh I know someone who would like that' - and then I realised that the person (people) I was thinking of were fictional! That alone I think speaks for how realistic this book is. It tackles a really hard subject, and one that's really personal to me - not just mental illness, but how it can be to love someone who's struggling, whilst also living your own life. I really liked the way that the letters were interspersed with the plot, and the way that both characters developed through these. Also, the ending was everything I wish I could have read ten years ago. It wasn't perfect, but I'm pleased this book exists.

heathssm's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-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

3.5

_booksandnetflix's review against another edition

medium-paced

2.25

lauraelena28's review against another edition

4.0

I have to say I found it raw and real, I would have enjoyed a little more depth on Hank's side and I think Zoe's diagnosis is a bit more complex than that but overall the vibe felt real for me.

liralen's review against another edition

3.0

Hank and Zoe are the best of friends, have been the best of friends for years. Hank is the rock, the quieter foil to Zoe's exuberance. Zoe is...Zoe is glitter and half-baked plans and enthusiasm; she's energy and explosions of colour. Except, lately, she's also too-thin limbs in undersized clothing that shouldn't fit, and she's bloody scratches on skin that can't be explained, and she's a furious spiral of self-destruction.

I don't think the book description for this one is particularly accurate. 'Zoe's perfect facade' is never a thing—Zoe loses her sparkle and her polish, yes, but more than any kind of perfection, I see her described as being ever on the edge of chaos, always on the verge of tumbling off the cliff and taking everyone else down with her. Hank's friendship with her is hard to watch: insular and codependent and always, it seems, with Hank left feeling responsible for things she cannot control.

There are some things that I appreciate quite a bit, though: the lack of romance in the book. (Can you imagine? Zoe having a romance would mean ten times the drama, ten times the spiralling, and ten times Hank's anxiety that she was on the verge of replacement, and Hank in a relationship would...would not go over well with Zoe). I'm also glad that things aren't completely wrapped up with a bow at the end:

Spoiler

Hank doesn't go running back to Zoe as soon as Zoe stops sending her wrath-filled letters blaming her for everything; Zoe isn't cured of all her ills; realistically, Hank is probably going to be lonely for a while.

But ideally, I think I'd have preferred to see a little less codependence throughout, and a little less relief at the end that

Spoiler

the relationship doesn't survive in its existing form

.

tjlcody's review against another edition

1.0

Boring and off-topic.

The book was a hot mess of different details and events, and they're not connected very well. Zoe was annoying as shit.

magickislife's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• 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

3.25

saviorcomplexdiehard's review against another edition

4.0

It was a weirdly fun read, I really liked the main character and thought the sensitive content was handled well. Big jennifer's body vibes

chronicallybookish's review against another edition

2.0

2.5 stars
~
TW: Anorexia, bulimia, self harm. It’s a lot. Keep that in mind.
~
I’ve been Hank. But I’ve also been Zoe, to an extent. I’ve struggled with the things Zoe has, and I’ve struggled with watching my friend self destruct, and had to weigh the idea of losing the friendship or losing the person entirely.
So yeah. This book hit close to home. It was hard to read. And yet? I didn’t like it. Not because it hurt, but because it felt... fake-y. Manic and sensationalized and overdramatic.
Don’t get me wrong—in no way did this book glorify eating disorders. It just didn’t... it didn’t get real in a lot of ways. Maybe because it was from Hank’s point of view and not Zoe’s. I don’t know.
The letters felt real. They felt raw and honest and true. If a little overdramatic—but that’s is Zoe’s personality so it fit.
The storyline felt rushed and jumpy and manic. All the social media stuff felt weirdly fake and randomly pasted in there. It didn’t cohesively fit with the rest of the story? I felt like it made it seem like that was Zoe’s problem in a lot of ways. Social media addiction. And the storyline felt underdeveloped.
So, overall? It hit me hard, but i wouldn’t recommend it. I think there are many better eating disorder and self-harm reps although I haven’t found any that follow the best friend’s perspective.