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hellavaral's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Homophobia, and Racism
c_alexander'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
loved this - loved the complex characters and relationships, the imagery, tone, and the pacing!
was disappointed side characters weren't further developed - especially in terms of the bipoc characters; racism is a theme explored in the book but in a really brief capacity considering its relevance
took a little while to 'pick up' but had me hooked in the second half
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, Racism, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child death, Car accident, and Death of parent
jojothefool's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Minor: Cannibalism, Car accident, and Death of parent
madscientistcat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, and Slavery
alphabetseeds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The first half is slow and simmering, as Andrew, the protagonist, finds that the inheritance left to him by his dead best friend Eddie in Nashville is not the inheritance he expected and certainly not one that he wanted to receive alone. His whole life has been tangled up as an "and", and the first half of the book is spent with Andrew grabbling with 3 emotional gut punches: 1) Eddie lied to him, 2) Eddie didn't kill himself, and 3) the people who Eddie called friends might have something to do with his death. He's also grappling with a secret fourth thing - that maybe he and Eddie were more than just best friends.
Andrew's resistance to his new life is like digging heels into the ground, but while I found his lack of forward momentum a little frustrating, it was entirely justified and necessary to set up the events of the second half. Andrew's former life confronts him in Nashville, then everything shifts.
The academia portion of the book takes somewhat of a backseat to the car races and summer-soaked partying but it's nonetheless equally important. Mandelo points out the inherent racism prevalent in academic institutions and doesn't need to beat it to death - it's obvious and plain to see, both in the novel and in real life. A certain character finally getting on the road to justice was a satisfying cherry on top for the ending.
One other thing that I liked is that as Andrew and friends became more involved in the murder mystery plot, I was still unsure who could've been responsible up until a major piece of information is revealed, and then I still wondered if maybe everyone was in on it together. However, I don't read much horror or mystery, so take that with a grain of salt! The ultimate conclusion does veer towards full-on cartoon villainy, but I really didn't mind. Mandelo's eloquent writing still kept me hooked even through these more trope-y scenes.
Finally...
Graphic: Suicide and Blood
Moderate: Animal death and Drug use
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
parasolcrafter'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 horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Racism and Sexual content
Minor: Animal death
theoldestbennetsister'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
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Transphobia, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, and Car accident
bootsmom3'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: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Slavery and Vomit
remimicha'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? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug use, Homophobia, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Murder, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Racism, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, and Classism
fanboyriot'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
Ghosts
Chaotic Gays
Spooky Fantasy
Dark Academia
Fast Cars and Stupid Decisions
I read a review that said this was like a gay fever dream and that sums up a lot of it. The supernatural elements and the overall eerie atmosphere were really lovely. It was well written, however, the romance was kind of meh at first, by the end of the book it was better but it just felt like there could have been more development with Andrew and Sam. Overall, the ending was nice and I would definitely re-read this again.
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Kidnapping, Suicide attempt, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Biphobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Gaslighting