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clhtdr's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Racism
Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Violence, Suicide, Classism, and Abortion
eveattwood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Things I enjoyed about this book:
- The concept is the most interesting part about this book, reversing the racism & discrimination black people have experienced, and instead envisioning them as the ones with the most power & influence in society. This means white characters or 'noughts' become the people who are looked down upon, or have historically been discriminated against. I think this would definitely be a good resource for teaching kids/teens about racism & the importance of listening to other peoples' experiences & showing them empathy
- I think the portrayal of how trauma, stress & constant racism affects Callum is done well & how this impacts him/his decisions later in the book
Things I didn't love about this book/could be improved:
- I know this is a YA book so it is targeted for a younger audience, but the writing of this book often felt v childish to the point that it took me out of the story or made me cringe. The povs were so hard to get fully invested in as the characters often came out with such strange phrases
- There's a lot of telling & not showing in this book, particularly in the first 2/3s. We hear a lot from Callum & Sephy about how they feel or things that happened, but not always in the moment. A lot of it feels v summarised
- The relationship as a whole just fell pretty flat for me. I feel like there wasn't enough build up or flashbacks shown to show how close they were or why they liked each other
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide
reggiereading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
he's 15, she's 13/14.
(timeskip)
he's 19, she's 17.
i have no doubt that they do care about each other and their relationship is real but i just cringe when i think about it.
Graphic: Vomit, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Bullying, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Hate crime, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Death, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Blood, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Rape, and Suicide
amylovesbooksandyarn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I listened to this on audio and it took me a while to get into in the younger years but as the characters got older it really started to enhance the story.
This is a YA book but it covers some very serious topics, the justice system, social inequality, racism, suicide, the death penalty to name a few.
The story is told from both Sephie and Callums perspective and we get their thoughts and emotions. The inner monologue is always something you can have in books but not as easily in TV format so this does create a more emotive read rather than watch.
There were bits I didn't see coming which is always great in a read. I would definitely get the next in the series
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Death, Suicide, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Rape
ellie_a05's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Racism, Suicide, Death, and Hate crime
taleofabibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Abortion, Bullying, Suicide, Death, Suicide attempt, Alcoholism, Hate crime, Alcohol, Kidnapping, Racism, Confinement, and Violence
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
bloodmaarked's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
✧ full review on my tumblr ✧
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Kidnapping, Racism, Classism, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Abortion, Pregnancy, Rape, Violence, Gun violence, Mental illness, Alcohol, Bullying, Sexual assault, Suicide, Child abuse, Grief, and Police brutality
Minor: Cursing, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, Blood, and Colonisation
milele23's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Suicide, and Hate crime
peepder's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Xenophobia, Racism, Violence, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Religious bigotry, Hate crime, and Confinement
Minor: Abortion
keelan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Abortion, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Genocide, Gun violence, and Hate crime