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ppspelke's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
sh3s_a_rebel's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I think that the dual POV was well-done, and I liked that the plot was split into Then - during the cancer and Now - after remission. I just hated Alice.
sometimes_iread's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This was not what I’d expected at all. The blurb gave me bildungsroman and second chances with a side of medical complications vibes but this book couldn’t be further from that. We have selfish characters I couldn’t get behind, a ridiculous, toxic romance, and very impulsive and short-sighted actions by almost all the young adult characters. I guess that’s a roundabout way of saying that I did not enjoy this book.
Side Effects May Vary by Julie Murphy focuses on Alice, a sixteen year old in remission, and her friend Harvey, as they grapple with the aftermath of her crazy bucket list. I get that Alice is supposed to be some kind of manic pixie dream girl to Harvey’s more stoic personality but wow, this was twisted beyond belief. Alice is mean and toxic, using people around her and her diagnosis for her benefit. Harvey, too, enables Alice’s behavior in the hope that she will be with him romantically. Yeah, toxic and selfish all round.
I get that this is a young adult book so people will be teenagers and generally dramatic and impulsive. Still, I just couldn’t bear with the histrionics here. Blaming all your actions on your mom’s infidelity is frankly stretching things a little.
I’m guessing that I’ve aged out of the genre considering the amount of eye rolls I had while reading this. Perhaps someone who can still appreciate this genre might be able to give a more balanced review, but this book is a hard no from me.
Diversity meter:
Character with cancer
surreptitiously's review
3.0
You don't need a review to tell you that a book about cancer is unpalatable, even if the synopsis teases you. This isn't one of those cancer stories. It's gritty and raw and real, and never quite becomes anything else.
The story is predominately about Alice and Harvey's relationship, which I wasn't aware of before diving in. I wish I would have liked the story more than I did, but I can honestly say that it has more to do with my genre preferences and less with the author's abilities. YA and realistic fiction are both my jam, but plots that focus predominately on (het) relationships just aren't my thing.
Even boiling it down to its most basic premise feels like an oversimplification. There is a LOT to digest in this book. Julie Murphy does an excellent job exploring how a cancer diagnoses infiltrates and changes every part of a person's life, lingers even after remission. To that end, I think she did an excellent job. Plus! The writing draws you in and makes you want to speed through it.
But the thing is...
I hated Alice. And I hated Harvey. All the relationships in this book are messy, tangled up things that are hard to swallow. Add in the premise and it's hard to relate to any of the characters or their struggles, let alone enjoy the ride. And I hate to say that because I don't read books with the expectation of relating to a character on a personal level. I love messy, hard-to-like characters. I think they bring a lot of humanity to a story, help you see other perspectives, and grow as a person. But oh boy. I struggle to think of a single healthy relationship in this story, and I'm not sure I could say the characters experienced much in the way of development. But maybe all of this is because I went in to the book expecting something that wasn't there to begin with.
As one reviewer said:
"I was looking for a cancer book that would punch me in the gut with redemption and justification."
Same, same. But ultimately, it left me unsatisfied and frustrated.
The story is predominately about Alice and Harvey's relationship, which I wasn't aware of before diving in. I wish I would have liked the story more than I did, but I can honestly say that it has more to do with my genre preferences and less with the author's abilities. YA and realistic fiction are both my jam, but plots that focus predominately on (het) relationships just aren't my thing.
Even boiling it down to its most basic premise feels like an oversimplification. There is a LOT to digest in this book. Julie Murphy does an excellent job exploring how a cancer diagnoses infiltrates and changes every part of a person's life, lingers even after remission. To that end, I think she did an excellent job. Plus! The writing draws you in and makes you want to speed through it.
But the thing is...
