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steffiraquel's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Chronic illness, Infidelity, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
I really loved the diversity and the rollercoaster ride the main character was on, but unfortunately, that is where it stopped. I chose not to rate this because I think we should encourage writing with this much diversity, especially the inclusion of ASL and how it seamlessly was integrated into dialogue. However, the amount of cheating was extremely unnecessary and I'm trying to not be so hard on everyone because they're teenagers, but surely you know cheating is wrong when you're that age. I have to admit, I really don't like Flo and especially after (whether unintentionally or intentionally, it doesn't matter) insisting her and Nate stay friends after they broke up (not to mention his not-so-secret feelings of still being in love with her) because she cheated on him feels frustrating. Not only that, there are some things she'd do/say that would be contradicting to her character. It felt as if one minute she likes to air everyone's dirty laundry and then the next minute she's disapproving of things that I feel as if she would have agreed with. With all the characters, it was easy to see that their behaviour was linked to something happening at home which I could empathise with, but Flo kind of just was not a nice person and didn't have any issues (apart from feeling guilty of cheating, which to me doesn't matter) as far as I was concerned so I went through the whole book really not liking her.rayne_1906's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Audiobook - 3 hours 57 minutes - I have an affinity for LGBTQ YA contemporary books, even if they don't end up being amazing pieces of literature, which is why I keep reading them, and will continue to keep reading them, regardless of how low the average rating I give them may be. This book was nothing groundbreaking - it followed the same sort of pattern that a lot of YA contemporaries do. Some good points: it included a lot of diversity without the book being focused on the diversity. This is not necessarily a bad thing but it is nice to see books where the characters can just be, and have problems outside of discrimination. For example, the two of the main characters in this book are bisexual, but there is no plot/sideplot about coming out/struggling with self-acceptance. As I have previously said, there is nothing wrong with books which do focus on these issues, it is just a nice and refreshing change, making for a more relaxing read. However, this book did feel repetitive at points. The main character often repeated the same trains of thought over and over which became a little tedious and boring at times. On the whole though, this was a perfectly decent book, nothing special, but okay and fun to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
greatexpectations77's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This is a gorgeous book. I cannot wait to read more of this author's work. What an incredible book for young LGBTQ+ folks. Just gorgeous and natural and complicated and beautiful. Everyone needs to read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, and Death of parent
anniereads221's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
HP referencessamchase112's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Nate and Oliver's "epic" love story was not really so epic to me. They were sweet together...except we never really got to know them as a couple. The characters in this book are truly despicable; I think the only one I didn't hate at some point was Ashley. I appreciated the way the author dove into what it really means to be a teenager -- awkward conversations, not knowing what to do with yourself half the time -- but I still wish they'd made the characters a bit more likable. And is virginity really a defining trait?? All in all I wasn't the biggest fan of this one, but I think it's more of a "it's me not you" situation.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Grief, and Death of parent
ambernicole1901's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent