Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything

Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans

9 reviews

pandorasxbox's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny 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

5.0

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jacemchale's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

When I finished this book I did "clutch it to [my] chest and think... finally, a book for the anxious queers with a sense of humor" and I loved every second of this book. I especially think that if I had found this book when I was closer to Bianca's age it would've hit even closer to home.
Bianca Torre is afraid of everything, and there's nothing more relatable. We never stop being afraid of everything, it's about continuing on despite the circumstances, and this book manages to impart that message while also being hilarious. This book is great for a range of ages, and queer fearful adults can also get a lot catharsis out of this book.
The humor, the topics (birds, theatre, anime, lesbian sheep, etc), the mystery, are all so engaging.

I'm really overjoyed that I found this book that my library recommended in a "blind date with a book" as having "a surprising amount of birds". There was a surprising amount of birds, but also it brought me a lot of unexpected joy to read something like this.
This book found the right reader ❤️

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cleot's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense 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

3.75

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aceofknives's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious 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

5.0

Super cute YA story of nonbinary discovery set against a murderous brid cult mystery. Friendship, found family, and acceptance.

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tbd24's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny lighthearted mysterious tense 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

loved this book! funny, surprisingly dark, very realistic. I have not yet read a YA coming out book that is also about other things that doesn’t sound clunky and shoehorned and like the author is afraid of getting cancelled lmao but this book pulls it off! Bianca is a very believable teenager with severe anxiety and on their way to personal self discovery when they witness a murder and are forced to do something about it. I literally laughed out loud at a handful of lines, and call me crazy but i was so delighted when Bianca and Anderson just skip school and smoke weed. We need more teen books about teens who act like teens. Anyway, yes, big fan, I found this book purely through happenstance and I loved every second of it

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gxbi's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny lighthearted mysterious 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? It's complicated

5.0

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emily_mh's review against another edition

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hopeful mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Unfortunately I wasn’t super engaged or captivated by this one because of the writing style. The author treats the reader as if they can’t think for themselves; for example, they’ll over-explain a joke, include unnecessary commentary, etc. It just felt too clumsy. Because of the writing style, the overall book was so bloated. Scenes went on for too long and there were scenes that didn’t need to be there at all. It could have been way more investigation-focussed.

The character development in the MC Bianca was well done, however. The anxiety rep was thorough and it was cool seeing them facing their fears. I also liked seeing them build up their little social spider web of support - very sweet. I do wish Anderson had been given more of an arc; there was room for it regarding his shame around anime but this didn’t go anywhere meaningful.

I thought the romance was cute! It really encapsulated the shyness of young love, and didn’t distract from the story which was appreciated. I also loved how many times the word lesbian was used.

But despite these positives, it always came back to the writing style which I never clicked with.

Rep: lesbian nonbinary MC w anxiety, pansexual Chinese-American LI, queer Black SC, Black trans SC, Black bisexual nonbinary minor character

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shelvesofivy's review against another edition

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funny hopeful mysterious 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

I think I'm obsessed.
Bianca had me laughing out loud from the very first page, crying happy tears a few times in the middle, and laughing some more all throughout.
As for the mystery aspect, I definitely predicted the main big bads, but it never retracted from the experience. There was just the right balance of danger and goofiness.
The characters are where it shines though!! Bianca is an incredible pov character, from their humor, to their love for the people around them, to their very real fears, and to overcoming them while still being afraid ♡
I'm a self-proclaimed crybaby with books, and the moments of friendship and found family had me in tears ♡

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bookcheshirecat's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

“Perhaps the real murder investigation is the friends we make along the way.”

I loved Bianca as a protagonist so much! I really related to their list of fears and their anxiety around most situations. I had a feeling I’d love the book for this reason and I was right 💗 Bianca is a nonbinary, introverted teen birder who prefers to watch people out of her bedroom window. They know how creepy that might seem, but often it’s easier than having to interact with anyone personally. One evening they witness their neighbor “Mr. Conspiracy” get murdered … and it seems like he was asking for help. The police rule it a suicide and (predictably) dismiss Bianca’s testimony. Bianca has so many fears, but cannot help but try to solve the murder and get justice for Mr. Conspiracy.

I loved how they had to tackle their fears during the investigation, but it’s still clear in the end that it didn’t magically ‘cure’ them. I wish therapy had been brought up for Bianca, but I still liked how their fears were addressed – the end has the full list they reference throughout the book! Another thing Bianca deals with is discovering that they’re a nonbinary lesbian. They don’t feel comfortable being addressed with “she/her” pronouns but struggle to correct others and come out. I liked the discussions around their gender identity and coming of age, especially as Bianca was still figuring things out!

The premise of this Mystery/Thriller was SO good and entertaining. I loved the idea of an anxious, introverted teen being the only witness to a murder and the only person able to get justice for them. Bianca is not the typical hero you’d imagine to lead a murder investigation, which made this book so much better and fun to follow! I listened to the audiobook and was always excited to get back to it because I wanted to know what happened next! There were some darker themes as well, as Bianca and their new friends get in danger during their investigation. Between attacks and being stalked, it becomes clear that someone doesn’t want to find out the truth about Mr. Conspiracy’s death and the organisation he was investigating. I have to admit that some elements of the mystery were pretty predictable for me, but I still liked the suspense and sense of danger!

“Apparently I’m taking be gay do crime too far.”

The secondary cast was the best!! Bianca doesn’t really have friends but finds themselves opening up to others for the first time. Anderson is their neighbor and kind of friend – both of them hang out only outside of school as they love anime! He’s more popular, but a kind, funny guy who agrees to join Bianca in the investigation. I loved their friendship so much and how it deepened throughout the book! In the end, they became real friends and grew so much closer together. Anderson has a brother who’s trans and it was so great to see Ronan and Bianca talk about their gender identities. Ronan has been out for a while and just gets Bianca’s situation, so he can offer advice and encouragement! Then there’s Bianca’s crush Elaine! She’s the only other teenager in their birding group and Bianca has been pining after her for ages. Elaine later decides to help them out and makes clear that she likes Bianca, even if they are awkward and introverted! Their budding romance was cute and I felt for Bianca’s uncertainty toward Elaine.

“I’m both tearing up and smiling. A laugh escapes me. It’s so silly. I feel like I’m meeting myself for the first time.”

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