Scan barcode
sihah's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book hit me like a mortal wound. I've never been so harmed by a story outside of the Mass Effect Trilogy (Of which I have 2 tattoos). And while this may sound harrowing to most, stories aren't worth it to me if they can't make me feel something. This book walked into my heart, ransacked the place, and then proceeded to tell me that not everything heals and not everything has meaning or a lesson attached to it. These beliefs are my own fundamentally and to have them seen and backed up by a story as beautiful as this one, I felt known.
I checked this book out from the library and I typically only purchase 2 or 3 books a year to add to my shelf. This will definitely be one of them.
I checked this book out from the library and I typically only purchase 2 or 3 books a year to add to my shelf. This will definitely be one of them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
meg_lay11's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- 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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Child death
courtnoodles's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
Misadvertised
Rtc
Rtc
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, Death, Vomit, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Addiction, Mental illness, and Medical content
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual content
tinytrashqueen's review against another edition
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Vomit
vanina_ice's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia
sarahsthoughtsonbooks's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? It's complicated
I picked up this book based on the cover and title alone aka I didn't read the synopsis. Not what I thought the book would be, and it packed an emotional punch. I'm sure I would have eventually picked up the book if I read the synopsis, but I do avoid books where there's a chance of tears. So many tears.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, and Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Vomit, Medical content, and Outing
xangemtheelibrarian's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.0
"The world can't handle a tragedy without a lesson, so here I sit, with my broken heart in my hands, waiting for my lesson." (Paraphrased, Dan Clay)
This line that I quoted above broke me. Because I understand so hard it hurts. 287 days ago, I lost my dad to cancer. The way Dan Clay narrates his own book is visceral in it's pain and grief. Either he is a very good actor, or he knows something about grief.
I adore this story. I adore these characters. Drinking, partying, and a generous amount of cussing isn't really my style, so I didn't find that I really liked a lot of what Mark does in the story, but I like Mark. I like Ezra. I like Eric. (Apologies if any of these names are misspelled). These teens are front and center on that struggle bus called Life. But you know what? By the end of the story, they're using the middle aisle of the struggle bus as a catwalk.
And side note: my god! The way Dan Clay narrated Mark's swoony moments over flirting and abs and kissing and sexual tension is right on par with a romance novel. Whoo! Do not listen at work if you are prone to blushing! (For the curious: there's no explicit sexual content. Just a lot of flirting, visible abs, a very particular spot of chest hair Mark often focuses on, eyes you fall into, and very strong, tense, when-are-they-gonna-DO-it feelings. I'm personally not used to listening to romantic banter and innuendos on audio, so I tended to feel my face getting warm at work lol)
This line that I quoted above broke me. Because I understand so hard it hurts. 287 days ago, I lost my dad to cancer. The way Dan Clay narrates his own book is visceral in it's pain and grief. Either he is a very good actor, or he knows something about grief.
I adore this story. I adore these characters. Drinking, partying, and a generous amount of cussing isn't really my style, so I didn't find that I really liked a lot of what Mark does in the story, but I like Mark. I like Ezra. I like Eric. (Apologies if any of these names are misspelled). These teens are front and center on that struggle bus called Life. But you know what? By the end of the story, they're using the middle aisle of the struggle bus as a catwalk.
And side note: my god! The way Dan Clay narrated Mark's swoony moments over flirting and abs and kissing and sexual tension is right on par with a romance novel. Whoo! Do not listen at work if you are prone to blushing! (For the curious: there's no explicit sexual content. Just a lot of flirting, visible abs, a very particular spot of chest hair Mark often focuses on, eyes you fall into, and very strong, tense, when-are-they-gonna-DO-it feelings. I'm personally not used to listening to romantic banter and innuendos on audio, so I tended to feel my face getting warm at work lol)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Homophobia, and Grief
More...