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electrikreads's review against another edition
3.0
I'm rewriting this review. I love Shaun David Hutchinson's writing and I put this as a 5/5 originally...but there are a lot of issues with this book, from plot holes to ableism that I somehow didn't realize until after the book. I thought I loved this, but just like with All The Bright Places, some time to sit on and think about it made me realize that this book just wasn't as well thought out as I thought it was.
midnighteyesx's review
2.0
Imagine waking up one day and being told by everyone around you that your boyfriend doesn’t exist, has never existed, and you’re the only one who remember them.
The mystery of this is what propels the plot, and what became my sole reason to finish this book. Simply the writer in me wanted to be shocked and surprised and sated, not just shamelessly dangled around obvious possibilities like schizophrenia, or it’s all a simulation, or maybe the universe really IS shrinking etc and I built it up so much in my head that it would be a better resolution that when it finally dropped I actually groaned. Couldn’t thunk the book down onto a hard surface because it was a kindle and price gouging is real right now.
I will *always* reject an ending to a story that makes the entirety of the journey pointless.
The mystery of this is what propels the plot, and what became my sole reason to finish this book. Simply the writer in me wanted to be shocked and surprised and sated, not just shamelessly dangled around obvious possibilities like schizophrenia, or it’s all a simulation, or maybe the universe really IS shrinking etc and I built it up so much in my head that it would be a better resolution that when it finally dropped I actually groaned. Couldn’t thunk the book down onto a hard surface because it was a kindle and price gouging is real right now.
I will *always* reject an ending to a story that makes the entirety of the journey pointless.
mckinlay's review
5.0
i'm gonna have to sit on this one for a few days.
Second read: 4.5 stars. Of all his books this one confuses me the most but man i love the journey!
Second read: 4.5 stars. Of all his books this one confuses me the most but man i love the journey!
cruelcircles's review against another edition
1.0
There will probably be a lot of spoilers in this, so if you clicked the 'open anyway' tab thingy this is just an fyi.
CW for mentions of sexual abuse with a minor, self-harm, and depression/mental illness.
I struggled on giving this 1 or 2 stars, because in hindsight I get it. I get why and how it was written and blah blah blah but I think when I read something and I do not give a flying fuck for the ending or really the entire thing I think that warrants a 1 star. This has such high reviews?? I don't get it. I had to read some other low reviewers so I could be certain in myself because god.
I get writing depressed/mentally ill teens who are messy and make bad choices and it is clearly stated in the author's note this is not a book to go ahead and encourage the way things are handled by the characters within this story but man. I just really did not like the portrayal of... many things in this book. I don't mind reading books where characters self-harm but when it is used I become instantly wary and I just.. don't like the way Calvin's whole plot line was handled. While, ultimately I guess, Calvin's self-harming wasn't such a poor portrayal overall the way it is found out doesn't sit right with me and the way Ozzie centers on it so much for a while, which is valid if it felt more strongly as if he cared about Calvin but that didn't feel like the situation entirely in the beginning, made it feel so plot-driven which I didn't really like. Calvin's history of being sexually abused by his coach also didn't feel like it was handled too well. There was too much going on in this book that suffocated what felt like was meant to be a big thing that when Calvin does (forcibly) get help it was... meh. I don't think I'm getting my point across or wording this correctly so I'll move on but I'm just not happy with it.
Speaking of characters, I don't care for them. Calvin was... alright, I guess. Ozzie I just have no care for and as the MC and only POV that sucked. I just don't have much care for self-centered character POVs I guess, among with many other things I didn't like about him. The little bit of Tommy we got seemed alright, he's fine, but also you get like nothing of him really so. Lua is fine, Dustin is fine, Renny is fine. They're all fine and that's about it I just don't care about them, there's nothing that really had me become attached to them so it made the book a drag.
Speaking of what I thought the plot would be?? Tommy is almost like... irrelevant. Your boyfriend is missing and the universe is shrinking and you want to fix this but so many other things are going on in your present that this is what truly the book is about. The synopsis gives you nothing on what the reality of the book is. Big spoiler: The universe shrinking is Ozzie's delusion (I guess? Ending doesn't really make it clear) and reaction to the fact that Tommy broke up with him.
...... Yeah.
