marisabenn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really liked how the chapters were laid out with the time stamps. The four POVs make this heartbreaking and hopeful. I honestly have few words for this one. It's powerful with so many layers and pieces to be taken away.
It was difficult to keep track of minor characters. I wish the author would have included a list of victims, even if it is fictional. There were so many names either half-remembered or never known that I got lost.
I also wish there was more about Tyler. We don't know why he wanted to mass murder his classmates, but I guess that's not rare for school shootings. In the end it just felt a little..... forced? I'm not sure, but it was lacking something.
Definitely need a light rom-com after this heartbreaker.
Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Dementia, Bullying, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism, Chronic illness, Cursing, Rape, Sexual assault, and Car accident
bits_and_pieces_odds_and_ends's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Child death, Death, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, and Murder
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Homophobia, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Sexual assault, Dementia, and Grief
readingbooksinisrael's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Gun violence, Suicide, Outing, Mass/school shootings, Lesbophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Hate crime, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Sexual assault, and Blood
Moderate: Dementia, Terminal illness, Rape, and Grief
Minor: Gore and Chronic illness
spooderman'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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Domestic abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Alcoholism, Bullying, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mass/school shootings, Mental illness, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Dementia, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Rape, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Xenophobia, Outing, Vomit, Deportation, and Islamophobia
abbeyelizo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Murder, Chronic illness, Mass/school shootings, Gore, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, and Addiction
Minor: Child abuse, Homophobia, Sexual violence, and Domestic abuse
anonymous_traveller's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Medical trauma, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Addiction, Blood, Bullying, Chronic illness, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Mass/school shootings, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcoholism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexual assault, and Vomit
emilynied's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Death
Moderate: Sexual assault, Rape, and Chronic illness
stories's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Spoiler
at the epilogueGraphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Bullying, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Chronic illness, Lesbophobia, Sexual assault, Rape, and Physical abuse
rayannreads's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Rape, Outing, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
Minor: Car accident, Chronic illness, Cursing, Outing, and Islamophobia
jane_carey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
HUGE TWs
I'm having a hard time figuring out how exactly to voice my problems with this book so I'll start with a positive? It made me cry, bawl like a baby just because of its nature. It was also pretty diverse which counts for something. That being said I feel like it was written by someone who really wanted to cover an important topic but didn't actually have the ability to do so. I've seen a few other reviewers say it was very "black and white" and I think that's a good way to put it. And I'm not at all looking for any glorification of school shooters but it would have been nice to show how varying victims can be and how events like these still have such a huge impact on everyone. My biggest issue however, was the portrayal of how the characters coped with the shooting and previous traumas. It felt very unrealistic and, for lack of a better term slightly offensive. Off of my distaste for the content I was also disappointed in the writing style. It was written in four different POVs and it may as well have been a book in one perspective with how similar the voice of every character was. Overall I'm very disappointed, this topic is one I want to learn more about and I think I will try to find books that portray it more realistically.
Graphic: Gun violence and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Chronic illness