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allysonclark's review against another edition
2.0
So I understand why some people liked this book, but it wasn't for me. I struggled to connect with many of the narrators, not only because their perspective seemed overly stereotypical, but because there is so little time spent on individual POVs. And I know that the whole point of the book was to confront small-town homophobia/transphobia, but reading it was too difficult for me to enjoy, especially because the overall book felt more unrealistic fairytale-y (for lack of better description) than I hoped for. I did find that switching from audiobook to ebook made the book considerably more readable for me, because hearing detailed acts of homophobia was... rougher than just reading them. Overall, not my cup of tea, which I frankly did guess early on from the definition of "heteroshaming" on the second page.
wall0w's review against another edition
I didn't realise this story was basically an interconnected collection of short stories and I'm not invested in following a bunch of characters in this town
kindallkm's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
thebooklovingpanda's review against another edition
3.0
It's really hard to rate this - it is very readable and I enjoyed it, but also I kept wondering where the book was going.
On the one hand, I wouldn't call it plot-driven as it's more like lots of interconnected short stories following different members of the Big Burr community over the space of two (and eight additional) years), but I also don't see it as being character-driven either because you don't get enough time with any character (save Gabe, perhaps) to follow a complete arc that is shown and not told.
Full RTC!
shivholl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
shannon_reidwheat's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 I can't give this a 4, even though I really wanted to. There were a few things that bugged me too much. Some dialogue I didn't really feel added to the story, introduction of too many characters and then not wrapping up some of those characters.
I did like the premise of the story and the Kansas connection though. Being a lesbian living in a town of 145 in Kansas, I could definitely relate.
I did like the premise of the story and the Kansas connection though. Being a lesbian living in a town of 145 in Kansas, I could definitely relate.
jsrogers123's review against another edition
4.0
Very confused what book some of the reviewers read that they considered this book wish fulfillment or fantasy, because this book was frequently sad as shit. The hardest part was reading this and seeing how much it reminded me of my hometown.
I love interconnected short stories, but I didn’t realize that’s what this was, so it took me a second to understand the structure
I love interconnected short stories, but I didn’t realize that’s what this was, so it took me a second to understand the structure
minniemueller's review against another edition
5.0
An easy read but still thought provoking, the characters stayed with me for a long time. Loved it, it's so much more than a queer YA book.