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jem_carstairs's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
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? No
5.0
Made me cry many times, highly reccommend :)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Grief, and Death of parent
in_the_loop_about_books's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
2/5 ⭐⭐ Missed Opportunity
Show Us Who You Are centers around 12-year-old Cora Byers, who is autistic. She quickly befriends a boy named Adrien, who has ADHD. Cora also becomes captivated by Pomegranate Institute, a company that uses holograms to recreate real people, allowing them to live forever as AI counterparts. But as Cora digs deeper, she discovers that Pomegranate is hiding a lot of secrets.
When I heard that Elle McNicoll, the author of A Kind of Spark, wrote another book, I was intrigued to see how this story would unfold and set the standard for future neurodivergent representation in literature. But this book was a disappointment. Let's go over the pros, cons, and autistic representation.
Pros: One of the only things that I can say that I liked about this book is Adrien’s character. He had more personality than Cora did, which is not a good thing because she’s supposed to be the main protagonist! The other thing that I liked about this book was the themes and messages in it. It’s nice to see a book that positively reflects autism and neurodiversity, but in a sense, the messages feel a bit forced. Despite the title of this book being Show Us Who You Are, it does more TELLING than SHOWING, which brings me to some of my problems with this book.
Cons: There were a lot of things that bothered me about this book. One of them is how it's not very descriptive. The writing is very matter-of-fact, but it's not very artful; because of this, scenes that are supposed to be emotional fall flat. So I'm not only having difficulty visualizing what's happening in the story, but I don't have any emotional investment with the characters either. In the first chapter, the book mentioned how Cora didn't like bright lights and loud noises. However, it doesn't describe what those sensory sensations feel like for Cora. All we know is that she doesn't like them. That's it.
Speaking of Cora, she was an underdeveloped character. We don't know much about her, except that her special interest is in journalism. (That only got brought up about two or three times in the book) Cora also had a very "meh" attitude at the beginning of the book. But at the end of the book, her character does a 180, and now being proud of being autistic becomes her personality. The story insists that Cora is "different," yet there aren't many scenes showcasing that.
The last point I'll bring up here is the story's pacing. Some chapters feel like they go on for way too long, while others go by too quickly. The book felt like such a chore to read through, and the worst part was that it wasn't even enjoyable. Some of my other gripes with this book lie in the autistic representation.
The Representation: As an autistic person, I looked forward to seeing how Cora's portrayal would've been handled, considering how wonderful A Kind of Spark was. But this was such a letdown. As I've mentioned earlier, Cora's character was underdeveloped. She seemed to be disinterested and indifferent about everything. (Yes, that includes things that are supposed to be her “special interest”) The only thing she DID care about was learning more about Pomegranate in the book.
One thing that makes her portrayal particularly disappointing is that it had an opportunity to touch upon a lot of interesting topics. Cora not only got diagnosed late, but her mom also died afterward. Cora’s family also didn’t talk about her being autistic very much. The book could’ve explored an interesting dynamic between Cora and her family, but it didn’t delve into it at all. It doesn’t say WHY Cora’s family shies away from talking about her autism. It just tells us that her family never mentions it. Based on the way the book talks about Cora’s mom (Or how it doesn’t talk about her), we don’t even feel sadness for the fact she was gone.
A Kind of Spark was so much better than Show Us Who You Are was. Addie’s book was like fillet mignon, while Cora’s book was more like steak that wasn’t seasoned. The story and character development just felt so empty compared to A Kind of Spark, and considering how the same author wrote this book, that only makes it even more of a letdown. Let’s move on to the conclusion, shall we?
Conclusion: Overall, Show Us Who You Are was one of the books of all time. The writing was mediocre, the character development was lackluster, the themes and messages felt forced, and it was just a huge disappointment. If you liked A Kind of Spark, you’re probably not going to like this book. The sad thing is that this book could’ve been phenomenal, but it didn’t do it for me. Please consider reading A Kind of Spark instead.
Thank you for reading, and God bless!
Show Us Who You Are centers around 12-year-old Cora Byers, who is autistic. She quickly befriends a boy named Adrien, who has ADHD. Cora also becomes captivated by Pomegranate Institute, a company that uses holograms to recreate real people, allowing them to live forever as AI counterparts. But as Cora digs deeper, she discovers that Pomegranate is hiding a lot of secrets.
When I heard that Elle McNicoll, the author of A Kind of Spark, wrote another book, I was intrigued to see how this story would unfold and set the standard for future neurodivergent representation in literature. But this book was a disappointment. Let's go over the pros, cons, and autistic representation.
Pros: One of the only things that I can say that I liked about this book is Adrien’s character. He had more personality than Cora did, which is not a good thing because she’s supposed to be the main protagonist! The other thing that I liked about this book was the themes and messages in it. It’s nice to see a book that positively reflects autism and neurodiversity, but in a sense, the messages feel a bit forced. Despite the title of this book being Show Us Who You Are, it does more TELLING than SHOWING, which brings me to some of my problems with this book.
Cons: There were a lot of things that bothered me about this book. One of them is how it's not very descriptive. The writing is very matter-of-fact, but it's not very artful; because of this, scenes that are supposed to be emotional fall flat. So I'm not only having difficulty visualizing what's happening in the story, but I don't have any emotional investment with the characters either. In the first chapter, the book mentioned how Cora didn't like bright lights and loud noises. However, it doesn't describe what those sensory sensations feel like for Cora. All we know is that she doesn't like them. That's it.
