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nora_mcgowan's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
utopiastateofmind's review
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Dear Wendy was the best hug. Featuring dual POV, it's an opposites, rivals, to friendship. A testament to the idea that we have more in common with our rivals than we might think. It's also a book which celebrates the feeling of knowing we aren't alone. That there are people who feel the same as we do, people who know how it feels. Featuring aromantic and asexual representation, Dear Wendy explores themes of representation, queer erasure, and the allosexual and alloromantic nature of society.
Dear Wendy was the best hug. Featuring dual POV, it's an opposites, rivals, to friendship. A testament to the idea that we have more in common with our rivals than we might think. It's also a book which celebrates the feeling of knowing we aren't alone. That there are people who feel the same as we do, people who know how it feels. Featuring aromantic and asexual representation, Dear Wendy explores themes of representation, queer erasure, and the allosexual and alloromantic nature of society.
runealin's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
3.5
pale_faced_fear's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
2.75
v_gonz's review
3.25
Ok, firstly, I want to say how much I love aro and ace stories just existing and being published. An an aroace person myself, I am so happy that these stories are slowly becoming more commonplace in literature. That being said, I didn't love this book, which made me a little sad. I think that there was a lot of over-explaining in a clunky way that took me out of the story pretty often. I just think the manner in which information was given to the reader was awkward. I also don't think that the plot was very strong, in that the whole social media feud was way less important than I thought it would be. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, I just personally prefer more defined plots. I did love the last quarter of this book, I think that plot and character development happened way more naturally in a way that made me look back on when I was first figuring out my identity.
Overall, I think that this would be a good book if you're interested in aromantic and asexual identities and want something that isn't a love story, but with the stipulation that it might be a little clunky at times.
Overall, I think that this would be a good book if you're interested in aromantic and asexual identities and want something that isn't a love story, but with the stipulation that it might be a little clunky at times.
november_rain's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
thepetitepunk's review
3.0
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A solid, middle-of-the-road book for me. If you like lighthearted contemporaries that focus on identity, this is a great pick. Plus, it's one of the rare YA books (and actually YA, not adult/new adult) that's set in college!
The strongest element for sure was the aro/ace representation, which is what I came for. It did a good job of capturing the fact that asexuality is a spectrum and normalized it as an identity. Everything else though was a bit more rocky. Most noticeably for me was the voice/writing style. I'm constantly clamoring for YA books set in college, so I definitely didn't want this to sound like an adult book; however, both characters' voices sounded incredibly juvenile. I'm always hesitant to use that word when it comes to critiquing YA because there's nothing worse than an adult reviewer complaining that the teens in a teen book sound too much like teens--doesn't make sense. But in the case of Dear Wendy, the voice bordered on sounding like middle grade. I do think that there's a place for YA books with a younger voice since there are YA books with much younger characters, but for this book, it made it difficult to believe that these characters were in college.
Regarding the plot, I wasn't very invested in the whole Instagram feud thing. I do think that's connected with the juvenile voice thing though. It just felt like such a sudden, unrealistic thing to get so disproportionately mad over. It kind of reminded me of Season 4 of Sex Education (which I love), but with not enough dramatic moments to lead to such dramatic responses. The feud honestly made me really dislike Sophie and Jo, as it brought out a mean side to both of them that I couldn't enjoy (unlike in Sex Education, where everyone is kind of mean and toxic, but I fully enjoy it).
And then the last thing that's probably more of a personal thing but who knows: I wish the Wellesley love was toned down a bit. It became distracting, and it sort of chipped away at the relatability of the book, which I think is important in identity-based YA contemporaries. It wasn't the end of the world and it might not be an issue for other people, but I thought it created distance between the author and the reader.
Despite my long, fleshed-out list of cons, I still thought it was an enjoyable, easy read. If you're looking for ace rep and some bantering, this is a decent pick.
A solid, middle-of-the-road book for me. If you like lighthearted contemporaries that focus on identity, this is a great pick. Plus, it's one of the rare YA books (and actually YA, not adult/new adult) that's set in college!
The strongest element for sure was the aro/ace representation, which is what I came for. It did a good job of capturing the fact that asexuality is a spectrum and normalized it as an identity. Everything else though was a bit more rocky. Most noticeably for me was the voice/writing style. I'm constantly clamoring for YA books set in college, so I definitely didn't want this to sound like an adult book; however, both characters' voices sounded incredibly juvenile. I'm always hesitant to use that word when it comes to critiquing YA because there's nothing worse than an adult reviewer complaining that the teens in a teen book sound too much like teens--doesn't make sense. But in the case of Dear Wendy, the voice bordered on sounding like middle grade. I do think that there's a place for YA books with a younger voice since there are YA books with much younger characters, but for this book, it made it difficult to believe that these characters were in college.
Regarding the plot, I wasn't very invested in the whole Instagram feud thing. I do think that's connected with the juvenile voice thing though. It just felt like such a sudden, unrealistic thing to get so disproportionately mad over. It kind of reminded me of Season 4 of Sex Education (which I love), but with not enough dramatic moments to lead to such dramatic responses. The feud honestly made me really dislike Sophie and Jo, as it brought out a mean side to both of them that I couldn't enjoy (unlike in Sex Education, where everyone is kind of mean and toxic, but I fully enjoy it).
And then the last thing that's probably more of a personal thing but who knows: I wish the Wellesley love was toned down a bit. It became distracting, and it sort of chipped away at the relatability of the book, which I think is important in identity-based YA contemporaries. It wasn't the end of the world and it might not be an issue for other people, but I thought it created distance between the author and the reader.
Despite my long, fleshed-out list of cons, I still thought it was an enjoyable, easy read. If you're looking for ace rep and some bantering, this is a decent pick.
susanpevensie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
slow-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
3.75
morganvw's review against another edition
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
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
4.0
4/5 rounded up - really enjoyed this YA book about aro/ace main characters. as someone with family and friends who are aro and/or ace but don't know a ton about it in particular, it was so nice to hear about an experience i can't completely relate to, but can read with keeping my loved ones in mind. i love that the moral of the story is people can have life companions that aren't always going to be romantic and it's not weird or different, it just is.