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abby3890's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Biphobia
itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Man, this was a huge disappointment. I went into this thinking it was going to be a new favorite based on just the description alone, but sadly I was wrong. :(
The plot was pretty unmemorable to me if I'm being completely honest. It wasn't bad by any means, but I just didn't feel invested in it at all. I didn't really buy into the romance between Ollie and Will and I also didn't really connect with any of the subplots (i.e. Ollie's aunt being sick, Lara's unrequited love, etc.) I left this book feeling very "meh." I have to say though, I REALLY DID NOT LIKE THE ENDING (and I'm still shaking my head at it).
The characters were also... meh. I LOVE how Sophie Gonzales did a bit of a "Grease" re-imagining and you could definitely tell who was supposed to represent who in terms of the main characters, but ultimately that's what it felt like. I didn't think any of these characters brought anything "new" to the table. I loved how this cast of characters was WAY more diverse, but I couldn't really tell you anything about them beyond that. I know Will was a jock and Ollie was a musician but that's about it. It all felt very surface-level.
Maybe my expectations were just too high? If this book is on your radar I would still give it a shot, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it over others in the genre.
The plot was pretty unmemorable to me if I'm being completely honest. It wasn't bad by any means, but I just didn't feel invested in it at all. I didn't really buy into the romance between Ollie and Will and I also didn't really connect with any of the subplots (i.e. Ollie's aunt being sick, Lara's unrequited love, etc.) I left this book feeling very "meh." I have to say though, I REALLY DID NOT LIKE THE ENDING (and I'm still shaking my head at it).
The characters were also... meh. I LOVE how Sophie Gonzales did a bit of a "Grease" re-imagining and you could definitely tell who was supposed to represent who in terms of the main characters, but ultimately that's what it felt like. I didn't think any of these characters brought anything "new" to the table. I loved how this cast of characters was WAY more diverse, but I couldn't really tell you anything about them beyond that. I know Will was a jock and Ollie was a musician but that's about it. It all felt very surface-level.
Maybe my expectations were just too high? If this book is on your radar I would still give it a shot, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it over others in the genre.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Death
fanboyriot's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This is such a lovely read. I really enjoyed this book and all the characters it had to offer. The romance wasn’t overly angsty and the ending was super cute. It was a bit of a slow burn seeing only parts of there summer together mixed in with current day.
Not to say the character development wasn't strong for all the characters but it was especially strong for Will. Seeing him accept himself and not caring so much about what other’s want of him or what they expect of him—instead he took his own path.
There were still sad moments and a side character death that absolutely is devastating.
Lara is easily a favorite; naturally I hated her at first but she won me over. As long as you're on Lara's side you'll be fine. Out of all the friendships in this book Lara and Oliver are hands down my favorite. They had a bit of a rough start but when they teamed up they were basically unstoppable.
Hurt/Comfort
Happy Ending
Amazing Humor
Slow Burn (Kinda)
Great Friendships
Not to say the character development wasn't strong for all the characters but it was especially strong for Will. Seeing him accept himself and not caring so much about what other’s want of him or what they expect of him—instead he took his own path.
There were still sad moments and a side character death that absolutely is devastating.
Lara is easily a favorite; naturally I hated her at first but she won me over. As long as you're on Lara's side you'll be fine. Out of all the friendships in this book Lara and Oliver are hands down my favorite. They had a bit of a rough start but when they teamed up they were basically unstoppable.
Hurt/Comfort
Happy Ending
Amazing Humor
Slow Burn (Kinda)
Great Friendships
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Gaslighting, Biphobia, Fatphobia, and Lesbophobia
odetojersey's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Death
inkweed's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Fatphobia, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, and Death
paperbrownies's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
- lgbtqiap+, ya, contemporary, romance, boys in love (, pining, i love this book more than you know, sarcastic mc, bff i'd like to steal (definitely talking about lara here), favourite protagonist
- m|m
- gay mc, bi love interest, bi sc
this is my second sophie gonzales book and am happy to share that she does not disappoint
(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ bc i enjoyed every moment i spent reading this book!!
ollie is such a fun protagonist, he is snarky, making the pun-fect jokes that made me cackle at the most inappropriate times. he easily became one of my favourite characters the moment we met!!!
what can i say, am a simple person who loves a 'self-deprecating' mc with 'deadpan humour' 😂 i love ollie, can you tell? also the asshole with a heart of gold? yep, she grew on me as well!! 😌
i thought the characters were enjoyable and am glad that sophie did not let that shy her away from calling them out on their biases, it's honestly amazing to see characters realise their mistakes and learn to do better; the author talked about many serious topics with much care and sensitivity without letting things get too heavy. all in all, i would 110% recommend this book!! (っ´ω`)ﾉ
omd was such a fun and might i add adorable book to read that definitely gets full points for making me go blurry eyed, am very sad now that it's over but please let this be my official plea to sophie to write a novella one day where future will and ollie get married!!! (ﾉT_T )ノ
cw: homophobia (called out), biphobia (called out), fatphobia (called out), family member with terminal illness, cancer, death of loved one, body shaming.
- m|m
- gay mc, bi love interest, bi sc
this is my second sophie gonzales book and am happy to share that she does not disappoint
(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ bc i enjoyed every moment i spent reading this book!!
ollie is such a fun protagonist, he is snarky, making the pun-fect jokes that made me cackle at the most inappropriate times. he easily became one of my favourite characters the moment we met!!!
what can i say, am a simple person who loves a 'self-deprecating' mc with 'deadpan humour' 😂 i love ollie, can you tell? also the asshole with a heart of gold? yep, she grew on me as well!! 😌
i thought the characters were enjoyable and am glad that sophie did not let that shy her away from calling them out on their biases, it's honestly amazing to see characters realise their mistakes and learn to do better; the author talked about many serious topics with much care and sensitivity without letting things get too heavy. all in all, i would 110% recommend this book!! (っ´ω`)ﾉ
omd was such a fun and might i add adorable book to read that definitely gets full points for making me go blurry eyed, am very sad now that it's over but please let this be my official plea to sophie to write a novella one day where future will and ollie get married!!! (ﾉT_T )ノ
cw: homophobia (called out), biphobia (called out), fatphobia (called out), family member with terminal illness, cancer, death of loved one, body shaming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Biphobia, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Death
toberomanced's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I love this author. Another great book about how we can grow and mature and not another example of the toxicity currently present in YA. So sweet. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Grief, Medical content, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, and Outing
Minor: Alcohol, Biphobia, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
beca_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
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? Yes
3.75
This dealt with some really difficult themes, especially the grief of losing someone close to you. I really loved Ollie as a character, and it was nice to see his complex emotions explored throughout the book. On the other hand I have a complex relationship with Will I love and hate him at the same time. He did grow on me slightly by the end of the book as he worked through his own emotions and came to accept himself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Terminal illness
mnerd63's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
2.5 stars? I listened with my sister and we had a great time. It was very cute. There were some very jarring tonal shifts near the end when they talked about grief. I had to literally skip some of the audiobook because it was kind of triggering. Very upsetting. I kind of wished there were more Grease easter eggs, but I also appreciated that the author took their own spin on the story and didn’t rely too heavily on cheesy references. I want to watch Grease Live.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia
adelep's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Death
AHHHH SO CUTE OMG🥰🥰🥰🥰 one of those books you want to reread immediately