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lisakate1126's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. It was a fast read, tugged at my emotions, and made me root for both main characters. There are some tough topics covered, so definitely read the content warnings first. Would read more from this author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Classism
Moderate: Mental illness and Physical abuse
kariinareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Child abuse
sweetsanchia's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Racism
maddyontheoffbeat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
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
4.0
I really liked this book. It's been getting a lot of bad publicity lately for its Asian representation, which I am not qualified to comment on, but I thought that the romance was very good and her portrayal of a plus-sized woman was very accurate. It's also set in the 80s and has a big emphasis on music, which I personally liked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
gvj1910's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug abuse, and Violence
p0stc4rds's review against another edition
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
TLDR; This book is good if you want to feel like a stupid lovesick sixteen-year old and nothing else.
Plot: As a romance novel, it really does read like a teenager love story. These are truly things teenagers do, because they are teens. The ending really does fill you with melancholy, and everything progresses at a very believable way. If you look at this book as a step-by-step process, it works pretty well. 4/5.
Style: I really like Rainbow Rowell's style of writing. Her romances are always really sweet and delicate, and it makes puppy love seem much more substantial. Her style's a little weaker here, but still decent. Minus one star though, for the whole "I don't know what it's like to be Korean" conversation. Shit was ass. 3/5.
Character: Bad. I didn't realise how poorly developed these guys were until this year. Park's mom and everything they did to her was horrible. Every description relating to her race was just really gross. They didn't have to rely so heavily on the 'Exotic pretty Korean woman' trope so much to describe someone whose integrated herself into the town. Eleanor is probably the most developed character, because she has a very clear internal voice. Full of dichotomies and believable ones too. Park sucked. A lot. Very thin characterization, like he was the Tom to Eleanor's Summer. He felt very underdeveloped for a titular character. 2/5.
Relationships: Bad again. You only get one star for the sad but realistic way they portrayed Eleanor/her mom. That stuff was genuinely heartbreaking, and made me feel ill. But Eleanor and Park.. Ehhhh.... For the main romantic relationship here, it was horrible. I know relationships, especially first love type things, have flaws and stuff but God, this has so many holes. I can't believe I used to want this to happen to me. Because this isn't a fun romance to read. They don't match personalities at all, and it really is a relationship-of-convenience. The lead up is fine, but as a relationship, it fails fast. 1/5.
Plot: As a romance novel, it really does read like a teenager love story. These are truly things teenagers do, because they are teens. The ending really does fill you with melancholy, and everything progresses at a very believable way. If you look at this book as a step-by-step process, it works pretty well. 4/5.
Style: I really like Rainbow Rowell's style of writing. Her romances are always really sweet and delicate, and it makes puppy love seem much more substantial. Her style's a little weaker here, but still decent. Minus one star though, for the whole "I don't know what it's like to be Korean" conversation. Shit was ass. 3/5.
Character: Bad. I didn't realise how poorly developed these guys were until this year. Park's mom and everything they did to her was horrible. Every description relating to her race was just really gross. They didn't have to rely so heavily on the 'Exotic pretty Korean woman' trope so much to describe someone whose integrated herself into the town. Eleanor is probably the most developed character, because she has a very clear internal voice. Full of dichotomies and believable ones too. Park sucked. A lot. Very thin characterization, like he was the Tom to Eleanor's Summer. He felt very underdeveloped for a titular character. 2/5.
Relationships: Bad again. You only get one star for the sad but realistic way they portrayed Eleanor/her mom. That stuff was genuinely heartbreaking, and made me feel ill. But Eleanor and Park.. Ehhhh.... For the main romantic relationship here, it was horrible. I know relationships, especially first love type things, have flaws and stuff but God, this has so many holes. I can't believe I used to want this to happen to me. Because this isn't a fun romance to read. They don't match personalities at all, and it really is a relationship-of-convenience. The lead up is fine, but as a relationship, it fails fast. 1/5.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Sexual harassment
Minor: Domestic abuse
duchess16's review against another edition
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Physical abuse
jil_m's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book is everything! It’s good written, the characters are people you want to become friends with! (At least, some of them) It’s wholesome with a hint of love. The style of the writer is every fun to read! Definitely could recommend this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Child abuse
Moderate: Fatphobia and Hate crime
Minor: Addiction and Blood
a_c_vincent's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- 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
4.25
This book was pretty emotional to me. At times it hit really close to home, and at other times it seemed to miss the mark a bit. Initially it was really hard for me to relate to their relationship because it just felt so all of the sudden and too fast, but then as I was reading that I found myself being sucked in to all the giddiness, excitement, and absolute warmth that comes with first love, and I realized this was exactly how they would be feeling times a million. After this I found myself actually seeing a lot of myself in them and that made the book much more emotional. It was a beautiful story, albeit not perfect, but I really enjoyed reading this book.
The only thing that I really disliked about this book was how quick the wrap up at the end felt. I didn’t feel like we got any tie up about any of the characters at the end and it just felt really empty. This wouldn’t really be that big of a deal if there is a sequel (I haven’t looked up if there is yet) but if there’s not then that’s sort of disappointing. :/ That’s the main reason I didn’t rate it five stars.
The only thing that I really disliked about this book was how quick the wrap up at the end felt. I didn’t feel like we got any tie up about any of the characters at the end and it just felt really empty. This wouldn’t really be that big of a deal if there is a sequel (I haven’t looked up if there is yet) but if there’s not then that’s sort of disappointing. :/ That’s the main reason I didn’t rate it five stars.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
chandle5's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Fatphobia