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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
that ending wrecked me
another one to add to the list of books that have made me weep
another one to add to the list of books that have made me weep
I am AWARE that not all books are happy/happy endings.
I am AWARE that some stories are meant to test your feelings.
I am AWARE that not everyone gets a HEA or a happy story along the way especially during highschool.
I am AWARE that not every coming out story gets to be a "heartstopper"-esque, falling in love or self-discovery moment.
I AM AWARE..
But this book was FUCKING MISERABLE from page 1 to the end, in a pretty unenjoyable way for me.
EVERY SLIGHTLY POSITIVE OR HOPEFUL INTERACTION... IN THE ENTIRE BOOK... (i'm not kidding, when I say EVERY INTERACTION. Every fucking one.) STILL ENDS ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE.
When you finally think something nice is going to happen.... GET SHIT ON IMMEDIATELY AFTER, there is no happiness here.
Yes, there is probably some really good accurate representations of life in this book but even the tear-provoking incident felt off, because of how cruel the characters had been to eachother, whilst struggling with the same issues.
Yes, they were teenagers.
Yes, they had a lot of emotions to try and work through, but I grew up queer in a small Australian town and was bullied horrifically and I still couldn't empathise with these characters because most of them were fucking awful? Zeke was the only character who was never intentionally cruel.
This book has something for the whole family - A list by yours truly, 2024.
- Sexual acts between old/much older men and 16 year olds.
- Fatphobia
- Homophobia
- Bullying
- Clichés of queer people
- Clichés of Australian people
- Parental abuse/neglect
- Self -
I am AWARE that some stories are meant to test your feelings.
I am AWARE that not everyone gets a HEA or a happy story along the way especially during highschool.
I am AWARE that not every coming out story gets to be a "heartstopper"-esque, falling in love or self-discovery moment.
I AM AWARE..
But this book was FUCKING MISERABLE from page 1 to the end, in a pretty unenjoyable way for me.
EVERY SLIGHTLY POSITIVE OR HOPEFUL INTERACTION... IN THE ENTIRE BOOK... (i'm not kidding, when I say EVERY INTERACTION. Every fucking one.) STILL ENDS ABSOLUTELY MISERABLE.
When you finally think something nice is going to happen.... GET SHIT ON IMMEDIATELY AFTER, there is no happiness here.
Yes, there is probably some really good accurate representations of life in this book but even the tear-provoking incident felt off, because of how cruel the characters had been to eachother, whilst struggling with the same issues.
Yes, they were teenagers.
Yes, they had a lot of emotions to try and work through, but I grew up queer in a small Australian town and was bullied horrifically and I still couldn't empathise with these characters because most of them were fucking awful? Zeke was the only character who was never intentionally cruel.
This book has something for the whole family - A list by yours truly, 2024.
- Sexual acts between old/much older men and 16 year olds.
- Fatphobia
- Homophobia
- Bullying
- Clichés of queer people
- Clichés of Australian people
- Parental abuse/neglect
- Self -
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Emotional abuse, Self harm
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
This was a very sad, very Australian story. I really enjoyed the perspectives and the difficult and complex relationships portrayed. It was sad to read and sadder to comprehend as real life for so many. The writing was a bit clunky at times, but the story was enough to bring me through.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I like that this book is explicitly set in the present with social media and mobile phones. It could have easily been set in the '90s and the town's general reaction to gay students would fit in nicely, but having it in the present helps illustrate that homophobia and ignorance continues to this day even in countries like Australia. Not that it should surprise anyone with the government's attempt at introducing the aptly "Religious Discrimination Bill", which would allow homophobia under the guise of religion.
So, the novel follows three gay students at a small Western Australian town as they attempt to figure out how they're going to deal with being gay in the 21st Century. It seems like LGBT kids have it easier overall, but it's still a struggle for a lot of them, coming to terms with who you are is hard enough as a teenager but throw in a sexuality you didn't count on and it can be a nightmare. Especially for Charlie, a punk kid that was forced out of the closet, Zeke, a "good Catholic Sicilian boy" and Hammer, an wannabe footy hero.
Each of the boys alternate as narrators and in between each chapter is a sucicide note of sorts, although it's unclear who is writing it until the end.
I loved the dialogue in this, it feels very real, very Australian. The teenagers speak like teenagers, they swear freely, they're not grammatically correct... it reminds me of high school.
All three narrators also felt genuine, especially Hammer, the footy jock. He was a dick, but I also felt sorry for him because he was always going to have the hardest time navigating being gay. I could be wrong but to this day I don't think there's ever been an openly gay Australian Rules Football player, at least not until long after they retire. So for all the rainbow flags and claims of being a friend of the LGBT community, I wonder how true that can be when in 2019 you still have gay players in the closet.
Well, this review turned into a political rant of sorts, I guess it just hit me close to home. The final couple of chapters kind of destroyed me emotionally, I think that has more to do with bad timing than anything else, but on the plus side it really helped make an impact.
I originally gave this a four star review, but I've upped it to five because this is another book that has really stayed with me. A lot of it has to do with how I was feeling when I read this. I suppose I was just at the right emotional point in my life for this to really make such an impact.
So, the novel follows three gay students at a small Western Australian town as they attempt to figure out how they're going to deal with being gay in the 21st Century. It seems like LGBT kids have it easier overall, but it's still a struggle for a lot of them, coming to terms with who you are is hard enough as a teenager but throw in a sexuality you didn't count on and it can be a nightmare. Especially for Charlie, a punk kid that was forced out of the closet, Zeke, a "good Catholic Sicilian boy" and Hammer, an wannabe footy hero.
Each of the boys alternate as narrators and in between each chapter is a sucicide note of sorts, although it's unclear who is writing it until the end.
I loved the dialogue in this, it feels very real, very Australian. The teenagers speak like teenagers, they swear freely, they're not grammatically correct... it reminds me of high school.
All three narrators also felt genuine, especially Hammer, the footy jock. He was a dick, but I also felt sorry for him because he was always going to have the hardest time navigating being gay. I could be wrong but to this day I don't think there's ever been an openly gay Australian Rules Football player, at least not until long after they retire. So for all the rainbow flags and claims of being a friend of the LGBT community, I wonder how true that can be when in 2019 you still have gay players in the closet.
Well, this review turned into a political rant of sorts, I guess it just hit me close to home. The final couple of chapters kind of destroyed me emotionally, I think that has more to do with bad timing than anything else, but on the plus side it really helped make an impact.
I originally gave this a four star review, but I've upped it to five because this is another book that has really stayed with me. A lot of it has to do with how I was feeling when I read this. I suppose I was just at the right emotional point in my life for this to really make such an impact.
emotional
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:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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