Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Solitaire by Alice Oseman

167 reviews

bookishlybecca's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5


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ruthlessreads's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I'm glad that this book exists for teens today who need and can appreciate the kind of representation within Solitaire. I certainly wish I'd had it as a teenager! However, reading as an adult, there are things that I didn't like or thought should have been done better:
specific references to Charlie's self harm were not handled well, the plot was sloppy & the Solitaire aspect of it went on way too long, and I hated the reverse-manic pixie dream girl ending.
That said, knowing that this book was written by a 17 year old Oseman makes me significantly more forgiving. I certainly couldn't have written this at that age and I think for a teenager, the flaws it has are entirely understandable and the strengths are to be commended. Oseman has created wonderful characters that feel real and who live in a world that feels real to my own teenage & young adult experience. There were *many* literary, musical, and tv references, making it feel like a snapshot of a very specific era in recent history. 

Overall, I didn't love this book but I'm sure lots of YA readers will enjoy getting to know Tori a bit better. 

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fyre_flies's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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graceheartsbooks's review against another edition

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4.0

I think I enjoyed it? I’m honestly still not sure how to feel about it but I’m giving it a 4 star anyway.

I related to Tori a lot (maybe a bit too much😅). Knowing that Alice Oseman wrote this book when she was 17 makes a lot of sense as this definitely captures the loneliness and frustration you feel at that age. Especially when you’re trying really hard but nobody seems to think you’re making an effort.

If anyone has read Volume 5 of Heartstopper you’d know Tori comes out as asexual and I think this book shows some hints that she might be—or at least they seemed relatable to me as an ace woman


With the amount of references to The Catcher in the Rye though I may have to read that soon since it’s also on my TBR, seems like fate a little bit.

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caseythereader's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny medium-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

3.25


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isabelle_boknert's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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writewithapendragon's review

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challenging dark emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

FANS OF HEARTSTOPPER be warned this book takes on some of the heavier topics alluded to/addressed in the series.

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fernash's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 4.75 because
they kissed
5 stars otherwise

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missemmacrabtree's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This was a great book for what it was. It was difficult for me to read because my former self related so heavily to a lot of the dark thoughts and negative self image. (Not that I’m perfectly healthy now, but certainly not as bad as I used to be.) This book should definitely come with trigger warnings, but it is nice to read about someone else feeling similar things and somehow still getting through it. 

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mattyb's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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