babbieabbi's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Ugh. The writing was amazing, the characters were amazing, the story was amazing. I loved the chronic illness representation and this book felt like it should have been so meaningful to me. But there is a scene involving sexual assault that is just basically disregarded throughout the rest of the book. The casual rape culture is something I’m not willing to support, even though I feel like this book had a lot of potential.
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
4.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 4
Characters: 4
Believability: 3
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 3
Story Line: 4
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Overall: 4.22
Characters: 4
Believability: 3
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 5
Excitement Factor: 3
Story Line: 4
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 5
Overall: 4.22
madiison4hunt's review against another edition
this book came to me in a vision and i remembered just how conflicting of a story it was for me (who was in 8th grade i think???) to read… idk even know how to rate it but just save yourself the heart palpitations and don’t read it
sc104906's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book. At first I couldn't tell if it was realistic or fantasy fiction. However, it is realistic fiction. Althea and Oliver have been friends since childhood. As the two got older, Althea developed romantic feelings for Oliver and Oliver developed a sleeping sickness. Oliver falls asleep for weeks at a time, only waking up in a weird feral state. Oliver is determined to fix his messed up brain and Althea won't be left behind. Can the two learn to stand on their own?
There are some ethical issues that come up within this novel. It isn't something that I would give to a young teen. However, I really like Althea and Oliver. The characters speak to me.
There are some ethical issues that come up within this novel. It isn't something that I would give to a young teen. However, I really like Althea and Oliver. The characters speak to me.
camrynndb's review against another edition
2.0
I picked up this book when I was at Barnes and Nobles and I needed a book to read. I did not read anything about it before or even read the description, I just bought it and started reading. I honestly have never hated a book as much as this one and not even for the writing style which is usually the reason for it. The reason I am giving this book two stars instead of one (I will get into that later) is because the writing was really good and I thought that the author has talent in her writing abilities.
Okay now to why I absolutely despised this story:
Althea raped Oliver. Simple as that. She knew about his mental condition and that he wasn't himself at all in fact he didn't even remember any of the events that happened during his sleeping episodes.
And all of the characters played it off like it wasn't anything, some even said that he was lucky. This book really proves that gender stereotypes and rape are still prevalent and misunderstood because the book basically says that men cannot be victims of rape and that since they know each other so well it can't be distinguished as rape.
I just felt it was brushed aside and the whole thing obviously was important to Oliver (his virginity) and he felt like he was taken advantage of (which he was).
The book made it seem like a small mistake when really it was a big one and that is why I did not like this book at all.
Okay now to why I absolutely despised this story:
Althea raped Oliver. Simple as that. She knew about his mental condition and that he wasn't himself at all in fact he didn't even remember any of the events that happened during his sleeping episodes.
And all of the characters played it off like it wasn't anything, some even said that he was lucky. This book really proves that gender stereotypes and rape are still prevalent and misunderstood because the book basically says that men cannot be victims of rape and that since they know each other so well it can't be distinguished as rape.
I just felt it was brushed aside and the whole thing obviously was important to Oliver (his virginity) and he felt like he was taken advantage of (which he was).
The book made it seem like a small mistake when really it was a big one and that is why I did not like this book at all.
notlikethebeer's review against another edition
1.0
CN r*pe
Lost me when Althea r*ped Oliver and barely anyone fully recognised that. Shame, as the writing was great.
Lost me when Althea r*ped Oliver and barely anyone fully recognised that. Shame, as the writing was great.
rustbeltjessie's review against another edition
5.0
The characters and (many of) the situations in this book were so familiar to me - being that I was around the same age as Althea and Oliver, at the same time (mid-late '90s). I felt like the characters were all people that I was friends with, or could have been friends with. Honestly, though, Cristina Moracho's writing is so gorgeous and descriptive that I think anyone who has ever been a teenager, in any time period, can recognize themselves and their friends (or enemies) in the characters; also, she makes all the experiences relatable so that even if you've never been through them, by the end of the book you feel like you have.
Of course, and this is speaking as a former misfit teen myself, I think that anyone who was a misfit teen in some way - a punk or an outsider, or anyone who found 'salvation' in things like punk shows, chapters of 'Bread and Roses,' Replacements records, and aimless drives - might relate to this book especially well.
And the ending made me cry like a baby. Perfect.
