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winter_b'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
3.75
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Moderate: Chronic illness, Homophobia, Racism, Sexism, and Lesbophobia
bisexualbookshelf'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
4.75
Graphic: Racism
Minor: Ableism, Drug use, Infidelity, Vomit, and Alcohol
chris_reads'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
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Infidelity, Sexual content, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Racism and Lesbophobia
sadhbhprice'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
4.75
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Infidelity, Racism, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Lesbophobia, War, and Classism
caseythereader'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? No
4.0
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, Sexual content, and Colonisation
aliciavalenski'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
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism
savvylit'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
Don’t be mistaken, though — Greta & Valdin is not “just” a romance novel. (Quick aside: if you’re the type of person who genuinely thinks or says things like “just a romance novel” then I request that you examine your biases). In fact, to categorize this novel as romance would be a mischaracterization. Alongside the heartwarming love stories, Greta & Valdin is a millennial coming-of-age novel with heaps of dry humor and heart. Both siblings are hilarious in ways that are both distinct and believably idiosyncratic. The most laugh-out-loud moments of the novel occur when they come together with their extended family. Take this example, for instance: on the evening when Greta’s new girlfriend Ell meets her parents, her father and Valdin immediately get into an argument over whether or not their father’s childhood friend Rumbo existed. Rumbo had featured heavily in dramatic tales from their father’s childhood. In each increasingly outlandish story, Rumbo always got up to extreme mischief and/or petty crime. Thus, Valdin is smugly convinced that Rumbo is fictional. Their father is incensed by Valdin’s claim. Interrupting the typical get-to-know-you conversation between Ell and his wife, their father immediately video-calls Rumbo on Facebook Messenger to prove his existence. Okay — I will admit that recounting it here just now in my own words takes some of the humor out of it, but trust me! The Rumbo incident is just one of many instances of absurd antics that had me giggling out loud.
Perhaps the greatest feat of Greta & Valdin, though, lies in Reilly’s effortless ability to portray an incredibly diverse range of characters and subject matter. First of all, this book is just so delightfully queer. The siblings and their partners, their nephew, their uncles: all queer & all messy, layered human beings. Reilly maintains a lighthearted tone throughout while also touching upon serious topics such as adoption, neurodivergence, chronic illness, indigenous identity, and the Land Back movement. The two main characters — and the author herself — are Māori and many of the secondary characters are people of color as well. All in all, in the way that only the best books manage it, none of the diversity feels forced or performative. The characters in Greta & Valdin are simply living their complex, human lives as we all do.
Since finishing this novel a few days ago, I find myself missing the two eponymous, charismatic siblings so much. And their partners, Xabi and Ell. And Ernesto. And Casper and Tang. And Thony and Giuseppe. And Rashmika. Even Genevieve! Every character was fully realized to the point of feeling like a new friend. I’ll be thinking about each of them for quite some time to come.
Moderate: Mental illness and Alcohol