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lunahale's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Outing
Minor: Sexual violence, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
btg'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
5.0
Do note that this novel has even more sexual content than a typical romance novel -- if you're uncomfortable with reading sex scenes, you'll be skimming a couple of chapters. That being said, I want to applaud McQuinston on so easily integrating the emotional and physical relationship between Alex and Henry. It was very clear from the beginning that although the boys are VERY physically intimate, their emotional intimacy is given just as much importance.
Graphic: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Sexual content
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death of parent
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Racism, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
jana_f'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: Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content and Death of parent
Minor: Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual harassment
xkwright'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
Moderate: Homophobia and Outing
Minor: Slavery, Terminal illness, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment
katyfayyyx'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Biphobia, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Grief, Death of parent, and Outing
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Racism, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Terminal illness, Stalking, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism
willoughby'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
5.0
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Outing
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
dudatamiris'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
3.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Grief, and Outing
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Lesbophobia
cdoubet'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
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Addiction, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, Death of parent, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
athenathestorier'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? No
5.0
And I think part of the thing, right? They felt real. Everyone had nuances and interests and stories. And while Alex is significantly more crass, reckless, and rebellious than me, I saw myself in him perhaps most of all. He dreams of a inspired and honest future, observing and calculating everything in the hopes of watching that future take shape. He's so focused on this dream and where he fits in it, that he plans and plans and plans. He's repeated it to himself so much, painting it in his mind with as much permanence as the paintings in the white house, that when circumstances change, he has a hard time adjusting. It makes him question everything.
Between Alex's lists and Henry's prose, both of them bonded over popular culture, queer history references, and shared societal pressures, I easily got swept away in their developing friendship and romance equally.
Memorable Quotes:
- What kind of garbage country eats bland beans on white toast for breakfast? He can't decide if his Mexican blood or his Texan blood is more offended.
-"Er," Henry says, adding to the list of vowel sounds he has to show for himself. It is, unfortunately, also sexy. After all these weeks, the bar is low.
- He's sure he used to know quite a lot of words, in more than one language, in fact, but he can't seem to recall any of them.
- Exploring your sexuality: healthy, but does it have to be with the prince of England?
- Thinking about history makes me wonder how I'll fit into it one day, I guess. And you too.
- I used to think, if I pictured the person I wanted to be and took all the crazy anxiety in my brain and narrowed it down to that point, I could rewrite it. Use it to power something else. It's like I never learned how to just be where I am.
- "Nora, what's the math?" June says, rounding on her, a slightly frantic look in her eyes. "I majored in nouns."
Moderate: Cursing, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Outing
Minor: Emotional abuse, Racism, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
ophycore'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
4.0
Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Cancer, Cursing, Drug abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Death of parent, Outing, Alcohol, and Classism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail