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ackopec's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
Yes, some of this did hit me in the gut. However this has always come up on books with ace characters, so I assumed Frances would be ace. Yet we’re relegated to a side (if important) character again, and mentioned once.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Alcohol
mightyfrenchbookworm's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
fast-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? Yes
4.25
Très bon roman "coming of age" qui se lit très rapidement. On y aborde plusieurs sujets qui touchent de près ou de loin les adolescents; la pression sociale, la pression/anxiété de performance, les changements de situation AKA l'université, les relations interpersonnelles (famille, amour, amitié), l'orientation sexuelle... Bref, c'était chargé de sujet sans être lourd. Contrairement à ce que certains critiquaient, je n'ai pas eu l'impression que le message poussé était "n'allez pas à a l'université, vous allez être malheureux" mais plutôt restez vous même, faites ce qui vous rend heureux.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Alcohol and Animal death
kccool12255's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I really liked this book! It was a fun read, it kept me interested, and the majority of the characters are pretty okay in my book. I love how Frances and Aled really got to be their true selves around each other, and how they just found their best friend in each other without falling in love. I loved how Raine stuck by Frances as a really good friend, and being their transportation throughout the book was really funny to me. Daniel also gets some really good character development as well as he and Frances become closer because of Aled. I loved Frances's mom, and I loved how well Carol's abuse of Aled was dealt with, I think it was very well written. With that being said, I wish Carys's story was included more in the book. It felt like just a passing mention, very overshadowed by the main plot, and she came back in the end with it not feeling entirely earned. I still feel like I don't know that much about her, and she used to be the best friend of the protagonist. Maybe if the stories had run parallel, it would've been better. This book is just kinda meh for me, because I feel like I don't entirely know what it's trying to SAY. There were no extreme plot twists, and yeah, academics don't mean everything and all that, but I feel like there's just something missing there. Overall, good book, just fell a little flat. I don't know if I would read this again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Cursing
Minor: Suicide and Alcohol
unsighted_reader's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
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? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
this was one of those books that make you want to get your life together on a random monday afternoon. that make you feel like actually, you can achieve everything you've ever wanted to achieve - at least for a few hours.
this book was exactly what i needed right now.
i read this in two days time. i couldn't put it down, really; i was fueled by the fun story, the short chapters and the general boredom i experience in my day-to-day life.
as someone who's roughly frances' age, thrives off academic validation and is addicted to it like bad drugs, i found the whole academia aspect covered very relatable and ergo also comforting in a way.
truly a nice read.
but i also want to get a little bit into the things i didn't enjoy, because unfortunately the similarities between the characters and me end there.
this book was undoubtedly and so very obviously young adult that some parts of it i just couldn't stand. frances' quirkiness, her constant complains about how 'no one really knows her', the melodramatic way all the characters react to anything happening in their lives, and their childish and uncommunicative behavior - it was a lot.
what i generally dislike about young adult books is that the authors tend to spell everything out for the supposedly young target audience, as was the case here.
most things were super on the nose, sort of cliché and there was a lot of telling instead of showing. whole sentences were sometimes repeated word by word a weird amount of times.
i also had a couple of issues with the story. started strong and stayed strong for a good 3/5 of the book, but ended up getting sillier and sillier as it neared its conclusion.
the climax was disappointing, actually goofy, fairly unrealistic, the characters' motivations utterly incomprehensible. most of the 'plot twists' and revelations were a little predictable as well.
now all of this sounds like i didn't enjoy the book, but i did. i really, really did. i liked the commentary on academia, which i think is still not talked about enough; i liked the dialogue and chemistry between the characters, especially between aled and daniel. at the beginning i didn't like daniel a lot obviously, but he grew to be my favorite character as the story progressed and my hate for aled, his personality and unpredictable character arc developed.
still, their dynamic was one of the things i enjoyed the most. i liked how intertwined their lives seemed to be and the way they communicated.
to sum it up: this one's easy to read, a little silly and frustrating sometimes, but still quick, enjoyable and occasionally really relatable. i know i just gave a hell lot of critique, but believe me, i'm giving this book four stars for a reason. it's got a certain charm to it that i can't quite put my finger on, nor name.
you'll simply have to take my word for it - or don't.
this book was exactly what i needed right now.
i read this in two days time. i couldn't put it down, really; i was fueled by the fun story, the short chapters and the general boredom i experience in my day-to-day life.