Like, I get it. I guess. But after dragging through 500 pages to get that conclusion when the whole book was chaotic and not satisfying to read. Blah. What I hate is I guess clinging on to Tommy and forgetting he broke up with him and believing the universe is shrinking has many symbolic meanings to Ozzie and his character, but these aspects were made literal too. I'm not the best with symbolism, I don't always pick up on it, so when you make the symbolism a literal force and what is supposed to be the big plot and then that is sort of tossed aside and you just follow some stuck-in-himself teenage boy through his messed up and chaotic senior year? I'm not for it. Like many of the other low reviewers mention, the ending/epilogue of this book takes away from what is sort meant to be "learned" for the characters. I get the ending but I also was just tired of reading this at that point.
I have issues with how things were portrayed, clearly. It's 1 star for me and I don't think it's so horrible that there's nothing to gain for other readers. It's just a messy book and some may like the messiness. But I felt it was handled not the best, that the plot was tossed aside, that the characters were so underwhelming and there just.. was nothing redeeming to it, for me.
(Also the fact the universe was shrinking and the only way to keep checking on that was through scientific sites and maps and whatnot and people slowly forgetting some terms as they diminished was so lame, sorry. I hated it and that is the big sci-fi aspect so. Whatever)
CW for mentions of sexual abuse with a minor, self-harm, and depression/mental illness.
I struggled on giving this 1 or 2 stars, because in hindsight I get it. I get why and how it was written and blah blah blah but I think when I read something and I do not give a flying fuck for the ending or really the entire thing I think that warrants a 1 star. This has such high reviews?? I don't get it. I had to read some other low reviewers so I could be certain in myself because god.
I get writing depressed/mentally ill teens who are messy and make bad choices and it is clearly stated in the author's note this is not a book to go ahead and encourage the way things are handled by the characters within this story but man. I just really did not like the portrayal of... many things in this book. I don't mind reading books where characters self-harm but when it is used I become instantly wary and I just.. don't like the way Calvin's whole plot line was handled. While, ultimately I guess, Calvin's self-harming wasn't such a poor portrayal overall the way it is found out doesn't sit right with me and the way Ozzie centers on it so much for a while, which is valid if it felt more strongly as if he cared about Calvin but that didn't feel like the situation entirely in the beginning, made it feel so plot-driven which I didn't really like. Calvin's history of being sexually abused by his coach also didn't feel like it was handled too well. There was too much going on in this book that suffocated what felt like was meant to be a big thing that when Calvin does (forcibly) get help it was... meh. I don't think I'm getting my point across or wording this correctly so I'll move on but I'm just not happy with it.
Speaking of characters, I don't care for them. Calvin was... alright, I guess. Ozzie I just have no care for and as the MC and only POV that sucked. I just don't have much care for self-centered character POVs I guess, among with many other things I didn't like about him. The little bit of Tommy we got seemed alright, he's fine, but also you get like nothing of him really so. Lua is fine, Dustin is fine, Renny is fine. They're all fine and that's about it I just don't care about them, there's nothing that really had me become attached to them so it made the book a drag.
Speaking of what I thought the plot would be?? Tommy is almost like... irrelevant. Your boyfriend is missing and the universe is shrinking and you want to fix this but so many other things are going on in your present that this is what truly the book is about. The synopsis gives you nothing on what the reality of the book is. Big spoiler: The universe shrinking is Ozzie's delusion (I guess? Ending doesn't really make it clear) and reaction to the fact that Tommy broke up with him.
...... Yeah.
Like, I get it. I guess. But after dragging through 500 pages to get that conclusion when the whole book was chaotic and not satisfying to read. Blah. What I hate is I guess clinging on to Tommy and forgetting he broke up with him and believing the universe is shrinking has many symbolic meanings to Ozzie and his character, but these aspects were made literal too. I'm not the best with symbolism, I don't always pick up on it, so when you make the symbolism a literal force and what is supposed to be the big plot and then that is sort of tossed aside and you just follow some stuck-in-himself teenage boy through his messed up and chaotic senior year? I'm not for it. Like many of the other low reviewers mention, the ending/epilogue of this book takes away from what is sort meant to be "learned" for the characters. I get the ending but I also was just tired of reading this at that point.
I have issues with how things were portrayed, clearly. It's 1 star for me and I don't think it's so horrible that there's nothing to gain for other readers. It's just a messy book and some may like the messiness. But I felt it was handled not the best, that the plot was tossed aside, that the characters were so underwhelming and there just.. was nothing redeeming to it, for me.
