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bookswithbrandi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? No
5.0
romi_griff's review against another edition
5.0
They say boys don’t cry but isn’t it ok to be sad when bad things happen?
What a masterpiece, I’m still crying my eyes out for the first time reading a book. It’ll stay with me for a long time.
All you can know about this book is that Finn is Joe’s brother the sweetest 12 year old I’ve read, gives the battle of his life and Joe is right there by his side.
Sometimes bad things happen, sometimes no matter how much you fight you can’t win, and sometimes you just make the wrong choices.
If you want to feel that your heart is being squeezed, go ahead and dive in, you’ll feel the pain, as it was ever rarely so well written.
What a masterpiece, I’m still crying my eyes out for the first time reading a book. It’ll stay with me for a long time.
All you can know about this book is that Finn is Joe’s brother the sweetest 12 year old I’ve read, gives the battle of his life and Joe is right there by his side.
Sometimes bad things happen, sometimes no matter how much you fight you can’t win, and sometimes you just make the wrong choices.
If you want to feel that your heart is being squeezed, go ahead and dive in, you’ll feel the pain, as it was ever rarely so well written.
agirlandabook85's review against another edition
4.0
Beware this book will break your heart. It may be titled Boy’s Don’t Cry but this 37 year old lady certainly shed some tears.
Set in Dublin, Ireland this tells the story of two brothers Joe and Finn. A beautifully written story of brotherly love within a family ravaged by gangland crime.
It’s a brilliantly compassionate study of masculinity against a harsh backdrop of poverty, societal expectations and limited choices.
The dual narrative told also from different timelines worked really well in building the emotional connection. You know what is going to happen early on in the book the mystery lies not in what happens to these boys but in how it happens and the subsequent impacts. Those last few chapters as the two boys stories start to wrap up were some of the most emotive I have ever read.
Scarlett writes with such authenticity, compassion and empathy. The characters, the relationships, the emotional all feel real. Finn in particular is one of those special characters you hold in heart once you’ve read their story. Joining the likes of Shuggie and Jude those beautifully crafted souls that exist only on paper but break your heart nonetheless.
Strong recommendation from me, If this is her debut I’m eagerly awaiting what she writes next.
zoee_clarkee's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
alicemc25's review against another edition
4.0
A great book to read if you need a good cry. Two brothers growing up in working-class Dublin, lots of love, a whole lotta sadness.
hatseflats's review against another edition
5.0
If this is Fíona Scarlett's debut effort, I can't wait to see what she will write next. This was written with such authentic and raw emotion that it was impossible to not be moved. What is it about the Irish and their ability to make one cry? Not wanting to give anything away, but the story focuses on two modern-day Dublin brothers living in a council tower flat. Joe is 17, and Finn is 12. The story is divided evenly between them with the writer titling alternating chapters 'Joe' and 'Finn'. I thought it was very clever how the author also alternated the time of the story between past and present as divided between the two characters with Finn's story being in the past and Joe's in the present. If you enjoy a good two hanky read, you'll get your Irish linen's worth of tears out of this one!
wild_wide_world's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
grainneog44's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0