wchereads's review against another edition
5.0
book good. it's been 5 minutes since I finished it and I'm still crying. how does one write a review
leislibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I really enjoyed this read. It felt cohesive and well-paced enough that I could see the pieces melding together as I you moved through it and I was with Jay the whole way. Worried bout him, pissed at the boy, proud, disappointed, annoyed (etc. etc). He just felt really human and that was heavily focused on throughout the narrative. Family’s always complicated and often expose parts of us that we either don’t want to catch light or straight up forget were in the shadows so seeing Jay go on that emotional rollercoaster resonated with me so much. I thought the conversation with Tito Danilo felt rushed, but other than that I fully rec reading this. It had me boohooing by the end for sure.
ghoulomatic's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
4.75
This book was beautiful and moving. Each sentence was meticulously crafted... Each word was purposeful. The love and care the author, Randy Ribay, put into the book practically floods out of the pages. This is a beautifully crafted story about so many things. It's certainly a book worth reading again and again and again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Drug abuse, and Police brutality
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual violence and Sexual assault
justinekorson's review
5.0
Being half Filipino and half white myself... I have never read a book before that made me feel so validated and seen. I related to a lot of the feelings and thoughts of the MC and had to stop a few time because I thought I might have an existential crisis in the middle of reading it. It was SO GOOD and I know I say this a lot but... I highly recommend it!
akvegida's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
lfilart's review
4.0
(Im not sure if I’ll make a real review but to pour out my feelings right now,)
I skipped homework tonight for this, stayed up to read and now my eyes are puffy and red and nose clogged
I skipped homework tonight for this, stayed up to read and now my eyes are puffy and red and nose clogged
hkent80's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
allieslocum's review
5.0
This book is truly excellent - I’d say closer to 4.5 but rounding up. A fantastic coming on age novel that really asks how do you reconcile the imperfect sides of someone you love when they die. This book being set with an investigative story line in the Philippines made this story fresh and allowed real and honest character development. Highly recommend
romanaromana's review against another edition
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
2 stars.
(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).
I was just really underwhelmed by this book.
One element of Patron Saints of Nothing that I really appreciated was the introduction to Filipino politics and culture. I've never read anything set or even remotely connected to the Philippines, and I think Randy Ribay did a great job of summarising the country's problems which he was focusing on in this story. At the same time, the information felt naturally woven in because of the protagonist, Jay, and his own naivety when it came to the historical and current Filipino political climate.
Jay himself was also an interesting perspective to offer. I empathised with his feelings of disbelonging both in America and in the Philippines, and his particular experience of grief was also a unique and engaging one to follow. All of this contributed towards making him a decent protagonist.
But there was a lot I was confused or uncaring about in this novel.
First, the romance. Definitely one of the most pointless ones I have read this year. It just didn't need to be in there at all, and it actually made me dislike the two characters involved somewhat.
Secondly, the other characters didn't do much for me. Jay's own parents and siblings felt completely unreal and insignificant. On a simple level, I didn't believe their response to him wanting to visit the Philippines, and that kind of ruined the premise very early on. Tito Maning had potential, but it didn't end up amounting to very much. I thought the only slightly interesting character besides Jay was Grace, but again, she didn't reach her potential.
Thirdly, the plot lost me. It began as a mystery of sorts, but then all urgency was lost and it just became a trudging vacation for Jay, with commentary on his culture and experience, but not much else. All of the mystery elements came together too conveniently, and in odd places that didn't help the pace.
Finally, the final few chapters were wasteful, and seemed to change in tone in an effort to make things seem more poignant, or to spell out Jay's character journey. It felt too obvious and forced.
Not a great one, to be honest.
(Here are some content warnings. Nothing in this review).
I was just really underwhelmed by this book.
One element of Patron Saints of Nothing that I really appreciated was the introduction to Filipino politics and culture. I've never read anything set or even remotely connected to the Philippines, and I think Randy Ribay did a great job of summarising the country's problems which he was focusing on in this story. At the same time, the information felt naturally woven in because of the protagonist, Jay, and his own naivety when it came to the historical and current Filipino political climate.
Jay himself was also an interesting perspective to offer. I empathised with his feelings of disbelonging both in America and in the Philippines, and his particular experience of grief was also a unique and engaging one to follow. All of this contributed towards making him a decent protagonist.
But there was a lot I was confused or uncaring about in this novel.
First, the romance. Definitely one of the most pointless ones I have read this year. It just didn't need to be in there at all, and it actually made me dislike the two characters involved somewhat.
Secondly, the other characters didn't do much for me. Jay's own parents and siblings felt completely unreal and insignificant. On a simple level, I didn't believe their response to him wanting to visit the Philippines, and that kind of ruined the premise very early on. Tito Maning had potential, but it didn't end up amounting to very much. I thought the only slightly interesting character besides Jay was Grace, but again, she didn't reach her potential.
Thirdly, the plot lost me. It began as a mystery of sorts, but then all urgency was lost and it just became a trudging vacation for Jay, with commentary on his culture and experience, but not much else. All of the mystery elements came together too conveniently, and in odd places that didn't help the pace.
Finally, the final few chapters were wasteful, and seemed to change in tone in an effort to make things seem more poignant, or to spell out Jay's character journey. It felt too obvious and forced.
Not a great one, to be honest.