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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
A sweet story of college friends who make a pact to make sure they all know what an impact they have on one another. It will compel you to reach out to a loved one! Steven Rowley is becoming my go-to author for stories with humor and heart.
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:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Death
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I found the writing/formatting of this book to be really interesting. Loved the found family theme. It made me want to tell my friends I love them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Drug abuse, Death of parent
What a neat concept! Whenever I have been to a funeral I have always wondered if the person whose life is being celebrated could hear what everyone said about them. This book brings that idea to a reality. Whenever a friend is going through a hard time they trigger the pact and meet up to celebrate their life and that they know they are loved. Whether it's divorce, losing of parents, or facing jail time, they are there for each other. I laughed and got teary eyed.
The main issue that I have with the book is that I don't think some of the friends really liked each other- they fight a lot. So it makes it hard to believe that they are really friends. It's great for story telling and drama. But it doesn't help with the whole actual theme of friendship. It does get better near the end.
The main issue that I have with the book is that I don't think some of the friends really liked each other- they fight a lot. So it makes it hard to believe that they are really friends. It's great for story telling and drama. But it doesn't help with the whole actual theme of friendship. It does get better near the end.
It really just ate my whole review like that.
Fine. In short, the book should have hit all the right notes for me: queer themes, found family, characters reuniting in middle age. But it dragged at points, there was a lot of constant SCREAMING IN ALL CAPS, and it's really hard to believe that these people would still be haunted 25 years later by the death of someone who they knew for a few years and mostly seemed like a dick.
Also, for as much shit as Marielle gives the other characters (especially Jordy), her secret was actually un-fucking-forgivable, yet the novel (and thus the characters) give her a huge pass for shittiness.
Toward the end, I started skimming some of the longer passages, ready for it to be over. But I really wanted to like this a lot more than I did.
Fine. In short, the book should have hit all the right notes for me: queer themes, found family, characters reuniting in middle age. But it dragged at points, there was a lot of constant SCREAMING IN ALL CAPS, and it's really hard to believe that these people would still be haunted 25 years later by the death of someone who they knew for a few years and mostly seemed like a dick.
Also, for as much shit as Marielle gives the other characters (especially Jordy), her secret was actually un-fucking-forgivable, yet the novel (and thus the characters) give her a huge pass for shittiness.
Toward the end, I started skimming some of the longer passages, ready for it to be over. But I really wanted to like this a lot more than I did.
“Do as many things as you can to remind yourself you are alive.” I don’t usually enjoy a book focused on death, but I think this author has a great voice.
Work and school commitments. The story was fine but I’m not bothered by not knowing what happens
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated