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demetrius_bennett's review
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-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
3.5
I loved the first half of this book. I loved the characters and the plot. However, I felt less interested by the second half or so. The characters are mostly lovable, but there are times when I felt frustration towards both protagonists. I suppose it was because they were truly just realistic — they are teenagers and should be flawed. However, the ending of the book was really what got me. The moment that Ian brought up the idea of taking over the stage, I was afraid that the book would end that way. And it pretty much did. It was like it Disney wrote Love, Simon. . Another striking flaw I found in the book was how the author writes teenagers. The amount of things they didn't know, when really they should've, was astounding. You cannot expect me to believe that a bunch of queer teenagers don't know MCR, or ET. And it might be because I was listening to this in audiobook format, but the amount of times I heard that someone "wasn't wrong" made me want to rip my ears off from the phrase. This being said, I enjoyed the idea of this book very much. Even with the parts that I hated, I eagerly sat through all 11 hours of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Bullying, Homophobia, Sexism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Cancer, Child death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Injury/Injury detail
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