(Also the fact the universe was shrinking and the only way to keep checking on that was through scientific sites and maps and whatnot and people slowly forgetting some terms as they diminished was so lame, sorry. I hated it and that is the big sci-fi aspect so. Whatever)
shinesalot's review
4.0
Stayed up way past my bedtime to finish this emotional roller coaster. Lots of drama while the universe is shrinking...intense read!! Hutchinson is such an incredible writer. I am drawn to his characters and they are achingly real and believable. In this book he includes a gender-fluid character who is best friends with the protagonist and both are people you want to root for and/or hang out with at a coffee shop. Hutchinson also deals with depression and mental illness in very creative ways I feel like teens in difficult situations will appreciate the way Hutchinson writes about truly difficult topics, in this case, rape (by a teacher) and depression.
One thing I didn't love was that this book is very similar to We are the Ants - both books have a heavy science component - Ozzie, the main character believes the universe is shrinking, similar to the main character in We are the Ants believing he is being abducted by aliens. I personally like the alien angle better...and At the Edge is done differently, there is magic realism and I am not sure I liked it, but I still really like the book and I think it will resonate with teens.
One thing I didn't love was that this book is very similar to We are the Ants - both books have a heavy science component - Ozzie, the main character believes the universe is shrinking, similar to the main character in We are the Ants believing he is being abducted by aliens. I personally like the alien angle better...and At the Edge is done differently, there is magic realism and I am not sure I liked it, but I still really like the book and I think it will resonate with teens.
mesy_mark's review
4.0
Ozzie has lost not only his best friend but his boyfriend as well. One day Tommy exited the next no one in the every shrinking universe knows that he is missing or the universe is shrinking. Ozzie has spent the last six months looking for the boy he loves and in doing so feels like he'll never get a grasp on the reality he knew.
I am very impressed by this book and what it accomplished. It covered very hard issues including different forms of abuse and dealing with diverse characters. I was a tad bit let down at the end in the whole universe thing but I don't know where elsewhere the author could have to lead the book. I found my heartache for the ending as well. It works on what comes our way in life and what eventually moves on around it till it at its own edge.
It was a touching thrilling ride where I wish there would be a sequel to see all the characters again.
I am very impressed by this book and what it accomplished. It covered very hard issues including different forms of abuse and dealing with diverse characters. I was a tad bit let down at the end in the whole universe thing but I don't know where elsewhere the author could have to lead the book. I found my heartache for the ending as well. It works on what comes our way in life and what eventually moves on around it till it at its own edge.
It was a touching thrilling ride where I wish there would be a sequel to see all the characters again.
sidneyellwood's review
3.0
Okay: for the most part, I really liked this book. Most of this book was 4 stars, solid. I loved We Are the Ants; this book is very similar in that it's sci-fi-ish but mostly contemporary, and deals with loss. In a way, it was nearly too similar - I found both protagonists to be largely the same.
Nevertheless, it was a good book, and it explores a lot of really complex and difficult subjects intertwined with the plot of the universe shrinking, though the sci-fi aspect wasn't as well integrated as I had hoped. Ozzie was a good, sarcastic character; I really enjoyed his narration. Calvin ... oh my god, I loved Calvin and wanted to hug him; he was probably my favourite character. Lua was incredibly badass and so cool.
I really appreciate the diversity - Hutchinson has always written about gay teen boys, but nearly every major teen character is queer - genderfluid, bisexual, asexual. I'm a bit disappointed that the asexual character came at the expense of stereotyping an East Asian boy, making him super smart and asexual.
And now: the ending.
Nevertheless, it was a good book, and it explores a lot of really complex and difficult subjects intertwined with the plot of the universe shrinking, though the sci-fi aspect wasn't as well integrated as I had hoped. Ozzie was a good, sarcastic character; I really enjoyed his narration. Calvin ... oh my god, I loved Calvin and wanted to hug him; he was probably my favourite character. Lua was incredibly badass and so cool.
I really appreciate the diversity - Hutchinson has always written about gay teen boys, but nearly every major teen character is queer - genderfluid, bisexual, asexual. I'm a bit disappointed that the asexual character came at the expense of stereotyping an East Asian boy, making him super smart and asexual.
And now: the ending.
Spoiler
This is the main reason that I knocked it down a star. Because for everyone but Ozzie, nothing in the story fucking happened. It made the story feel inconsequential, and it was never explained in any way. I really wish we'd gotten an explanation or consequences; I wish that Calvin and Ozzie's relationship still remained in some way, and I wish that everything that happened during most of the book still resonated with the characters at the end. It felt futile.joyousreads132's review
4.0
Only Hutchinson can pull off low-key infusing Sci-Fi in an otherwise a contemporary fiction. I'll have to read this book again.