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rachieanniereads's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
i'm really struggling to understand how this book has so much hype. this was...poorly written, i'm sorry.
where to begin...?
the narrative choice of giving us the ending at the beginning was certainly a choice. can't confirm if it was a good one. it took some of the emotional impact out of it, but also made the rest of the book feel like it was written in an odd mix of present and past tense. it seemed like Autumn was speaking/thinking in reflections, but it was written in present tense.
the whole book was telling us everything, but showing us nothing. we got told, repeatedly, how cool, edgy and different Autumn/her friend groups was, but didn't get to see any of that. her "i'm not a cool kid if i do *insert thing here* because the normal popular kids are doing it" internal monologue made me cringe. the only way we were shown that she was super different and quirky and weird xd lol was that she wore a tiara...all the time...with every outfit. i don't understand pls.
the dialouge was so clunky. we barely got any for the first half of the book. but when we did get dialouge it was dry and unrealistic. "okay." "haha." "oh." it felt like reading someone talk to their nonchalant situationship that doesn't care to hold a conversation.
the descriptions of high school like felt so stereotypical with no level of realism. popular cheerleaders that have an unspoken rivalry with the edgy kids? not cookie cutter at all.
again, so many aspects of this felt unrealistic especiallymultiple pregnancies among the characters after one singular time having unprotected sex. yes, it's possible, but also not common enough for it to happen twice within the same novel. one felt unnecessary, and the other felt like a convenient plot device to prevent suicide
i'm genuinely confused if i read the same book as all these 5 star reviews. 2 stars just because i did feel compelled in some way to finish it.
where to begin...?
the narrative choice of giving us the ending at the beginning was certainly a choice. can't confirm if it was a good one. it took some of the emotional impact out of it, but also made the rest of the book feel like it was written in an odd mix of present and past tense. it seemed like Autumn was speaking/thinking in reflections, but it was written in present tense.
the whole book was telling us everything, but showing us nothing. we got told, repeatedly, how cool, edgy and different Autumn/her friend groups was, but didn't get to see any of that. her "i'm not a cool kid if i do *insert thing here* because the normal popular kids are doing it" internal monologue made me cringe. the only way we were shown that she was super different and quirky and weird xd lol was that she wore a tiara...all the time...with every outfit. i don't understand pls.
the dialouge was so clunky. we barely got any for the first half of the book. but when we did get dialouge it was dry and unrealistic. "okay." "haha." "oh." it felt like reading someone talk to their nonchalant situationship that doesn't care to hold a conversation.
the descriptions of high school like felt so stereotypical with no level of realism. popular cheerleaders that have an unspoken rivalry with the edgy kids? not cookie cutter at all.
again, so many aspects of this felt unrealistic especially
i'm genuinely confused if i read the same book as all these 5 star reviews. 2 stars just because i did feel compelled in some way to finish it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Mental illness
drewanslee's review against another edition
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Car accident, Death, Pregnancy, and Suicide
cats_n_plants_n_cats_n_plants's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Death, Car accident, Pregnancy, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
strangeweather98's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, and Death
Moderate: Abandonment, Self harm, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
Minor: Toxic relationship, Rape, Grief, Eating disorder, Toxic friendship, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Infidelity, and Injury/Injury detail
cloha's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
“Finny?” “Oh Autumn.”
Ending was abrupt but not entirely unexpected. I think it portrayed childhood friends and young love well. The book read to me like it was trying to be a modern day Romeo and Juliet story. Right as everything fell into place, all was lost. It was upsetting and taught the importance of being honest. Any book that has the power to do this, is a decent book to me. The character types were kind of cringe but I guess there's a level of realism with that, since coming-of-age is generally thought to be a cringey part of our lives. It was realistic to how we are before we transition into adulthood. My issue is that I don't really know what age range to place this book. Seemed like it was a pretty light read until the end. The whiplash felt unpleasant more than it surprising me or challenging me or giving me something to chew on. It felt a little sloppy even? Like the plot was too clunky or the foreshadowing was too obvious or the characters were too predictable? Unsure. But some positives were that I enjoyed reading about Autumn's friend group. I thought the titling of things like the "Steps to Nowhere" and "The Mothers" was a creative touch. I was pretty invested in the characters by the end of book, so when Sasha and Jamie become a thing, I was so appalled. That's usually a good sign of being committed to the characters.
a few fav scenes:
pg 107 when both Finn and Jamie stood up
pg 88 the lunch table war
pg 132 protectiveness
pg 169 boys being boys meeting boy
pg 205 "Ales spends the night at Jamie's. Jamie tells Alex that he doesn't like Trina. That nobody likes Trina. That everybody likes Sasha. That Sasha misses him." - foreshadowing / power they had over each other
pg 314 "'Well,' Finny says, 'to be fair, you do need a ride.' 'No, I don't,' I say. 'I have you.' Finny smiles."
Ending was abrupt but not entirely unexpected. I think it portrayed childhood friends and young love well. The book read to me like it was trying to be a modern day Romeo and Juliet story. Right as everything fell into place, all was lost. It was upsetting and taught the importance of being honest. Any book that has the power to do this, is a decent book to me. The character types were kind of cringe but I guess there's a level of realism with that, since coming-of-age is generally thought to be a cringey part of our lives. It was realistic to how we are before we transition into adulthood. My issue is that I don't really know what age range to place this book. Seemed like it was a pretty light read until the end. The whiplash felt unpleasant more than it surprising me or challenging me or giving me something to chew on. It felt a little sloppy even? Like the plot was too clunky or the foreshadowing was too obvious or the characters were too predictable? Unsure. But some positives were that I enjoyed reading about Autumn's friend group. I thought the titling of things like the "Steps to Nowhere" and "The Mothers" was a creative touch. I was pretty invested in the characters by the end of book, so when Sasha and Jamie become a thing, I was so appalled. That's usually a good sign of being committed to the characters.
a few fav scenes:
pg 107 when both Finn and Jamie stood up
pg 88 the lunch table war
pg 132 protectiveness
pg 169 boys being boys meeting boy
pg 205 "Ales spends the night at Jamie's. Jamie tells Alex that he doesn't like Trina. That nobody likes Trina. That everybody likes Sasha. That Sasha misses him." - foreshadowing / power they had over each other
pg 314 "'Well,' Finny says, 'to be fair, you do need a ride.' 'No, I don't,' I say. 'I have you.' Finny smiles."
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Mental illness, Self harm, Chronic illness, Abandonment, Dysphoria, Suicide attempt, Death, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Grief
teamotzz's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Such a slow start just for it to end so tragically. I wish I read this as a teenager instead of a young adult. I feel like it would’ve hit me harder.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Mental illness, and Alcohol
rachelann88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
2.0
Not for me. Don't think any of the characters were complex enough to be real people and/or were good examples of young love and life. Thoroughly did not enjoy the choices the author made.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Suicidal thoughts
lbooks4's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Some characters are unlikable and the plot is irritating
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
Minor: Suicide attempt and Self harm
sydryan13's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Death
twinkielinkie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness