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5aru's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My biggest gripe with this one was in fact the writing style. It read impressively lyrical at times and clunky at others; overly informational in its cultural references (it ought to be an "either you get it or you don't" type thing imo); and Zevin resorted to overly complex words when it made little sense as an aesthetic choice in-context, when simpler concepts would likely have worked better. It makes the work read childish and even trite at times, despite the nuance it condenses.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Racial slurs, and Racism
kiwij96's review against another edition
- 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
It is very character-led, and at times the paragraphs jump time to speed up the plot without missing any information. That is, of course, unless something becomes relevant later on and a quick history is fleshed out in full, (imo this often feels like it is disrupting the flow of the present) but this rarely happens.
My main issues with this book:
- The amount of times the word "said" is used during dialogue.
- Part 1 and Part 9 in their entirety. These parts feel clunky to me, but they are also important to the story.
- Dov, just as a person, I understand his importance as a character. But honestly, I hate him.
- The slight sexualisation of both Zoe and Sadie. Why was it their clothing that got highlighted and never the men?
- At times the timeline of the story felt off and I didn't know where I was sometimes in relation to it.
However, I loved that these characters were allowed to be human - they were selfish, determined and frustrating at times. But they were realistic characters who experienced real life issues.
Just please to god check your content warnings before going into this because ooft.
Graphic: Mental illness, Vomit, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cancer, Sexism, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Car accident
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Abortion, and Pregnancy
miles's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Antisemitism, Abortion, and Toxic friendship
Only adding the 'toxic friendship' tag because Sam and Sadie hurt each other a lot, mostly because of miscommunication and misconstruing the other's intentions, but they love each other a lot and are each other's most important person in the world so it's complicated, really.karen_lo's review against another edition
- 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
Those descriptions of everyday activities and hobbies made me feel right at home.
The characters were absolutely amazing, and the way they spilled their thoughts, emotions, histories, and fears made them feel like real human beings.
The different types of love explored in the book were simply beautiful. They all tangled together, evolving and surviving through the challenges of life.
I loved the inside jokes and the bursts of inspiration while they created video games. It even sparked my curiosity about video games as a new form of art.
I also absolutely loved how the story was told. It flowed so naturally, and I could easily kept up with the timeline shifts.
Amazing book, definitely never read a love story like this one before.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual content, Vomit, and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Racial slurs, Mass/school shootings, and Murder
lexigrce'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
4.75
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, and Pregnancy
sarahbook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
But! I have a lot of great things to say about the book. It was absolutely GORGEOUSLY written! I have not read a book that well written in quite some time. The story floated seamlessly between time, place, and characters that feels like it should’ve been difficult to follow but it was not. The characters were all very interesting and different, both from each other and from what I’ve read before. My favorite part of the book was hearing them talk about games they were playing or making or brainstorming. That sort of creativity was so interesting and I definitely want to play these games myself!
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, and Grief
Moderate: Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Abortion
olivia119's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
ceedy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Death, Sexual violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
jkononova's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness, Sexism, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cancer, Eating disorder, Racial slurs, Racism, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, and Abortion
bebidocrimes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gun violence, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Cancer, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Medical content, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Abortion