I hated Alice. And I hated Harvey. All the relationships in this book are messy, tangled up things that are hard to swallow. Add in the premise and it's hard to relate to any of the characters or their struggles, let alone enjoy the ride. And I hate to say that because I don't read books with the expectation of relating to a character on a personal level. I love messy, hard-to-like characters. I think they bring a lot of humanity to a story, help you see other perspectives, and grow as a person. But oh boy. I struggle to think of a single healthy relationship in this story, and I'm not sure I could say the characters experienced much in the way of development. But maybe all of this is because I went in to the book expecting something that wasn't there to begin with.
As one reviewer said:
"I was looking for a cancer book that would punch me in the gut with redemption and justification."
Same, same. But ultimately, it left me unsatisfied and frustrated.
pantsreads's review
3.0
sadgirlsidney's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
I seem to have a low tolerance for MC’s who are total fucking dicks so this was a ROUGH book to get through. What an absolute slog.
doublearegee's review against another edition
4.0
This book reminded me of Paper Towns, with the revenging. I wish YA was like this when I was their intended demographic. It seems like when I was a kid it was all how to deal with difficult issues and less about how to deal with your feelings.
betwixt_the_pages's review against another edition
3.0
What if you'd been living your life as if you were dying—only to find out that you had your whole future ahead of you?
When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, who she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that's as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her archnemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger). But just when Alice's scores are settled, she goes into remission.
Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she's said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she caused irreparable damage to the people around her—and to the one person who matters most?
Julie Murphy's Side Effects May Vary is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality.
- - - - -
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: I just couldn't get into this book; great character motivations/growth; some tough choices and cringe-worthy scenes; cyclic, non-linear story telling
Let's start with the easiest thing for me to say in this review: I just could not get into this book the way I wanted to. It's nothing against the characters, I don't think—they're pretty complex, multi-dimensional, and overall teenage angsty. I'm not sure; I can't think WHY this book didn't speak to me. It just... Didn't? That's a terrible conclusion statement; let me try to outline the reasons why I DID like this, okay?
There are some GORGEOUS quotes at the beginning of this book. The prose is seamless at these moments, almost poetic with the weight of the words Julie Murphy is throwing around like silk scarves during a juggling act. The ballet of beautiful descriptors and complex, thought-inducing prose almost brought me to my knees. But as the book goes on and things begin falling apart around our main duo...the prose seems to fall apart, too. It's like...the deeper we go into our characters' minds, the more chaos they leave behind, including upon the words themselves.
The characters are pretty spectacular overall. Their motivations are honest and stark, a juxtaposition of true and false against the backdrop of Alice's health. Alice goes through a HELL of a lot in a very short amount of time, and her character arc is a long loop of ups and downs that are bound to tear a reader's heart out (they did mine). And through all of it, no matter how mean she was...I felt she might just be justified in her actions. Perhaps I connected with her on a more personal level. Perhaps I just like mean girls for characters (I mean come on, they make some AWESOME fodder for books). Whatever it is, I actually LIKE Alice in this book.
But...that's about where my adoration stops. Something about this... Maybe the story itself?... just didn't speak to me the way I hoped it would when I started. The ideas are there—I love the idea of tearing down all the walls, getting the last say because you know you don't have another chance...only to get a second gasp at it all. I love that Alice put herself so fully out there...only to realize that actions have consequences even when you don't expect you'll be around to deal with them.
I don't have a problem with this book, per se. It just didn't touch me as powerfully as I'd hoped it would. Something about it falls flat in the end; I don't know what, so please don't ask. Perhaps it's just ME, personally, who feels this way. Perhaps I've read so many other noteworthy, emotionally overpowering things lately, this one sort of got lost by the wayside. Perhaps I'll never really know.
In the end, I enjoyed this read—but I didn't LOVE it. The characters are honest, realistic, and filled out in all the right places. The nonlinear, almost cyclic writing style is fascinating and enthralling. The morals are subtle and well-explored. I would still recommend this read to lovers of John Green, Jay Asher, and (maybe?) Sarah Dessen.