as someone who's roughly frances' age, thrives off academic validation and is addicted to it like bad drugs, i found the whole academia aspect covered very relatable and ergo also comforting in a way.
truly a nice read.
but i also want to get a little bit into the things i didn't enjoy, because unfortunately the similarities between the characters and me end there.
this book was undoubtedly and so very obviously young adult that some parts of it i just couldn't stand. frances' quirkiness, her constant complains about how 'no one really knows her', the melodramatic way all the characters react to anything happening in their lives, and their childish and uncommunicative behavior - it was a lot.
what i generally dislike about young adult books is that the authors tend to spell everything out for the supposedly young target audience, as was the case here.
most things were super on the nose, sort of cliché and there was a lot of telling instead of showing. whole sentences were sometimes repeated word by word a weird amount of times.
i also had a couple of issues with the story. started strong and stayed strong for a good 3/5 of the book, but ended up getting sillier and sillier as it neared its conclusion.
the climax was disappointing, actually goofy, fairly unrealistic, the characters' motivations utterly incomprehensible. most of the 'plot twists' and revelations were a little predictable as well.
now all of this sounds like i didn't enjoy the book, but i did. i really, really did. i liked the commentary on academia, which i think is still not talked about enough; i liked the dialogue and chemistry between the characters, especially between aled and daniel. at the beginning i didn't like daniel a lot obviously, but he grew to be my favorite character as the story progressed and my hate for aled, his personality and unpredictable character arc developed.
still, their dynamic was one of the things i enjoyed the most. i liked how intertwined their lives seemed to be and the way they communicated.
to sum it up: this one's easy to read, a little silly and frustrating sometimes, but still quick, enjoyable and occasionally really relatable. i know i just gave a hell lot of critique, but believe me, i'm giving this book four stars for a reason. it's got a certain charm to it that i can't quite put my finger on, nor name.
you'll simply have to take my word for it - or don't.
I can take a little beating now and then. I'm a tough one. [...] Even when my bone dust drifts over the City walls, I'll be living and I'll be flying, and I will wave and laugh. (p. 203)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Moderate: Abandonment, Bullying, Grief, Outing, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Violence, and Vomit
navayiota's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
Read it in two sittings.. Started it on a sleepless night and finished it not even 24 hours later. I don't often get to read such easy books. Stories that practically read themselves to you. Always nice to find a new favourite. I related to all of the characters so much, and although I got a bit angry at them for making such stupid decisions, I still love them. This is the kind of book you annotate and gift to your favourite Tumblr mutual. I might do that, actually.
I got trans girl vibes from Aled from the beginning, so I was sad when I realised it wasn't the case. All queerness is welcome though, and I'm glad to see asexual (specifically demi) representation!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Animal death, and Stalking
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Confinement
raesansom's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, and Mental illness
Minor: Stalking and Panic attacks/disorders
mxpringle's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
This book definitely didn't live up to my expectations I had of Alice Oseman after reading Heartstopper, but it was still really powerful. I found a lot of the ways that the novel represented mental health and emotional abuse to be subtle, yet ultimately very heart rendering because of their subtlety.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Toxic friendship, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Homophobia, and Mental illness
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Racism, and Suicide
readingqueerly's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.5
"You don't have to just because people told you to" is something I wish I had heard more when I was a teenager on the verge of adulthood. Especially academically. This book hits so close to home because I recently just got into working life myself, and looking back on my whole academic career, I wish I would have had a better insight on what I wanted for myself.
It's hard to find your voice when it's being stifled by other voices, voices that are supposedly much older and thus wiser, voices that are the mainstream or the norm in our society, voices that have power over you and use or abuse that power.
It's a book that reads so quickly and breezily, but not that I've finished it, I feel like the full emotional hit of it is sneaking up on me. I didn't notice myself reflecting on it much while reading, but now that I've finished it I feel like it will stick with me for a while to come.
It's hard to find your voice when it's being stifled by other voices, voices that are supposedly much older and thus wiser, voices that are the mainstream or the norm in our society, voices that have power over you and use or abuse that power.
It's a book that reads so quickly and breezily, but not that I've finished it, I feel like the full emotional hit of it is sneaking up on me. I didn't notice myself reflecting on it much while reading, but now that I've finished it I feel like it will stick with me for a while to come.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Alcohol, Stalking, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Animal death
sorin_books27's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Child abuse