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thegr1mreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Rape, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Confinement, Sexual assault, Murder, Child abuse, and Bullying
Moderate: Rape, Sexual harassment, Gun violence, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Medical content, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Child death, Sexual assault, War, Torture, Grief, Confinement, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Kidnapping
Minor: Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Racism, and Sexual harassment
laurenvoice's review against another edition
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
However, I am not quite seeing why people are obsessed with Aaron Warner yet; I am guessing he improves at some point in the series; at the moment, he seems sadistic.
The reason I didn't give Shatter Me a higher rating is because there seems to be a lack of respect for consent in this book; how many times does a girl have to say to not touch her for the boys in this book to get it. The boys in this book are extremely hormonal, like they haven't seen a girl before. And both Warner and Adam seem to treat Juliette like an object that they own, which didn't sit too well with me. Considering this book is a dystopian romance for a young adult audience, having some healthier-looking relationship flags would have been good, especially around the topic of consent.
Nonetheless, I am looking forward to continuing this series. I am intrigued by what comes next with Warner, and seeing more Kenji; he was hilarious.
Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, and Forced institutionalization
Moderate: Death, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Child death, and Torture
themoodreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Blood, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Confinement, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Torture, and Suicidal thoughts
soyboi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Gaslighting, Grief, Torture, Child abuse, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Murder
andatherrin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, and Death
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, and Xenophobia
Minor: Child abuse
lalaslibrary's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Death, Blood, Ableism, and Child abuse
sweetsxrrxw's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
the first time i read this book i was in a reading slump of about two years. a-levels and the pandemic had messed up my mental health. those two factors plus my lack of money had killed my motivation to pick a book. but, one evening summer i felt sad and desperate to bring back my love for reading. luckily, i bumped into the shatter me series; my slump was cured and, to celebrate the anniversary of that i decided to re-read it.
during this whole year i have not only finished the series but also read several opinions about this first book: people who love it and people who think it's awful or, at least, the worst book in the saga. now that i have re-read it, with all of this new information, i was allowed to view things from another perspective.
let me start talking about the writing style. i get why many people disliked it. i really do. but i can also understand why the author chose it, and i think it was mainly to show how fucked up juliette was. of course it is weird to see numbers in every page and and how she expresses herself. but, think about it, she had been locked for eight full months. she was isolated and convinced, since her childhood, that she was a monster and a terrible human being and deserved nothing (for something she could not decide or control).
personally, if i were in her place, i would have gone nuts and i wouldn't stand being alive. juliette, instead, decided to entertain herself by counting and daydreaming. that was her only escape. the only thing that kept her sane and the only way she had to give herself a break from her intrusive, depressing thoughts. so i would like to believe that the narration was meant to express juliette's state of mind.
now, if we talk about the characters... can i just say i love them all? im not trying to make this review super long so im just going to try to focus on their personalities during this book.
juliette is just very small and fragile during this book but she slowly grows into a more confident person who, for the first time in her life, feels like has control over her choices and can make bonds with other people without being scared. her traumas and backstory are heartbreaking but i am just so happy that she is able to overcome everything.
kenji is just the love of my life, lmao. he was the first man who made me realize i have a thing for funny and sarcastic side characters ;) i love the fact that, even if he's introduced like kind of a sneaky, womanizer character, he is actually very loyal and trustworthy.
it was nice to read again about warner with the knowledge i have now. i had context for some of the things he did (such as giving clothes to juliette or getting upset when she mentioned his mom). overall, i think he was a good villain in this book!
my unpopular opinion about adam is that i dont really hate him. yes i am aware of everything he does in the next books but i feel like tahereh just gave him a radical personality change so aaron could step in. i refuse to believe that shatter me adam would act the way he did in the other books just because of jealousy. he has always been in love with juliette and, even if she's not his girlfriend anymore, i don't think he would ever do something to hurt her.
AND JAMES !!! this kiddo owned my heart since the first book, fr.
on the other hand, i have lots of blue underlined quotes in the book. as i said in the beginning, this feels like an excerpt of how juliette felt like at her worst. so i just emphasized and felt so sad for her during the book. but there's this one quote which, even last year, made me think "bro, i really love this book". and it's the conversation juliette has with winston, validating kenji's anger and asking winston not to be a hypocrite and to learn how to pronounce kenji's "difficult" last name. as someone with a difficult name, i will always appreciate reading that dialogue <3
i have not re-read the other books from the series yet but i'd just like to say that this one is very special to me and i really hope that, with time, it becomes one of my comfort bookish series. <3
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Abandonment
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Emotional abuse
emilija_l's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Death, Blood, Child death, Gun violence, and Violence
Minor: Rape
molly_rose's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, Confinement, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, Gun violence, Torture, and War
sillih28's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book was the perfect mixture of a dramatic plot line, character development and a sizzling romance!! I am obsessed with Juliette as well as Adam, but even side characters like Kenji or Villains like Warner stole my heart! Every character in this book is writing so incredibly charming it took my breath away!
I recommend this book the everyone who likes a good fantasy romance,, and even though it didn't get steamy in this book, there are many more books to follow and I'm incredibly excited to go on this adventure!!
Graphic: Blood, Gun violence, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment and Abandonment
Minor: Child death and Death