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xoxocm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
(I know it's long just bear with me please)
Okay, I sat. Let's start with the positives, I do think this book is worth the read, IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A SIGN TO READ THIS BOOK, THIS IS IT. This is a beautifully written book. I got extremely attached to the characters and audibly cried at least seven times. It's sad and real and really forces you take a step back and look at things with a different perspective.
The only reason this book is a 4.25 stars instead of 5 is because (1) felt the author's writing was extremely poetic, metaphorical, and flowery, almost to a point of fault. It felt like every line was a quote that you should be annotating. I think you should know that after listening to lancali talk, I have come to realize that that is just her natural way of speaking. Also, the big reveal at the end wasn't my favorite but the 200 pages leading up to it were heart-wrenching.
(2) From the beginning, the main character and her love interest werent my favorite characters in the world. Not to say I didn't like them, I truly did but Neo, Coeur, and Sony really tugged at my heartstrings. I felt like I was being told about their immense love for each other but I didn't feel it. There was never a moment in the book where I was giddy and kicking my feet for them to get together. It was more of "this person is the bane of my existence" the very first time they met.
This review is not meant to scare you away from reading it, it is a great book, these are just slight things that pop up in the book that pushed my rating down from a 5 star. To not end this on a negative note I loved this book. The positives outway the negatives by far and the problems I mention in this review are not as big of a deal as I'm making them out to be. So have fun and grab some tissues.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Rape
Minor: Homophobia
theyarelex's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Eating disorder, Homophobia, Suicide, and Vomit
rgoth'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
1.75
I sensed that the author intended to portray the characters as extraordinary individuals despite their difficult situations. They almost seem to have Shakespearean qualities, but it didn't resonate with me. Additionally, I felt that the depiction of mental health and physical/chronic illnesses was not handled positively. The simplistic views on disability and mental illness, coupled with the lack of depth in character development, detracted from the overall story, and sometimes it seemed like they were being used to romanticise certain parts of the story, which is a big no-no for me!
The monotonous and depressing tone of the book weighed heavily on me, and the "twist" at the end regarding the character Sam was quite possibly the worst thing about the book. I knew Sam had inhuman qualities, so it was obvious that there would be something about them to come out, but oh my word, I found the ending ridiculous. Although I recognise the author is clearly a good writer, this particular book was just not for me.
Graphic: Child abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
sushipie1114's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Religious bigotry, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia, Rape, and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion and War
lilareads5678's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was the saddest book I have read by far. But one of my favorites. You don’t learn much about the main character but in the end it all comes together. This book had the best quotes ever. It was also so poetically beautiful.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and War
ninarivagf's review against another edition
- 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
1.0
Graphic: Bullying, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Medical trauma, and Abandonment
aidanjo8's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying, Child death, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Suicide, Violence, and Religious bigotry
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
zuzu_k's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Homophobia
soyabeanos'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: Body shaming, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Suicide attempt