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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
This is a very strange book but I absolutely loved it. The writing pulls you in and there's as much in what isn't said as what is. The whole book feels like you're being dragged down and rabbit hole as things get more and more out of hand. The relationships are questionable and neglect is a heavy theme but its a fantastic book.
Wow. I feel inclined to give this book five stars despite not being able to articulate why. K. Ancrum truly captures codependency and love so well, and somehow it is comforting. August is the definition of an unreliable narrator and you find yourself falling into the trap of rooting for him, despite the wrong actions he takes. You cannot help but connect with him.
This book was so powerful and has made me think so much about how we perceive 'insanity' versus sanity.
This book was so powerful and has made me think so much about how we perceive 'insanity' versus sanity.
I was confused for the first 200 pages, but then the ending hit like a truck. The message of this book is very important. And I absolutely get the vagueness of its content, but it ended up bothering me a bit too much.
WHAT A BOOK IT TORE MY HEART INTO TWO!
“If you drop the weight you are carrying, it is okay. You can build yourself back up out of the pieces.”
I swear if you wanna harm August and Jack you'll have to go through me. They're just two precious soft boys trying to survive in a world which doesn't seem to care about them. They're just trying to be there for each other but they keep getting hurt over and over and like... my brain immediately scream PROTECT!!!!
They are so beautifully written. On one hand, we have Jack who is terrified of the hallucinations and new world he is falling into. He's terrified of being alone, more specifically of not having August by his side. And then we have August who craves control and direction and feels like he owes his would to Jack. He's looking out for both of them, even if he exhausts himself to death. Like how can you not love these two??
“But your best is not good enough sometimes.”... “Sometimes… you have to stop trying and just let someone else try their best. In order to survive.”
This book is honestly chef's kiss in terms of all the themes it manages to get across so beautifully. The author's note successfully reduced me to tears because you can clearly see how important this story is for the author and she really did an amazing job portraying two boys who had been neglected by their parents and ended up leaning on each other entirely for emotional and physical support. This book explores how friendships, no matter how strong or important, can be toxic, especially when you're so dependent on the other person.
The writing style is so smooth and beautiful and I could vividly see the world Jack was hallucinating about in front of my eyes. The pacing is absolutely perfect and the entire time I was just incredibly worried for the two boys and their future. You might find some of the themes heavy in which case you may not fly through this book like I did but either way it's just an incredible story written in the most beautiful way possible :)
Full review is available on my blog!
“If you drop the weight you are carrying, it is okay. You can build yourself back up out of the pieces.”
I swear if you wanna harm August and Jack you'll have to go through me. They're just two precious soft boys trying to survive in a world which doesn't seem to care about them. They're just trying to be there for each other but they keep getting hurt over and over and like... my brain immediately scream PROTECT!!!!
They are so beautifully written. On one hand, we have Jack who is terrified of the hallucinations and new world he is falling into. He's terrified of being alone, more specifically of not having August by his side. And then we have August who craves control and direction and feels like he owes his would to Jack. He's looking out for both of them, even if he exhausts himself to death. Like how can you not love these two??
“But your best is not good enough sometimes.”... “Sometimes… you have to stop trying and just let someone else try their best. In order to survive.”
This book is honestly chef's kiss in terms of all the themes it manages to get across so beautifully. The author's note successfully reduced me to tears because you can clearly see how important this story is for the author and she really did an amazing job portraying two boys who had been neglected by their parents and ended up leaning on each other entirely for emotional and physical support. This book explores how friendships, no matter how strong or important, can be toxic, especially when you're so dependent on the other person.
The writing style is so smooth and beautiful and I could vividly see the world Jack was hallucinating about in front of my eyes. The pacing is absolutely perfect and the entire time I was just incredibly worried for the two boys and their future. You might find some of the themes heavy in which case you may not fly through this book like I did but either way it's just an incredible story written in the most beautiful way possible :)
Full review is available on my blog!
I don't have many thoughts honestly. Almost every reaction I heard from people who have read this book was that it utterly destroyed them in some way. However, I didn't go through any of that. I can't tell if that means I'm heartless or if I'm simply that bitch 😎 lmao. I think my overwhelming reaction to the story was just stress from seeing how intense and destructive August and Jack's relationship was. I really like how K. Ancrum writes her characters. She wrote them in such a way where they feel so complex and real, but not like the main goal or priority is to try and make them likable. I'm honestly not sure if I liked any of them but I do feel like I understand most of their actions and why they reacted certain why. Also upon reading the Note from the Author, I like that she acknowledges that August's mom is just as neglectful as Jack's parents, even though she is technically still there. There were so many moments where she or any adult could have/ should have intervened and yet they didn't. I wish we could've seen August and Jack repairing their relationship and having it grow into something healthier and balanced. I know that in her next book, August, Jack, and Rina are married which is cool and I hope their dynamic is balanced and less toxic with time and age. I don't know what else to say. This books wasn't what I thought it was going to be. I don't feel emotionally scarred but I still have a nice time and it was a quick read that I got through in one day (thank goodness for short chapters!!!) Interested to read her next book and see if I connect with it more.
(Sidenote: I absolutely love the Note from the Author at the end and I'm so ecstatic that I share the same name as her)
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
i wish i had something funny to say. diabolical even. instead i am sobbing.