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4.09 AVERAGE
4.09 AVERAGE
Simple and it gets all the way through your heart
I think it deserves to be read, to understand why is so deep now in my heart and mind. I'm sad and heartbroken but at the same time happy.
I think it deserves to be read, to understand why is so deep now in my heart and mind. I'm sad and heartbroken but at the same time happy.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really beautifully written. A heartwrenching story about a teen struggling with the loss of her uncle to AIDS in the 1980s. I felt so many emotions reading this - compassion, anger, frustration. But the way grief is handled by the main character was beautiful to me. There was one part of the plot (minor) I didn't love - or maybe didn't understand the purpose?
Throughout the book, one thought kept popping up, amongst the feelings of frustration and empathy, “what a waste”. The homophobia and meaness surrounding the story, and the time and life wasted because of misunderstanding and fear, all made me feel sad. Love should just be simple. Us, humans are not very good at keeping things simple.
I do love the painting and how they communicated through it.
I do love the painting and how they communicated through it.
As a mom, reading about a girl who was holding so many secrets from her family was difficult-- especially since the secret involved a man the mom did not like. In that aspect, June was naive and too-trusting, typical of girls her age.
As a reader, I really enjoyed this book. My rating fluctuated between a 4 and a 5 as I read it. I loved reading about the 80's trends: using Sun-In to become blonde, applying Bonne Bell lip gloss (I remember a specific 80s Bonne Bell ad in Teen magazine, but that product wasn't sold in my hometown), entering computer code in class (30 Run and causing the screen to fill up with a word or sentence), and smelling Jean Nate perfume.
This novel shows a fourteen-year-old girl transitioning from being a girl to a young woman. She fumbles with her burgeoning sexuality, not knowing where to place her feelings appropriately. What I most appreciated with this story is June's realization that the world and the people around her are not as one-dimensional as she's always believed.
I found this title when I was looking for novels dealing with AIDS. While AIDS in the 80s is always in the characters' minds, the novel is really about love, acceptance, and the realization that situations and people are more complicated than they first appear... and the realization that people and situations may be unnecessarily complicated.
As a reader, I really enjoyed this book. My rating fluctuated between a 4 and a 5 as I read it. I loved reading about the 80's trends: using Sun-In to become blonde, applying Bonne Bell lip gloss (I remember a specific 80s Bonne Bell ad in Teen magazine, but that product wasn't sold in my hometown), entering computer code in class (30 Run and causing the screen to fill up with a word or sentence), and smelling Jean Nate perfume.
This novel shows a fourteen-year-old girl transitioning from being a girl to a young woman. She fumbles with her burgeoning sexuality, not knowing where to place her feelings appropriately. What I most appreciated with this story is June's realization that the world and the people around her are not as one-dimensional as she's always believed.
I found this title when I was looking for novels dealing with AIDS. While AIDS in the 80s is always in the characters' minds, the novel is really about love, acceptance, and the realization that situations and people are more complicated than they first appear... and the realization that people and situations may be unnecessarily complicated.
I'm crying too much right now to write a review. But I loved this book so much.
I simply LOVED this book. Every character -- June, Finn, Toby, Greta, Danni -- was beautifully written. The book is poignant and heartbreaking and coming-of-age and coming-to-terms with the complexities of family relationships, especially siblings. Perhaps because I'm estranged from my own brother, I was deeply moved by the sibling relationships, both June/Greta and Finn/Danni.
As the author's notes at the end point out, many of the places in the book (the woods, the storage unit in the apartment, the safety deposit vault at the bank) have an element of magic and mystery. This book was lyrical without being over the top. The time period (late 1980s) was perfectly described, with its teenage freedom sans cell phones, and confusion and fear about AIDS. The dispensing of the parents because of their accounting careers during tax season gave June the freedom to develop her friendship with Toby, and though I as a parent was troubled by the secrecy, I as a reader was wrapped into her world.
Simply a gorgeously written book. This was the author's debut novel, and I checked to see what other novels she has written -- none yet, but when she does, I will definitely want to read it.
As the author's notes at the end point out, many of the places in the book (the woods, the storage unit in the apartment, the safety deposit vault at the bank) have an element of magic and mystery. This book was lyrical without being over the top. The time period (late 1980s) was perfectly described, with its teenage freedom sans cell phones, and confusion and fear about AIDS. The dispensing of the parents because of their accounting careers during tax season gave June the freedom to develop her friendship with Toby, and though I as a parent was troubled by the secrecy, I as a reader was wrapped into her world.
Simply a gorgeously written book. This was the author's debut novel, and I checked to see what other novels she has written -- none yet, but when she does, I will definitely want to read it.
too slow for the mood I'm in right now
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Terminal illness
Moderate: Homophobia
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated