Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Closer to Nowhere by Ellen Hopkins

8 reviews

bibliomich's review

emotional fast-paced

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

3.5

I remember devouring Ellen Hopkins' Crank series over a decade ago and absolutely falling in love with narratives in verse. So when I saw that Ellen Hopkins had published a new middle grade text in verse, I knew that I wanted to read it.

Closer to Nowhere was a quick, page-turning read. I felt that the overall concept was interesting, and I cared about the characters (particularly Cal). I did, however, feel that the ending was both a little anticlimactic, as well as a bit emotionally exploitative. Without adding spoilers, it felt like Ellen Hopkins included a fairly tense event at the end of the book specifically for the purpose of bringing the family together. I didn't love that...

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment

Minor: Gun violence and Toxic relationship

el_wheel's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Bullying and Cancer

kaylaannsreads's review against another edition

emotional informative sad 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Grief

greenlivingaudioworm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

maidmarianlib's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring 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

4.0

Interesting with two points of view, develops the characters well, highly emotional.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Abandonment, and Alcohol

brookey8888's review against another edition

dark emotional informative 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

4.0

I really enjoyed this. The one thing I do wish is we got to see more of Cal and Hannah together and how they mended their relationship. I liked all the tough topics talked about like abuse, addiction, gun violence, and PTSD. I do think this is a great middle grade about hard topics.   

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Violence, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Stalking, Death of parent, and Alcohol

library_kb's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is a fantastic novel in verse--one that definitely should be added to all school libraries and classroom libraries. It tells the story of Hannah and Cal. They are cousins, but Cal's mom has died of cancer and his father is estranged and so Cal moves in with Hannah and her family, which is a hard transition for the whole family for a variety of reasons, including Cal's PSTD. Both Hannah and Cal's get their own perspectives in the book, which are marked by different fonts (and voices) and so you feel for both characters and the difficulties they are going through. This is a book that will give students more understanding about others behavior and how there is always more going on under the surface that we don't see. It is a book that can encourage empathy in it's reader. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent

audreylee's review against another edition

emotional sad 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

5.0

Excellent look at two cousins and their chaotic home life. Both characters were sympathetic and interesting. Both characters were sympathetic and interesting. A look at the emotional roller coaster of PTSD. Just wonderful. It doesn't sugarcoat the home situation but neither does it feel emotionally manipulative.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse