Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy

9 reviews

citrus_seasalt's review against another edition

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DNF at 44%. Nothing against the author: I think the story has a lot of heart, and shows middle school insecurities well. But the secondhand embarrassment was excruciating, the bullying (and some internalized homophobia) was more graphic than I expected it to be, and within 2 examples of Rahul testing out things to see if he was good at them and failing, I was starting to sense a formula/repetition for the book. It was difficult to get through, even with the lighthearted tone and the humor. (To Maulik Pancholy’s credit, though, some of the jokes made me laugh.)

Also, it was surprising to see OCD rep in this book! But from what I read, most of it was shown through compulsions and while the thought process behind those was on-page, I wonder if it was revealed to have bled into Rahul’s other anxieties as well.  (For instance, his entire “I have to be the best at something” mindset.) I kinda hope it did for accuracy’s sake, well-done OCD rep is so rare, especially in kidlit. 

Maybe I’ll pick this up at another time. The ending might make me cry, and I wonder how Rahul’s story and crisis will be resolved. But for now, I’m just not in the headspace for it.
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theromanticace's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense 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

3.75

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averypleasantpineapple's review against another edition

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2.0

This felt to me very much like it was trying to be A Book About Important Issues. Rather than, you know, an engaging book that tackles some important stuff on the way. I also didn’t enjoy the rather simplistic writing. It’s been a while since I read children’s literature and I have no idea what kids read these days but I suspect the writing could have been more engaging while still keeping it level appropriate. 

Read for Storygraph’s genre challenge and indeed it was something I never would have read normally. 
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thebookpaiges's review against another edition

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emotional funny 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

4.5

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fell4's review against another edition

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challenging emotional inspiring reflective tense fast-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

3.0

This book was wrenching to read. Knowing what this kid had to go through - the racism and homophobia, dealing with OCD... It just reminds me of the people I care about, and what they've had to go through and it makes me so mad. Also, every time a parent accepts their child, it makes me cry, I love books. Especially children's books where things work out. I like how Brent was a foil. 
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emily_mh's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Let’s start with the good stuff! I’m a huge fan of a flawed MC doing their best, and Rahul is definitely that. The relationships in this book were super heartwarming, especially the one between Rahul and Bhai. I also liked the Mathletes stuff and how the competitions worked. 

My big issue with this book is that I wasn’t a huge fan of how the plot was carried out. There was so much time spent in the beginning setting up various plot points, that there wasn’t enough time left to meaningfully resolve them. There just wasn’t enough space given to explore the really complex challenges Rahul was facing so that his change in character felt really sudden and not the result of gradual development. 
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pey333's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted fast-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

4.5

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antonique_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-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

4.0

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myblackbookish_life's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted tense 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

4.0

Such a cute story. I’m still trying to get my thoughts in order, but my current takeaway is this story has a lot of heart, I enjoyed the strong family bond between Rahul, Chelsea and Rahul’s friendship, and just his struggle and satisfying triumph in his journey at what it means to be the best and being comfortable and confident in your own skin. 
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