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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
Reading this after just having watched the TV show. One of these rare cases, where the adaptation is better than the book.
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read for class, pleasantly surprised.
challenging
dark
sad
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
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I borrowed the audiobook of this from Libby, and honestly… it was okay? I didn’t love it, but I didn’t totally hate it either. There were definitely parts I enjoyed, especially the super Aussie stuff like watching Rage or selling things to Cash Converters for quick cash. Those little details felt very real and relatable, which helped bump it up from a 2 to a 3 for me.
That said, the book is rough. Like, I get that it’s meant to be gritty and raw, but outside of the three main boys (Charlie, Hammer, Zeke), every other character kind of sucked. Their friends? Garbage. Their parents? Even worse. All the female characters were either completely awful or had zero personality. It made the whole world feel unnecessarily bleak, with barely any light to balance things out.
Also… the amount of uncomfortable sexual stuff between underage boys and adult men was really off-putting. Zeke video chatting with random older dudes, the pool bathroom scene, and especially Charlie’s thing with Matt (pretty sure Charlie is 15 and Matt has graduated) made it really hard to read. I get that this kind of thing sadly does happen, especially to queer teens, but it still felt disturbing and unexamined in the book.
Honestly, I think the TV adaptation improved a lot. They aged the characters up (Charlie is 17 instead of 15), made some of the side characters actually decent people, and gave the boys support systems they didn’t have in the book. For example, Charlie’s mum and his two friends, who were terrible in the book, are much better in the show. Zeke’s sister-in-law has an actual personality, and Hammer’s aunt (who didn’t even exist in the book) was a great addition.
One last tiny thing: some of the language felt a bit jarring to me, but that might just be because I read a lot of American YA. Not really a big deal, just something I noticed.
Overall: not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but not something I’d rush to recommend either. Watch the TV show instead, honestly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship
I borrowed the audiobook of this from Libby, and honestly… it was okay? I didn’t love it, but I didn’t totally hate it either. There were definitely parts I enjoyed—especially the super Aussie stuff like watching Rage or selling things to Cash Converters for quick cash. Those little details felt very real and relatable, which helped bump it up from a 2 to a 3 for me.
That said, the book is rough. Like, I get that it’s meant to be gritty and raw, but outside of the three main boys (Charlie, Hammer, Zeke), every other character kind of sucked. Their friends? Garbage. Their parents? Even worse. All the female characters were either completely awful or had zero personality. It made the whole world feel unnecessarily bleak, with barely any light to balance things out.
Also… the amount of uncomfortable sexual stuff between underage boys and adult men was really off-putting. Zeke video chatting with random older dudes, the pool bathroom scene, and especially Charlie’s thing with Matt (pretty sure Charlie is 15 and Matt has graduated) made it really hard to read. I get that this kind of thing sadly does happen, especially to queer teens, but it still felt disturbing and unexamined in the book.
Honestly, I think the TV adaptation improved a lot. They aged the characters up (Charlie is 17 instead of 15), made some of the side characters actually decent people, and gave the boys support systems they didn’t have in the book. For example, Charlie’s mum and his two friends, who were terrible in the book, are much better in the show. Zeke’s sister-in-law has an actual personality, and Hammer’s aunt (who didn’t even exist in the book) was a great addition.
One last tiny thing: some of the language felt a bit jarring to me, but that might just be because I read a lot of American YA. Not really a big deal—just something I noticed.
Overall: not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but not something I’d rush to recommend either. Watch the TV show instead, honestly.