Scan barcode
boonana's review against another edition
3.0
I don't know if I liked this book. I didn't like how hung up Ozzie was on Tommy. He missed out on his friends because of how hung up he was. I liked the realness of the works Hutchinson built, but it all vanished when it turned out to not even be real. I'm not happy with the end but I guess there needed to be an explanation for the shrinking of the universe. The world building was so well done, though, that sometimes I felt as if my universe was shrinking and it was only me left reading this novel.
julianareiner1's review against another edition
4.0
Shaun David Hutchinson uses physics and outer space and the universe as a metaphor in his books in such a beautiful way. Something very interesting about his writing is that he gives closure without giving answers. He gives us an ending to the book while leaving a lot up to the reader to decide, and I am caught between wanting more information and being satisfied with what he’s provided. I was surprised by how fast I zipped through this book. It is so similar to his other book We Are The Ants, yet so diff
hunterduseau's review against another edition
5.0
[clenches fist] the cave allegory has never been so gut-wrenchingly beautiful
kschukar's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-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
ciuli's review against another edition
4.0
TW: mentions and depictions of self-harm, rape, domestic abuse, depression.
(I wanted to put it out there first, because these are recurring themes throughout the book and they get described explicitly)
This is the second book I read by Hutchinson and what I understood so far is that none of his books are a walk in the park. They all start as a sort of dreamy, lovely coming-of-age story, but at some point this atmosphere shift into something deeper and darker which leaves you with a bittersweet feeling at the end. I loved the diversification of the characters: we have a gay main character, a genderfluid character, an asexual character and two bisexual characters. I loved the fact that until the end of the book I couldn't tell what was real and what was not, because while I was reading it I was afraid that at some point the plot would become obvious and we'd be able to understand what was going on halfway through, but this wasn't the case!
I really liked this book (and I will probably read "we are the ants" too at some point) but just know that if you're looking for a cute love story, with cheesy lines and all that stuff, you might want to pick another book, just saying!
.
(I wanted to put it out there first, because these are recurring themes throughout the book and they get described explicitly)
This is the second book I read by Hutchinson and what I understood so far is that none of his books are a walk in the park. They all start as a sort of dreamy, lovely coming-of-age story, but at some point this atmosphere shift into something deeper and darker which leaves you with a bittersweet feeling at the end. I loved the diversification of the characters: we have a gay main character, a genderfluid character, an asexual character and two bisexual characters. I loved the fact that until the end of the book I couldn't tell what was real and what was not, because while I was reading it I was afraid that at some point the plot would become obvious and we'd be able to understand what was going on halfway through, but this wasn't the case!
I really liked this book (and I will probably read "we are the ants" too at some point) but just know that if you're looking for a cute love story, with cheesy lines and all that stuff, you might want to pick another book, just saying!
.
bettielovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
I have no words to describe this books, it made me feel so much, love, despair, anxiety, sadness, hope. The things the characters went through I wouldn’t wish on anyone, and all written and such a beautiful and imaginative way.
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
You know how, when you read a high fantasy, you start off confused because you don't know the world yet and then slowly, as you read, you find out more and more stuff and by the end, you familiar with everything (given that the book you're reading doesn't suck). Well, imagine that scenario, but the opposite.
Going into the novel, I though I had a fair idea of what I was getting myself into, a YA contemporary with featured a protagonist with a mental illness. After finishing, my reaction is on the lines of 'What just happened?'.
The author left a lot for the reader to speculate and while a part of me likes that, I have so many questions. But synopsis first: The protagonist is Ozzie and his boyfriend has disappeared. Like, not run away or gone missing, but erased from existence. No one remembers him and all traces that there was ever a guy names Tommy have vanished. But Ozzie remembers him and he's determined to find him. Even if everyone thinks he's delusional and the universe is rapidly shrinking.
Yes, you read correctly. The universe is shrinking. At least according to Ozzie it is. But that's not something I'm going to talk about. Just go with it, okay? This is a really good book with an increasingly intriguing plot. Of course, some might be bothered by the open-ended-ness of it and if you're one of those people who like their fiction to be more concrete, I'd suggest avoiding this one. But if you like strange stuff, this is a good choice. Still, I wanna know at least one thing because I do kinda like concrete stuff.
It's about Cal and Trent. Cal is the guy Ozzie teams up with to find his boyfriend and starts to like, despite not wanting to like him. Trent is a major douche. What I wanna know is what happened between the two of them. There's history there and I there were hints that stuff happened, but I don't know and it's bothering me.
And I'm sorry to those who haven't read the book to whom the above paragraph probably didn't make sense. I just have questions. And, before I turn the review into even more of a mess than it already feels like, let's talk characters.
We have Ozzie. Sarcastic, resilient Ozzie who can be a little self-absorbed but still cares deeply and is quite likable. We have Cal who is kind of broken. There's Trent the douchebag and two of Ozzie's friends, one of whom, Lua, is especially interesting. We also explore Ozzie's relationship with his parents, who are getting a divorce, and his brother, who's joining the army. Then, of course, there's Tommy, the maybe-imaginary boyfriend. We get chapters of moments that Ozzie remembers between himself and Tommy. Safe to say, there are a lot of people in Ozzie's complicated life and they're all balanced really well.
Also, this isn't a short book, but it doesn't feel long because it pulls you in. There are many unexpected turns. You could even say that all the turns are unexpected. It's really interesting, seeing what's going on and trying to guess what will happen next.
Overall, I've already told you to whom I'd recommend the book. It's a really good one and definitely worth checking out.
You know how, when you read a high fantasy, you start off confused because you don't know the world yet and then slowly, as you read, you find out more and more stuff and by the end, you familiar with everything (given that the book you're reading doesn't suck). Well, imagine that scenario, but the opposite.
Going into the novel, I though I had a fair idea of what I was getting myself into, a YA contemporary with featured a protagonist with a mental illness. After finishing, my reaction is on the lines of 'What just happened?'.
The author left a lot for the reader to speculate and while a part of me likes that, I have so many questions. But synopsis first: The protagonist is Ozzie and his boyfriend has disappeared. Like, not run away or gone missing, but erased from existence. No one remembers him and all traces that there was ever a guy names Tommy have vanished. But Ozzie remembers him and he's determined to find him. Even if everyone thinks he's delusional and the universe is rapidly shrinking.
Yes, you read correctly. The universe is shrinking. At least according to Ozzie it is. But that's not something I'm going to talk about. Just go with it, okay? This is a really good book with an increasingly intriguing plot. Of course, some might be bothered by the open-ended-ness of it and if you're one of those people who like their fiction to be more concrete, I'd suggest avoiding this one. But if you like strange stuff, this is a good choice. Still, I wanna know at least one thing because I do kinda like concrete stuff.
It's about Cal and Trent. Cal is the guy Ozzie teams up with to find his boyfriend and starts to like, despite not wanting to like him. Trent is a major douche. What I wanna know is what happened between the two of them. There's history there and I there were hints that stuff happened, but I don't know and it's bothering me.
And I'm sorry to those who haven't read the book to whom the above paragraph probably didn't make sense. I just have questions. And, before I turn the review into even more of a mess than it already feels like, let's talk characters.
We have Ozzie. Sarcastic, resilient Ozzie who can be a little self-absorbed but still cares deeply and is quite likable. We have Cal who is kind of broken. There's Trent the douchebag and two of Ozzie's friends, one of whom, Lua, is especially interesting. We also explore Ozzie's relationship with his parents, who are getting a divorce, and his brother, who's joining the army. Then, of course, there's Tommy, the maybe-imaginary boyfriend. We get chapters of moments that Ozzie remembers between himself and Tommy. Safe to say, there are a lot of people in Ozzie's complicated life and they're all balanced really well.
Also, this isn't a short book, but it doesn't feel long because it pulls you in. There are many unexpected turns. You could even say that all the turns are unexpected. It's really interesting, seeing what's going on and trying to guess what will happen next.
Overall, I've already told you to whom I'd recommend the book. It's a really good one and definitely worth checking out.
akookieforyou's review against another edition
4.0
"The funny thing is,' Calvin said, 'I thought I'd been breathing underwater this whole time, but I guess I've been drowning."
This books, in my opinion, isn't as good as We Are The Ants, but I still really liked it. It has a really interesting premise, and some really unique and different characters. I just didn't connect with this story the same way I had with the other one.
This books, in my opinion, isn't as good as We Are The Ants, but I still really liked it. It has a really interesting premise,
Spoiler
though a rather disappointing, and lackluster endingmilana2005's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Admittedly, it has been years since I’ve read this book, but I still feel strongly for it. Shaun David Hutchinson was the first author to make me fall in love with reading, this was the first book I reread.
jazz1e_01's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely love this book! This is without a shadow of a doubt my favorite book of all time!! I loved everything about the characters and their personalities,personal struggles and developments.
The structure of the chapter titles is gorgeously illustrated. As the numbers get so much smaller you can really tell when the panic starts to make decisions for mmc that change relationships they have within the universe.
I cannot recommend this book more! If you are looking for a little bit unrequited love - friends to lovers to friends. Lots of strong and emotionally intelligent queer characters, while there also being the queer characters that a still working out what is happening within the own heads.
There is a handful of trigger in this story that i cannot remember all of them, so read at your own risk.
The structure of the chapter titles is gorgeously illustrated. As the numbers get so much smaller you can really tell when the panic starts to make decisions for mmc that change relationships they have within the universe.
I cannot recommend this book more! If you are looking for a little bit unrequited love - friends to lovers to friends. Lots of strong and emotionally intelligent queer characters, while there also being the queer characters that a still working out what is happening within the own heads.
There is a handful of trigger in this story that i cannot remember all of them, so read at your own risk.