Speaking of Cora, she was an underdeveloped character. We don't know much about her, except that her special interest is in journalism. (That only got brought up about two or three times in the book) Cora also had a very "meh" attitude at the beginning of the book. But at the end of the book, her character does a 180, and now being proud of being autistic becomes her personality. The story insists that Cora is "different," yet there aren't many scenes showcasing that.
The last point I'll bring up here is the story's pacing. Some chapters feel like they go on for way too long, while others go by too quickly. The book felt like such a chore to read through, and the worst part was that it wasn't even enjoyable. Some of my other gripes with this book lie in the autistic representation.
The Representation: As an autistic person, I looked forward to seeing how Cora's portrayal would've been handled, considering how wonderful A Kind of Spark was. But this was such a letdown. As I've mentioned earlier, Cora's character was underdeveloped. She seemed to be disinterested and indifferent about everything. (Yes, that includes things that are supposed to be her “special interest”) The only thing she DID care about was learning more about Pomegranate in the book.
One thing that makes her portrayal particularly disappointing is that it had an opportunity to touch upon a lot of interesting topics. Cora not only got diagnosed late, but her mom also died afterward. Cora’s family also didn’t talk about her being autistic very much. The book could’ve explored an interesting dynamic between Cora and her family, but it didn’t delve into it at all. It doesn’t say WHY Cora’s family shies away from talking about her autism. It just tells us that her family never mentions it. Based on the way the book talks about Cora’s mom (Or how it doesn’t talk about her), we don’t even feel sadness for the fact she was gone.
A Kind of Spark was so much better than Show Us Who You Are was. Addie’s book was like fillet mignon, while Cora’s book was more like steak that wasn’t seasoned. The story and character development just felt so empty compared to A Kind of Spark, and considering how the same author wrote this book, that only makes it even more of a letdown. Let’s move on to the conclusion, shall we?
Conclusion: Overall, Show Us Who You Are was one of the books of all time. The writing was mediocre, the character development was lackluster, the themes and messages felt forced, and it was just a huge disappointment. If you liked A Kind of Spark, you’re probably not going to like this book. The sad thing is that this book could’ve been phenomenal, but it didn’t do it for me. Please consider reading A Kind of Spark instead.
Thank you for reading, and God bless!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
Minor: Grief
thissuitbyrnesbetter's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
lettuce_read's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Bullying and Death of parent
nanc_282's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Really enjoyed this story which tackles big themes of neurodiversity, bereavement and the ethics of AI. My favourite Elle McNicholl story so far, probably because I’m a sci-fi fan.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, and Death of parent
tea_at_mole_end's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Medical content
willowtree7's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Oh my god wow. I finished A Kind of Spark and was keen on reading more of Elles work and picked this up next. I wasn’t really sure what to expect and I didn’t read into the synopsis to know what I was in for.
not sure how much or what will end up being spoiled ahead, but using the tags for safety. At first I loved that the main character in this book was also autistic. I love seeing more autism representation in literature, especially positive.
I was not prepared for what happened to Adrien. It wasn’t like a huge out of left field moment, but I still wasn’t expecting it to happen when it did. I’m so glad he made it out okay. Even if he didn’t, Cora grew so much from his accident that I feel like she’d matured enough to better handle his passing if she needed it.
This book messed me up just as much as AKOS. Would highly recommend.
I was not prepared for what happened to Adrien. It wasn’t like a huge out of left field moment, but I still wasn’t expecting it to happen when it did. I’m so glad he made it out okay. Even if he didn’t, Cora grew so much from his accident that I feel like she’d matured enough to better handle his passing if she needed it.
This book messed me up just as much as AKOS. Would highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent
cole_louise's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism
Moderate: Death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
katiewhocanread's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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? No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent
ashylibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
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? No
4.0
This book has the potential to be something exceptional for readers.
I was hesitant about the book in the beginning because it started a bit slow for me, but the themes and values throughout the book hold true to the overarching message: Love who you are, always, no matter what.
I adored the characters of Cora and Adrian. Their friendship was special and unique and McNicoll did a great job creating depth and texture. This is one thing, if done right, that I really appreciate about middle-grade stories. The friendships can be so powerful.
I appreciate Adrian's outlook on life and the way he so unapologetically encourages and supports Cora.
Adrian's mother - love her.
And Cora, a truly strong, powerful female main character. I enjoyed her development throughout the book and feel that her character has the ability to spark inspiration among young readers.
I was hesitant about the book in the beginning because it started a bit slow for me, but the themes and values throughout the book hold true to the overarching message: Love who you are, always, no matter what.
I adored the characters of Cora and Adrian. Their friendship was special and unique and McNicoll did a great job creating depth and texture. This is one thing, if done right, that I really appreciate about middle-grade stories. The friendships can be so powerful.
I appreciate Adrian's outlook on life and the way he so unapologetically encourages and supports Cora.
Adrian's mother - love her.
And Cora, a truly strong, powerful female main character. I enjoyed her development throughout the book and feel that her character has the ability to spark inspiration among young readers.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Gaslighting
Minor: Medical content and Car accident