Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Suicide Notes

would not recommend.

while suicide notes does a decent job at getting inside the head of a struggling teenager who is admitted to an inpatient hospital after a suicide attempt, there are many noteworthy issues that need to be addressed. as someone who is a mental health professional & works with children/teens who are inpatient, it's very easy to spot the (many many MANY) inaccuracies in the mental health treatment described in the book, as well as the (again, many many MANY) inaccuracies regarding the inpatient facility in which the characters reside. i had multiple problems with this book & the the way the mental health treatment was handled; one problem being the death of a certain character who is also at the facility. however, the rating most definitely dropped due to the multiple overlooked and unacknowledged sexual assault scenes that happened between the main character and another patient in the clinic. these scenes were repetitive, completely non consensual, and unfortunately also used as a device for character growth & queer self-acceptance. the way all of these scenes were overlooked with absolutely no acknowledgment to the fact that they were assault is inexcusable.

books focused on mental health especially books geared towards middle aged & young adults, are so SO beyond important for kids to have access to, however books such as this have the potential to be incredibly dangerous for young and impressionable readers.

if you're searching for a book focused on a queer character or mental health, i would not recommend this book.

Content Warnings

gurkanwal27's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book is fooking depressing and i love it. The way it talks about so many depressing stuff but still manages to crack you up at every single page is beyond me.
This book can be a *little* triggering but i think because of the humour that its wrapped in sorts of make it light-hearted, not exactly light hearted but easy to read.

Content Warnings

mrmarshall591's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I was conflicted on what to think if this book as although I thoroughly enjoyed the story and was captivated throughout, I was shocked at how for a book recomendad for 14 years and up, how many of the darkest topics were suddenly introduced in the book (I recommend looking at StoryGraph’s content warnings if you want to be prepared for anything specific.

As with Thirteen Reasons Why, I know many would say this book glorifies suicide, but I think the language used that talks about why people felt the need to attempt to tale their own life and the specific thoughts that went through their head (which often are ones of peace, and yearning) are critical to being realistic and helping people connect with the characters. People who experience mental illness and suicidal ideation do not get to sugarcoat their thoughts and feelings and often don’t realize they are not alone, so I applaud the raw emotion and deep dive into the suicidal mind. That being said, I really think there should be a forward to this book that addresses what readers will witness in the book, in a way that promotes safe messaging around suicide. And I do agree it may be detrimental if someone DOES NOT finish the book as some individual moments in fact would be read as glorifying suicide but again, it is all part of being authentic in portraying the characters experiences.

The only thing I truly did cringe at was some of the unaddressed ableism, such as with the use of the “r” word which I know in 2008 was more widely thrown around but that does not make it any less gross.

Anyway, I think this book takes a bold approach towards addressing very realistic but stigmatized experiences, that while being written with a lot of dark humor, involves a wide range of the strongest and most powerful emotions. There are horrible things that happen but also things that made me so hopeful and glad. I did love the book but also was unsettled by it and uncomfortable… but that was what I needed to feel. I just really need to stress the importance of knowing where you’re at mentally and emotionally when reading this book and checking content warnings if needed.

Content Warnings

samg01's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

Content Warnings

suzyh5317's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective fast-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

3.0

Content Warnings

grave_liminal's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

I rated this book a 1/5 for quite a few reasons. The biggest reason being the sexual assault descriptions that occurred within the book, that is never addressed or called out as sexual assault. The offender is also never punished for the offenses and the book almost glorifies and sexualizes the assaults.

Writing about a minor discovering their sexuality based on “not hating” the sexual assault he experiences, that he would have realistically been traumatized from, is beyond distasteful.

This book also brings up the question of who has the right to write about certain topics. I find it incredibly harmful to write a book of this manor while having minimal experience with suicide, self harm, sexual assault, or psychological wards. As someone who’s experienced most of the content in the book, the character’s experiences and reactions were unrealistic and far from relatable. Also reading the words “cat poop” every 2 pages gets extremely old.

Content Warnings

ecravens's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective sad slow-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

3.75

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