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bickleyhouse's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Sadie and Sam (Mazur) meet as young children when Sam is in the hospital during one of the many surgeries done in attempts to save the foot that was pretty much destroyed in an auto accident. He had not talked to anyone in six months. Sadie is there visiting her sister who has some kind of cancer. When Sadie goes down the hall in hopes of playing on a Nintendo set, Sam is already there playing. The not only strike up a conversation, the begin to play Mario Brothers together. Sam teacher Sadie how to get Mario to land on top of the flagpole at the end of the level. This begins a lifelong friendship, but that friendship also turns out to be a love/hate relationship.
Sadie and Sam wind up writing video games together, but not before a long period where they aren't speaking to one another. The create a game together that takes the world by storm. They create a company, and other people get involved, with whom they also become friends.
There is so much emotion in this book. Apparently, someone thinks it falls in the romance category. I don't really see that, myself. It definitely fits in literary fiction, I think, and possible historical fiction, because it begins in an era of games like King's Quest, Mario Brothers, and even mentions Leisure Suit Larry (I got a HUGE kick out of that shoutout!). The thing is, Sadie and Sam are both extremely broken people. So broken that they literally cannot sustain any kind of relationship for any length of time. Add Marx (the guy who winds up being the CEO of their company), who "dates" girls (and guys), but never for more than a month or two, and the mixture gets even more complex.
The saddest thing, which, in my opinion, puts this book firmly in the "tragedy" camp, is that Sadie and Sam really, truly love each other. But both of them never realize it at the same time. Both of them have very annoying streaks about them, as well (refer to aforementioned "broken" statement), which is one of the reasons that I nearly hated the book, at times.
Like I said, it gave me all the feels, both negative and positive, and that, I think, makes it a five-star read. Ms Zevin has delivered a masterpiece.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read, but especially for fans of video games. But don't get fooled into thinking it's a science fiction story, because it is not.
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual assault, and Drug abuse
Minor: Abortion
kyriannaj's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Car accident, Blood, Cancer, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Classism, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Alcohol, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Drug use, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, and Sexual violence
blairsatellite's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Suicide, Abortion, Medical trauma, Vomit, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Cursing, Ableism, Mass/school shootings, Cancer, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Hate crime, Drug use, Drug abuse, Death, Chronic illness, Car accident, Antisemitism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Gore, Cultural appropriation, Classism, and Terminal illness
nancyalicerose's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Mass/school shootings, Grief, Sexual violence, and Suicide
Moderate: Physical abuse, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Terminal illness, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Minor: Drug abuse and Ableism
a_novi's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Blood, Chronic illness, Car accident, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Murder, and Gun violence
fancyjess_party's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Self harm, Racism, Panic attacks/disorders, Murder, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Hate crime, Dysphoria, Drug use, Car accident, Bullying, Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Ableism, Suicide, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Medical content, Eating disorder, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Torture, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Rape, Physical abuse, Cancer, Sexism, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Xenophobia, Violence, and Toxic relationship
smreads24's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Suicide, Gun violence, and Physical abuse
Minor: Drug abuse
hdunscombe's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, and Mass/school shootings
Moderate: Death of parent, Drug abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Blood, Chronic illness, Sexual content, Grief, and Violence
Minor: Cancer
marippe's review against another edition
- 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
og rating: 3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Fatphobia, Chronic illness, Cancer, Medical trauma, Sexism, Vomit, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Suicide, Death, Racism, Abortion, Car accident, Infidelity, Misogyny, Antisemitism, Blood, Pregnancy, Sexual assault, Classism, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Drug abuse, Drug use, Cultural appropriation, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, and Xenophobia
getlostmatilda's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Homophobia, Death of parent, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Drug use, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Car accident, Hate crime, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Abortion