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marieeh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
3.0
This book was hard for me to rate. On the one hand, I loved the writing, the meandering chapters taking me through the story. I liked that this was a long, slow paced story spanning many years. I really loved the examples of non-toxic masculinity - men who loved each other openly, hugging, crying, sharing their emotions. It was refreshing. I also really liked the descriptors. "Candy canes and pinecones". I can smell that, but I also feel like I understand the emotions those scents evoke. That phrase made me feel something every time it was mentioned.
However, I got really icked out by the age gap romance. I tried to get past it since all the characters just sort of explain it away as a mates thing and "when you know, you know", but I had a really hard time and never really did. I just don't see why Joe couldn't have been aged up even to like 14. Everything else could have happened exactly the same. And I could accept a 3 year difference a little more easily. I honestly think I could have even accepted it if they both met as adults (21 and 28) but since they met when Joe was 10 and Ox almost 18?? I couldn't. I was also kind of blindsided by the very explicit and lengthy sex scene. I am not big on those to begin with, and it came late in the book and kind of without warning - there had been really nothing sexual like that and then boom. And the fact that the epilogue was a sex scene too? I loved the way the final chapter ended, it was beautiful, but then throwing that in (I know it was an important "mating") just kind of cheapened it to me.
All that said, it was a good, sad story. I wasn't expecting how emotional of a read it would be. I really liked the characters, though I wish some had been fleshed out more (maybe in the other books in series?) and like I said before, I loved the writing. It was very poetic in places. I'm not jumping to read the rest of the series right now, but I will definitely check out more by this author.
However, I got really icked out by the
All that said, it was a good, sad story. I wasn't expecting how emotional of a read it would be. I really liked the characters, though I wish some had been fleshed out more (maybe in the other books in series?) and like I said before, I loved the writing. It was very poetic in places. I'm not jumping to read the rest of the series right now, but I will definitely check out more by this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, and Death of parent
dykish's review against another edition
The writing (I found it juvenile and uninspired) nearly made me put down this book. Several cringe-worthy moments (howling for his pack in front of his mother? GAG) nearly made me put this book down. The lack of depth to any of the three female characters (typical of TJ Klune, I've found!) nearly made me put this down. The weird grooming vibe (the family next door, including the three adults, is weirdly physical with the main character, demands his time and commitment to them in a way that borders on abusive, and generally tries to isolate the main character) nearly made me put this book down.
The nail in the coffin was the literal pedophilia. Yeah. I found the main character's relationship with his young neighbor weird from the beginning—the main character is 16 and the boy is 10 when they meet—but figured it was at least innocent. The main character is strongly implied to be intellectually challenged (though it's never explicit, he's just called stupid repeatedly. Woohoo, representation!) and maybe he just got along well with the boy? But no, after seven years of a weirdly obsessive but platonic relationship, the 23-year-old main character gets with the then 17-year-old boy. Sorry, but that's pedophilia! Even if the other guy was 18, the main character had still known him since he was 10 and was 6 years his senior. That's grooming AND pedophilia!!!!
I'm horrified that I see this book being recommended without trigger warning for pedophilia plastered all over it. Really, I'm horrified that this book and its uncritical depiction of pedophilia was even published. Read something—ANYTHING—else.
The nail in the coffin was the literal pedophilia. Yeah. I found the main character's relationship with his young neighbor weird from the beginning—the main character is 16 and the boy is 10 when they meet—but figured it was at least innocent. The main character is strongly implied to be intellectually challenged (though it's never explicit, he's just called stupid repeatedly. Woohoo, representation!) and maybe he just got along well with the boy? But no, after seven years of a weirdly obsessive but platonic relationship, the 23-year-old main character gets with the then 17-year-old boy. Sorry, but that's pedophilia! Even if the other guy was 18, the main character had still known him since he was 10 and was 6 years his senior. That's grooming AND pedophilia!!!!
I'm horrified that I see this book being recommended without trigger warning for pedophilia plastered all over it. Really, I'm horrified that this book and its uncritical depiction of pedophilia was even published. Read something—ANYTHING—else.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Pedophilia
taelortot_97's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Pedophilia
spicynoodles17's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship and Child abuse
Moderate: Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship
Ikirstenf's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Blood, Vomit, and Classism
luvnuit's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Torture, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Abandonment
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Sexual harassment
sweetrosegirl76's review against another edition
The TLDR is Ox is a pedophile.
I'm upset bc I love T.J. Klune, I wanted to read his entire body of work but I can't. I really tried to give Ox the benefit of the doubt, I thought maybe he'd distance himself until it was more appropriate and even then I was grossed out, but I was like maybe they'll be a time jump and this will feel less icky. I hate to DNF a book but I just can't in good conscious do it.
Ox is a pedophile, plain and simple. 23 and 17 IS NOT OKAY. I hate that they met at 16 and 10. There were so many lines that were just so inappropriate and problematic. It took me the whole day to read 5% more from when Ox realized he was into Joe and I just couldn't do it anymore which is such a shame bc gross but also bc I was liking the book before, though if I'm being on this, I don't know why because what even is the plot there's so much exposition. The teasing and awkward and cringe is very typical of T.J. Klune and it could have been funny and it would've been funny had Joe not been a literal child and minor, instead it was extremely creepy and I hate how everyone is okay with it and not calling it out for this being a literal crime.
They had always been abnormally close. But I just thought that it was an intense brother relationship because of the fact that he didn't have a father, he was a single child also, so I thought he was just fierce and protective of his little brother; A little brother who had given him more family than he knew what to do with. I remember getting weird vibes before, but I thought maybe nothing of it, I thought there's no way that this will happen! I guess had I read the summary on goodreads I would have realized that it was always about Joe... and then 25% through happened and I just couldn't read it anymore.
I'm upset bc I love T.J. Klune, I wanted to read his entire body of work but I can't. I really tried to give Ox the benefit of the doubt, I thought maybe he'd distance himself until it was more appropriate and even then I was grossed out, but I was like maybe they'll be a time jump and this will feel less icky. I hate to DNF a book but I just can't in good conscious do it.
Ox is a pedophile, plain and simple. 23 and 17 IS NOT OKAY. I hate that they met at 16 and 10. There were so many lines that were just so inappropriate and problematic. It took me the whole day to read 5% more from when Ox realized he was into Joe and I just couldn't do it anymore which is such a shame bc gross but also bc I was liking the book before, though if I'm being on this, I don't know why because what even is the plot there's so much exposition. The teasing and awkward and cringe is very typical of T.J. Klune and it could have been funny and it would've been funny had Joe not been a literal child and minor, instead it was extremely creepy and I hate how everyone is okay with it and not calling it out for this being a literal crime.
They had always been abnormally close. But I just thought that it was an intense brother relationship because of the fact that he didn't have a father, he was a single child also, so I thought he was just fierce and protective of his little brother; A little brother who had given him more family than he knew what to do with. I remember getting weird vibes before, but I thought maybe nothing of it, I thought there's no way that this will happen! I guess had I read the summary on goodreads I would have realized that it was always about Joe... and then 25% through happened and I just couldn't read it anymore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pedophilia
Minor: Child abuse, Torture, and Kidnapping
britt93414's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, and Alcohol
sab_rose's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Minor: Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, and Death of parent