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amandatacklestbr's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
aflaine's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
monat2's review
5.0
a short novella that i finished in one sitting and the first book that made me cry real tears in a long long time… it was a kind of hard to get into at first but once in, it's just so beautiful -- the prose, the switching narrator POVs, the raw, heartbreaking emotions… overall, an incredibly creative, inventive exploration of grief, loss, intergenerational trauma, sibling relationships, gender/sexual identity, and mental health through the lens of time travel and storytelling.
meixiaotian's review
4.0
The premise of this story is very good. And its execution, in the first half, was excellent. It was emotional, with lovely prose, and overall quite effective. I’d give it 5 stars.
But the second half felt messier, like the author fell in love with a different set of characters & wanted to make one of them a protagonist. It could have worked if it were presented differently, but it just felt like exposition about characters I barely knew. The expanded characters and themes presented in the second half also felt like a little too much to work in the length of the story.
I read the short story a while ago and really liked the premise, but it felt like the story only set up, but didn’t go very far with, the “sister time traveling to save her brother” concept. The novella gets further, but the conclusion is still open-ended enough that I didn’t find it satisfying.
But the second half felt messier, like the author fell in love with a different set of characters & wanted to make one of them a protagonist. It could have worked if it were presented differently, but it just felt like exposition about characters I barely knew. The expanded characters and themes presented in the second half also felt like a little too much to work in the length of the story.
I read the short story a while ago and really liked the premise, but it felt like the story only set up, but didn’t go very far with, the “sister time traveling to save her brother” concept. The novella gets further, but the conclusion is still open-ended enough that I didn’t find it satisfying.
aambree's review
dark
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.0
incigiru's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Homophobia, Death, and Suicide
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
treestostars's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Physical abuse and Suicide
mayastone's review against another edition
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
_nettielove_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
tyrshand's review
5.0
I've been pondering this book for days now, trying to figure out what to say and how to say it. I don't know that I'm really there yet, but after watching "Midnight Mass" on Netflix, maybe I have some coherent thoughts.
Both stories explore what death means and what trying to avoid it does, though the show is obviously a horror rather than fantasy story, though I would also say that the character arcs are equally horrific -- but also strangely beautiful. Both stories are incredibly moving and don't pull their punches and, in the end, reach similar conclusions about what comes after. There's the grief and tragedy and trauma, for sure. It's not GOOD to die before your time. But... maybe what comes after isn't the worst.
Of course, that's where the two stories diverge with their messages. "Midnight Mass" is about outside forces, whereas "And This is How to Stay Alive" begins with a suicide. And believe me, reading about a queer person deciding they can't last in this world is typically the LAST thing I want to read about. I understand if that keeps you away from this. But, despite the tragedy, the musings on death and hopelessness were cathartic rather than misery porn. There's a lot of guilt to go around with the different perspectives, but not really blame, I think. (also, I typically dislike books with multiple POVs because they just slow everything down... but this tiny book used the POVs perfectly) A bit that resonated with me was how being "rescued" can feel from the other side... It certainly has me thinking about when I get into rescue mode, but also how I feel when I need it...
Anyway, I am ridiculously impressed with how much power and insight and emotion was packed into a hundred pages and I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.
Merged review:
I've been pondering this book for days now, trying to figure out what to say and how to say it. I don't know that I'm really there yet, but after watching "Midnight Mass" on Netflix, maybe I have some coherent thoughts.
Both stories explore what death means and what trying to avoid it does, though the show is obviously a horror rather than fantasy story, though I would also say that the character arcs are equally horrific -- but also strangely beautiful. Both stories are incredibly moving and don't pull their punches and, in the end, reach similar conclusions about what comes after. There's the grief and tragedy and trauma, for sure. It's not GOOD to die before your time. But... maybe what comes after isn't the worst.
Of course, that's where the two stories diverge with their messages. "Midnight Mass" is about outside forces, whereas "And This is How to Stay Alive" begins with a suicide. And believe me, reading about a queer person deciding they can't last in this world is typically the LAST thing I want to read about. I understand if that keeps you away from this. But, despite the tragedy, the musings on death and hopelessness were cathartic rather than misery porn. There's a lot of guilt to go around with the different perspectives, but not really blame, I think. (also, I typically dislike books with multiple POVs because they just slow everything down... but this tiny book used the POVs perfectly) A bit that resonated with me was how being "rescued" can feel from the other side... It certainly has me thinking about when I get into rescue mode, but also how I feel when I need it...
Anyway, I am ridiculously impressed with how much power and insight and emotion was packed into a hundred pages and I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.
Both stories explore what death means and what trying to avoid it does, though the show is obviously a horror rather than fantasy story, though I would also say that the character arcs are equally horrific -- but also strangely beautiful. Both stories are incredibly moving and don't pull their punches and, in the end, reach similar conclusions about what comes after. There's the grief and tragedy and trauma, for sure. It's not GOOD to die before your time. But... maybe what comes after isn't the worst.
Of course, that's where the two stories diverge with their messages. "Midnight Mass" is about outside forces, whereas "And This is How to Stay Alive" begins with a suicide. And believe me, reading about a queer person deciding they can't last in this world is typically the LAST thing I want to read about. I understand if that keeps you away from this. But, despite the tragedy, the musings on death and hopelessness were cathartic rather than misery porn. There's a lot of guilt to go around with the different perspectives, but not really blame, I think. (also, I typically dislike books with multiple POVs because they just slow everything down... but this tiny book used the POVs perfectly) A bit that resonated with me was how being "rescued" can feel from the other side... It certainly has me thinking about when I get into rescue mode, but also how I feel when I need it...
Anyway, I am ridiculously impressed with how much power and insight and emotion was packed into a hundred pages and I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.
Merged review:
I've been pondering this book for days now, trying to figure out what to say and how to say it. I don't know that I'm really there yet, but after watching "Midnight Mass" on Netflix, maybe I have some coherent thoughts.
Both stories explore what death means and what trying to avoid it does, though the show is obviously a horror rather than fantasy story, though I would also say that the character arcs are equally horrific -- but also strangely beautiful. Both stories are incredibly moving and don't pull their punches and, in the end, reach similar conclusions about what comes after. There's the grief and tragedy and trauma, for sure. It's not GOOD to die before your time. But... maybe what comes after isn't the worst.
Of course, that's where the two stories diverge with their messages. "Midnight Mass" is about outside forces, whereas "And This is How to Stay Alive" begins with a suicide. And believe me, reading about a queer person deciding they can't last in this world is typically the LAST thing I want to read about. I understand if that keeps you away from this. But, despite the tragedy, the musings on death and hopelessness were cathartic rather than misery porn. There's a lot of guilt to go around with the different perspectives, but not really blame, I think. (also, I typically dislike books with multiple POVs because they just slow everything down... but this tiny book used the POVs perfectly) A bit that resonated with me was how being "rescued" can feel from the other side... It certainly has me thinking about when I get into rescue mode, but also how I feel when I need it...
Anyway, I am ridiculously impressed with how much power and insight and emotion was packed into a hundred pages and I'll be thinking about this book for a long time.