hadeschariots's review
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
i liked the story and i think it’s always important to read about what it was like to be queer during the AIDS epidemic, however the lack of quotation marks for dialogue really pulled me out of the story at times and would have done so much more if i wasn’t reading along with the audiobook. i’m not sure it achieved exactly what the author wanted to achieve with that style choice.
i’m also kind of disappointed that lesbians were left out of the conversation yet again. the book mentions how no one would go into hospital rooms with sick patients because they were afraid they’d catch something. so many moments where the lesbians staying by the side of dying gay men could have been mentioned. this is why the L comes first in LGBTQ and i think we as a community need to do a better job at making this information commonplace.
i’m also kind of disappointed that lesbians were left out of the conversation yet again. the book mentions how no one would go into hospital rooms with sick patients because they were afraid they’d catch something. so many moments where the lesbians staying by the side of dying gay men could have been mentioned. this is why the L comes first in LGBTQ and i think we as a community need to do a better job at making this information commonplace.
tonylicious's review
Trie reading on multiple occasions but every time I could not get past no quotation marks.
foxmoon's review
We Are Lost and Found has been presented as a sort of 1980s set, LGBT version of The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The latter book was a favorite of mine, as it was for many others, when I was in high school. It was relatable to me, as someone misfit and sad, to follow a character who seemed to get what it was like to be lonely, to have anxiety, but to be surrounded by amazing people.
WALAF didn’t really achieve that for me. In fact, it read more like a fantasy than it did a realistic portrayal of youth. It wasn’t my or my friends’ experience dealing with our own families, sexualities, or friendships. It was kind of the story I would write after I was home alone and imagining what someone else, someone aspirational, might be doing. The characters’ thoughts, feelings, and choice didn’t ever feel realistic.
I also kept grappling with how twee everything felt. Aside from the cutesy group of misfit friends, I was reminded a little of Ready Player One with the bombardment of '80s pop culture references seemingly put in for their own sake and not for the story’s. For these reasons, I was never really able to connect with the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for me to read and review!
WALAF didn’t really achieve that for me. In fact, it read more like a fantasy than it did a realistic portrayal of youth. It wasn’t my or my friends’ experience dealing with our own families, sexualities, or friendships. It was kind of the story I would write after I was home alone and imagining what someone else, someone aspirational, might be doing. The characters’ thoughts, feelings, and choice didn’t ever feel realistic.
I also kept grappling with how twee everything felt. Aside from the cutesy group of misfit friends, I was reminded a little of Ready Player One with the bombardment of '80s pop culture references seemingly put in for their own sake and not for the story’s. For these reasons, I was never really able to connect with the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for me to read and review!
zicariofsilverkeep's review
5.0
I loved this. I’m going through my 70-80s punk rock in NY phase right now and this was awesome. I liked the pacing of this book and all of the characters were well written. No major complaints here.
g_iinn's review against another edition
2.0
As a straight woman I think it is important for me to learn about LGBTQIA+ experiences, I thought this would be achieved in this book but it simply wasn't. Apart from the afterword, nothing was new to me.
The choppy writing style made it hard to connect to any of the characters, this coupled with the lack of movement in the plot made this book fall flat for me.
The insta-love between Michael and Gabriel was so unrealistic to me and their relationship lacked depth. However, I did enjoy the friendship between the main characters in most parts.
This book simply wasn't for me.
The choppy writing style made it hard to connect to any of the characters, this coupled with the lack of movement in the plot made this book fall flat for me.
The insta-love between Michael and Gabriel was so unrealistic to me and their relationship lacked depth. However, I did enjoy the friendship between the main characters in most parts.
This book simply wasn't for me.
billyfasig's review
emotional
reflective
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? Yes
4.25
quinn_is_a_sin's review
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-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
3.75
lironore's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-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
3.0
justahappycloud's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
4.75