When sixteen-year-old Alice is diagnosed with leukemia, her prognosis is grim. To maximize the time she does have, she vows to spend her final months righting wrongs—however she sees fit. She convinces her friend Harvey, who she knows has always had feelings for her, to help her with a crazy bucket list that's as much about revenge (humiliating her ex-boyfriend and getting back at her archnemesis) as it is about hope (doing something unexpectedly kind for a stranger). But just when Alice's scores are settled, she goes into remission.
Now Alice is forced to face the consequences of all that she's said and done, as well as her true feelings for Harvey. But has she caused irreparable damage to the people around her—and to the one person who matters most?
Julie Murphy's Side Effects May Vary is a fearless and moving tour de force about love, life, and facing your own mortality.
- - - - -
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: I just couldn't get into this book; great character motivations/growth; some tough choices and cringe-worthy scenes; cyclic, non-linear story telling
Let's start with the easiest thing for me to say in this review: I just could not get into this book the way I wanted to. It's nothing against the characters, I don't think—they're pretty complex, multi-dimensional, and overall teenage angsty. I'm not sure; I can't think WHY this book didn't speak to me. It just... Didn't? That's a terrible conclusion statement; let me try to outline the reasons why I DID like this, okay?
En pointe she was a force, a tornado: safe to look at from a distance, but in close proximity, you risked being just another piece of her debris. Some days I thought I could only be so lucky.
There are some GORGEOUS quotes at the beginning of this book. The prose is seamless at these moments, almost poetic with the weight of the words Julie Murphy is throwing around like silk scarves during a juggling act. The ballet of beautiful descriptors and complex, thought-inducing prose almost brought me to my knees. But as the book goes on and things begin falling apart around our main duo...the prose seems to fall apart, too. It's like...the deeper we go into our characters' minds, the more chaos they leave behind, including upon the words themselves.
The characters are pretty spectacular overall. Their motivations are honest and stark, a juxtaposition of true and false against the backdrop of Alice's health. Alice goes through a HELL of a lot in a very short amount of time, and her character arc is a long loop of ups and downs that are bound to tear a reader's heart out (they did mine). And through all of it, no matter how mean she was...I felt she might just be justified in her actions. Perhaps I connected with her on a more personal level. Perhaps I just like mean girls for characters (I mean come on, they make some AWESOME fodder for books). Whatever it is, I actually LIKE Alice in this book.
I’d always heard that when you truly love someone, you’re happy for them as long they’re happy. But that’s a lie. That’s higher-road bullshit. If you love someone so much, why the hell would you be happy to see them with anyone else? I didn’t want the easy kind of love. I wanted the crazy love, the kind of love that created and destroyed all at the same time.
But...that's about where my adoration stops. Something about this... Maybe the story itself?... just didn't speak to me the way I hoped it would when I started. The ideas are there—I love the idea of tearing down all the walls, getting the last say because you know you don't have another chance...only to get a second gasp at it all. I love that Alice put herself so fully out there...only to realize that actions have consequences even when you don't expect you'll be around to deal with them.
I don't have a problem with this book, per se. It just didn't touch me as powerfully as I'd hoped it would. Something about it falls flat in the end; I don't know what, so please don't ask. Perhaps it's just ME, personally, who feels this way. Perhaps I've read so many other noteworthy, emotionally overpowering things lately, this one sort of got lost by the wayside. Perhaps I'll never really know.
I wanted nothing more than to feel something, but I didn't know how to deal with what came after the feeling.
In the end, I enjoyed this read—but I didn't LOVE it. The characters are honest, realistic, and filled out in all the right places. The nonlinear, almost cyclic writing style is fascinating and enthralling. The morals are subtle and well-explored. I would still recommend this read to lovers of John Green, Jay Asher, and (maybe?) Sarah Dessen.
cheesefriesandsoda's review against another edition
1.0
If I could punch the protagonist, I would.
Doesn't matter she had cancer.
Doesn't matter she had cancer.