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narrnaul's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-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? Yes
4.75
one of my absolute favorites. this is like my 5th or 6th time reading and i still get emotional. there were still twists and turns until the end of the book + the art is wonderful. a classic for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Transphobia
Moderate: Bullying and Grief
clemrain's review
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Expressive art, underdeveloped and overwhelming story.
The first third of the book was painful to get through. The second third picked up. And the last third sped through everything.
It took me a month to finish this, and that included me pushing through the first hundred pages over three days, not reading it for a month and completing the rest of the book slowly over two hours.
There was just a lot going on in this story and it would’ve been much better if the story arc spanned volumes instead of just pages of one volume.
I did not enjoy the characters.
The first third of the book was painful to get through. The second third picked up. And the last third sped through everything.
It took me a month to finish this, and that included me pushing through the first hundred pages over three days, not reading it for a month and completing the rest of the book slowly over two hours.
There was just a lot going on in this story and it would’ve been much better if the story arc spanned volumes instead of just pages of one volume.
I did not enjoy the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Bullying, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content, Vomit, and Grief
rachelditty's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.25
I really enjoyed this! I didn't know anything about it before reading; I only knew it was queer. I was surprised when the first half wasn't centered around anything LGBT+, and more focused on something strange happening to Mads' family circumstances. But as things unfolded and Mads' worldviews were dissected, I started liking the story more and more. Religion especially was used in a way I'd never really seen before--the main character interacts with members of the church who are bigoted, but still attends mass because she feels it's a place where she is part of a community and things can really feel safe for her. I thought the story was really well done, and even the more disrespectful aspects of the characters' views were portrayed super well and wrapped up neatly. So glad I read this, it was awesome.
Quotes I liked:
"Was it worse to leave him like that or to tell him he was ust part of a sciece experiment? A baking soda volcano, thrown together last minute, without thought. Without care." (p. 237)
"I could have pushed harder, gotten mom to let me stay home. But maybe I wanted to be judged. Maybe I knew the scale of 1 to 10 didn't even come close to being able to rank what I had done." (p. 244)
"Or I can just be myself, and tell people, 'Hey, I'm Amanda! And I happen to be gay!' Maybe even reverse it. 'Hey, I'm gay! And I happen to be Amanda!'" (p. 262).
"Dad was right. Always choose flying over invisibility." (p. 271).
"We don't get to choose who we love. But sometimes we get lucky and fall for someone wonderful." (p. 280).
"Kinda crazy that I had ever thought I was alone." (p. 291).
Quotes I liked:
"Was it worse to leave him like that or to tell him he was ust part of a sciece experiment? A baking soda volcano, thrown together last minute, without thought. Without care." (p. 237)
"I could have pushed harder, gotten mom to let me stay home. But maybe I wanted to be judged. Maybe I knew the scale of 1 to 10 didn't even come close to being able to rank what I had done." (p. 244)
"Or I can just be myself, and tell people, 'Hey, I'm Amanda! And I happen to be gay!' Maybe even reverse it. 'Hey, I'm gay! And I happen to be Amanda!'" (p. 262).
"Dad was right. Always choose flying over invisibility." (p. 271).
"We don't get to choose who we love. But sometimes we get lucky and fall for someone wonderful." (p. 280).
"Kinda crazy that I had ever thought I was alone." (p. 291).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Transphobia, Religious bigotry, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, Toxic friendship, and Alcohol
hexenlibrarian's review
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Transphobia, Grief, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, and Toxic friendship