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its_vendetta's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
However the plot felt a little all over the place sometimes, and the inclusion of so many side characters felt overwhelming.
Overall, loved how flawed Hunter is as a character. It felt very realistic. However, I wished the side characters were more developed and the plot and struggles they go through were looked at more closely instead of just brushing by them. I also wish that the romance was more developed as well. My enjoyment with this book was about 4.5 stars, but with all my notes and the problems i’d put it at a 3.25.
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Racism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying and Alcohol
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, Body shaming, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail
donttellmomwhatimreading's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Xenophobia
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Death of parent, Sexual content, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, and Fatphobia
ginkansas's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Islamophobia, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, and Racism
parasolcrafter's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
the characters are underdeveloped and some hinge solely on stereotypes, a couple are barely there (like why were owen and especially ian there so scarcely??? makes no sense!!!) despite the fact that the book focuses on a boy band who are all, seemingly, best friends, and overall none of them are all that likeable. hunter is a self-obsessed boy who seems to think the world revolves around the fact that hes a bottom (did the author think if he didnt mention the fact that hunter is a bottom in every chapter that we'd forget??? made me so mad. shut up about it.), kaivan is okay but has almost no personality, aidan is the stereotypical bitter ex, and ashton is just...there. nothing of note really happens in the book either...? like it doesnt break any ground. doesnt do anything new. doesnt really pose any questions about society. it was all so shallow
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Alcohol, Body shaming, Classism, Cultural appropriation, and Racism
Minor: Fatphobia and Death of parent
love_bookswillbetheendofme's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Kaivan didn't seem to do as much growing, but I felt that his relationship with Hunter was genuine and sweet.
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Racism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Body shaming
bookhoarderbea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Outing, and Racism
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Sexism, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
anil's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Moderate: Alcohol, Homophobia, Racism, Body shaming, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
Career ending injurywrensandroses's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Racism, Xenophobia, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, and Body shaming
Minor: Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, and Fatphobia
obscurepages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Body shaming
Minor: Racism
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
One of the things that works so well for this book is the news articles, blog posts, email chains, and text conversations between chapters. Not only does it help provide context for Kiss and Tell's success as a band, but it also provides the reader with what's happening in the broader pop culture elements of their world. We also get character growth in these articles, and they're just so clever.
And the characters! If there's one thing that Khorram excels at it's writing characters. Yes, Hunter is messy and a bit self-centered and a boy who thinks he has to take everything on by himself. The dynamic he has with Kaivan evolves and it's quite adorable, honestly. They had great chemistry as a couple.
Underneath the boy band drama of the book, Khorram also touches on important issues, like society's expectations for gay people in the spotlight, racism in the music industry, and the tolls of a public persona. While I do wish that some of the race stuff was explored a little more, Hunter does grow a lot in this aspect. By the end, I do feel like he realizes he has privilege in ways that his band members do not.
I do wish that there were maybe like 30 more pages in the story? I just wanted a bit more resolution at the end, to see a little more after all that goes down with Hunter and the band. Plus, I wanted to see Hunter and Kaivan's relationship expand a little more there at the end.
All in all, this is a fantastic addition to Khorram's already fantastic books, and I can't wait to see what he does next!
Graphic: Homophobia, Body shaming, and Racism
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Alcohol, and Sexual content
Minor: Death of parent, Car accident, and Fatphobia