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kat42's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A solid book and I really liked the ending, but it doesn't compare to Last Night at the Telegraph Club imo. Lo's writing style is really descriptive and pretty. However, I didn't like that there was smut. There was only a little and it was mild, but I personally don't think smut belongs in YA.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Death and Sexual content
radhikag's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
My heart feels so tender and pure. I love this book and I’m so happy it was my first read of the year. Love is so tender and sweet and soft n lasting!! I loved reading about Aria’s story, so much of it reminded me of i guess my first proper ~queer~ situationship and also made me ache for the how sweet it might have been to know n explore and presence this part of myself when i was younger, like Aria here or Lily in last night at the telegraph club.
I’m so happy these books exist, I can’t wait to re read them time and time again. I think everyone should read these but esp queer Bay Area people lol because it’s beautiful to see all the details I recognize and know about my home and city and just ugh!! Too good!
—
Some quotes I love:
"You can't worry about other people's feelings about what you're creating," Joan said. "That will suffocate you. You have to do what your heart desires."
I’m so happy these books exist, I can’t wait to re read them time and time again. I think everyone should read these but esp queer Bay Area people lol because it’s beautiful to see all the details I recognize and know about my home and city and just ugh!! Too good!
—
Some quotes I love:
"You can't worry about other people's feelings about what you're creating," Joan said. "That will suffocate you. You have to do what your heart desires."
Joan and Steph were so focused on their conversation, it was as if I wasn't even there.
"What if what your heart desires hurts someone else?" Steph asked.
"Sometimes you can't avoid that," Joan said, "because people have feelings, and other people's feelings aren't always congruent with ours. But here's the important thing when it comes to art. This is what I've learned: The art is greater than you and your feelings. You have to serve it. It is not you. Some people will never understand that, but you need to surround yourself with people who do understand it. And you need to understand it yourself. Whatever you're creating may come from within you and your life, but then —almost like a child, it comes out of your body and it grows up and walks away. It walks away and affects other people you don't know and have never met. That's the beauty of it, and the reason I keep trying new things.
You never know who it will affect."
(170)
“[Her] physical body may be gone now, but who she was is not gone. She was more than her body, just as we are all more than our bodies. She was connected with all of you. You influenced her, and she influenced you, and that influence continued.”
The urn was beautiful. It had a round belly and an elegantly curved neck and a perfectly fitted kid, and it had been glazed in some way that left brilliant sea green steaks and dark blue flecks on the surface. As if the sea had been burned into the clay.
My stomach was a hollow inside me.
“Everything [she] taught you goes on. The thoughts that arise in your mind when you think of her are still influenced by her.”
The hollow was growing. I would become a sinkhole.
Susan Douglas lot a candle on the altar. A thin trickle of smoke rose from the march. “Earth returning to earth, fire returning to fire, wind returning to wind, water returning to water.” (309)
“[Her] physical body may be gone now, but who she was is not gone. She was more than her body, just as we are all more than our bodies. She was connected with all of you. You influenced her, and she influenced you, and that influence continued.”
The urn was beautiful. It had a round belly and an elegantly curved neck and a perfectly fitted kid, and it had been glazed in some way that left brilliant sea green steaks and dark blue flecks on the surface. As if the sea had been burned into the clay.
My stomach was a hollow inside me.
“Everything [she] taught you goes on. The thoughts that arise in your mind when you think of her are still influenced by her.”
The hollow was growing. I would become a sinkhole.
Susan Douglas lot a candle on the altar. A thin trickle of smoke rose from the march. “Earth returning to earth, fire returning to fire, wind returning to wind, water returning to water.” (309)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Medical content
Minor: Bullying, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, Sexual harassment, and Pandemic/Epidemic
sundayfever's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A good queer YA read. Vividly made me feel like I was in SF. Kudos for being a YA book where the teenage romance doesn't continue into the future - it felt more realistic, with a bittersweet ending. Don't get why the blurb says the main character joins a working-class queer community, when she does no reflecting on her own class privilege at all in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship
Minor: Homophobia
crawlingincircles's review
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death
patchthecat's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Heartbreaking. First time I've ever cried over a book. I recommend this if you are looking for sapphic, sad romance.
Joan's death made me so extremely upset. I thought she was getting better when she went into the rehabilitation center and was shocked to find out she had died. Finding out Steph and Aria didn't work out really made me feel hurt. Both things together made me cry. Analemma being confused about Joan's death really hurt me aswell. The poor dog will never know what happened. This book goes from a teen summer romance to a sad story about death and mistakes really fast. This book is amazing when it comes to sad books. I enjoyed reading it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity
Moderate: Death, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual harassment
ronan_lesh's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Homophobia, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Racism
williamabookworm's review
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
I am not so sure about this book...
On one hand, it is very well written (good phrasing, excellent wording, emotions are so well described you can instantly put yourself into Arias position).
I of course appreciated the queer representation! The foremost reason, together with the beautiful cover, for reading a scatter of light, which was written by a lesbian woman.
The sapphic, nonbinary, all together queer characters (most of them anyways) are really important and authentic.
Furthermore, I really enjoyed the ending. My only criticism here's it's just to short in my opinion.
Anyways, now to the contra:
The cheating was just aweful and destroyed all the great things I already mentioned. I can only speak for myself here, but it gives me a constant queasy feeling in the stomach. This storyline was just so unnecessary. It made a pretty good book into an dislikeable one, where the main characters became uncongenial a lot of the time .
On one hand, it is very well written (good phrasing, excellent wording, emotions are so well described you can instantly put yourself into Arias position).
I of course appreciated the queer representation! The foremost reason, together with the beautiful cover, for reading a scatter of light, which was written by a lesbian woman.
The sapphic, nonbinary, all together queer characters (most of them anyways) are really important and authentic.
Furthermore, I really enjoyed the ending. My only criticism here's it's just to short in my opinion.
Anyways, now to the contra:
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexism, and Sexual harassment
uss_mary_shelley's review
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Homophobia, Medical content, and Grief
kyrstin_p1989's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
A story about life and death, love and loss, and the complications of familial relationships, this book is well-written and interesting. It took a few pages to get into the writing style but once I did I couldn’t put this one down. It made me laugh and cry in equal measure. The characters feelings are raw and real and the story is truthful and wise.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Grief, Outing, and Sexual harassment
mfernandes's review against another edition
emotional
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
Content Warnings
Minor: Death