(Plus - Non-Stop Party Wagon! I remember that from an issue of Burn Collector, and reading about it in Althea & Oliver inspired me!)
Of course, and this is speaking as a former misfit teen myself, I think that anyone who was a misfit teen in some way - a punk or an outsider, or anyone who found 'salvation' in things like punk shows, chapters of 'Bread and Roses,' Replacements records, and aimless drives - might relate to this book especially well.
And the ending made me cry like a baby. Perfect.
(Plus - Non-Stop Party Wagon! I remember that from an issue of Burn Collector, and reading about it in Althea & Oliver inspired me!)
vera_michele's review against another edition
5.0
I hated this book when I started it. In fact I put it down for like 3 months. When I picked it back up it was so hard to get through it. But when I was getting closer to the end I started to like it because of how the characters change. They realize so much about themselves that when it was over I had this warm felling in my stomach. Like I felt like crying but the tears wouldn't come. I love that feeling. It makes me know that I loved this book and that it was one of those books that you won't forget. And sometimes those books are hard to come by. But when you find one it feels amazing. I highly recommend this book.
jessiek04's review against another edition
1.0
CW: Sexual assault
(Note: I am not a teenager, so please consider this review accordingly.)
0 Stars
This is my first DNF. I did not see that coming. I really wish I had read the negative reviews on here first. *Sigh* The thing is I probably would have kept reading if the assault had been dealt with properly. However, according to all the negative reviews, it isn't.
I've read my fair share of stories in which sexual assault happens; I've given bad reviews to some and good reviews to others. I never want to read it, but it can be handled in both sensitive and insensitive ways. The problem with this story is that the rape that happens isn't treated as rape; it isn't even really called rape, although that is most definitely what it is. If the circumstances of the rape were different, as other readers have rightly pointed out, there would be widespread outrage over this book, and it might never have been published in the first place - maybe, although a lot of horrific novels still get published, so who knows? In any case, I can't finish this book knowing that it downplays rape (and what does and does not constitute consent) in this way. At least in the other books I've read that contain scenes of sexual assault, it's treated as the despicable act that it is, unlike in this book. The scene itself is not worse than others; they're all horrifying, but in this instance, it's... well, it's treated with the kid gloves of a rape apologist. I'm sure that sounds harsh, but the way everything unfolds in the novel screams rape apologist (at least in regards to the sexual assault of a certain demographic). It's disgusting. It's always disgusting.
On the more petty side of things, Althea is kind of the worst, the whole way through, not that I liked Oliver any better really. I don't know. I kind of just didn't like any of the characters. The teenagers in this book are precisely the sort of teenagers I couldn't stand in high school. This novel just ticked all of my nope buttons. I'm sure I could say more, but I'm tired and just don't care to do so.
(Note: I am not a teenager, so please consider this review accordingly.)
0 Stars
This is my first DNF. I did not see that coming. I really wish I had read the negative reviews on here first. *Sigh* The thing is I probably would have kept reading if the assault had been dealt with properly. However, according to all the negative reviews, it isn't.
I've read my fair share of stories in which sexual assault happens; I've given bad reviews to some and good reviews to others. I never want to read it, but it can be handled in both sensitive and insensitive ways. The problem with this story is that the rape that happens isn't treated as rape; it isn't even really called rape, although that is most definitely what it is. If the circumstances of the rape were different, as other readers have rightly pointed out, there would be widespread outrage over this book, and it might never have been published in the first place - maybe, although a lot of horrific novels still get published, so who knows? In any case, I can't finish this book knowing that it downplays rape (and what does and does not constitute consent) in this way. At least in the other books I've read that contain scenes of sexual assault, it's treated as the despicable act that it is, unlike in this book. The scene itself is not worse than others; they're all horrifying, but in this instance, it's... well, it's treated with the kid gloves of a rape apologist. I'm sure that sounds harsh, but the way everything unfolds in the novel screams rape apologist (at least in regards to the sexual assault of a certain demographic). It's disgusting. It's always disgusting.
On the more petty side of things, Althea is kind of the worst, the whole way through, not that I liked Oliver any better really. I don't know. I kind of just didn't like any of the characters. The teenagers in this book are precisely the sort of teenagers I couldn't stand in high school. This novel just ticked all of my nope buttons. I'm sure I could say more, but I'm tired and just don't care to do so.