Reviews with content warning for Suicide - Baby and Solo

A clever, realistic story about a boy who works at a video store, a boy who’s trying to be Normal after years in and out of psych wards and tense family situations.

So much of What Was Wrong With Me was due to being too damn lonely for too damn long.

Baby and Solo are great characters in complicated lives, and the supporting cast is painted with honesty and the accuracy of teenage angst, as well.

Posthuma deftly and respectfully handles teen pregnancy, abortion, homophobia, and mental illness in this book, with humour, joy, and strong friendships to carry the story. The mystery had me sobbing by the end, but it made sense too, and was wrapped up beautifully.

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bella_cavicchi's review

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emotional funny reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

There's so much more to this novel than I had first (and wrongly) assumed. It explores loss and mental health with great care, and Posthuma is skilled in writing about teenagers for teenagers, who are often more smart, thoughtful, and compassionate than we as a society give them credit for. Because I think that's really what the story grapples with: does age determine who knows best? / aren't we all, kinda, sorta, muddling through life?

Fair warning: I teared up at the end! But definitely one to read.

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sadie_cat's review

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No

1.5

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veilchen's review

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challenging dark emotional funny informative reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Buch gerade fertig gelesen. Meine Augen sind immer noch rot vom vielen Heulen. Kann es nur weiterempfehlen.

Ich hatte eigentlich niedrige Erwartungen, als ich das Buch angefangen habe. Der Klappentext klang sehr nach einem oberflächigen Liebesroman für Teenager, wo mental health eine kleine Rolle spielen könnte. Tja. Da hab ich zu früh geurteilt. Allerdings muss ich zugeben, dass es echt schwer ist, eine Zusammenfassung des Buches zu geben, die keine Spoiler enthält, daher:

SPOILER-WARNUNG!

Baby & Solo ist ein Jugendroman, der in den 90ern stattfindet. Er beginnt damit, dass Joel anfängt, in einer Videothek zu arbeiten, was für ihn nach jahrelanger Therapie einen Neuanfang bedeuten soll. Allerdings ist es nicht so einfach, die Vergangenheit hinter sich zu lassen. Dank einer ungewöhnlichen Freundschaft mit seiner Kollegin arbeitet er langsam seine Vergangenheit ab, was zu einer tiefen Auseinandersetzung mit den verschiedensten Themen von Schwangerschaft über Mental Gesundheit bis zu Transgender-Identität führt.

Die eigentliche Handlung des Buches ist eigentlich einfach genug. Joel arbeitet in einer Videothek und lernt dort Leute kennen. Doch der interaktive Erzählstil, gut platzierte Rückblenden und die Betrachtung schwerwiegender Themen durch die Linse eines Jugendlichen aus den 90ern machen dieses Buch unglaublich berührend, aufwühlend und ein wunderbares Gesamtpaket.

Anfangs war ich wenig überzeugt von der Wahl des Settings. Die zeittypische unterschwellige Homophobie und Frauenfeindlichkeit waren mir gar nicht recht. Doch im Laufe des Buches schafft es die Autorin, jede dieser Probleme in ein anderes Licht zu rücken, so dass ein realistisches, abgerundetes Endprodukt entsteht, dass trotzdem achtsam mit den oft sehr komplizierten Themen des Buches umgeht.

Die Charaktere waren ebenfalls toll, sehr realistisch, dreidimensional und nachvollziehbar. Ich habe wirklich keinen Kritikpunkt außer, dass ich am Ende nicht mehr ordentlich lesen konnte, weil ich so viel heulen musste. Nicht viele Autorinnen oder Autoren schaffen es, den Leser zu überraschen, ihne dass der Aufbau fehlt oder der Plottiwst völlig aus dem Nichts kommt, aber hier ist es gelungen. Ich habe ohne Witz mehrmals lautstark nach Luft geschnappt, weil ich so überrascht war. Love it. Vorher aber vielleicht einen Blick auf TWs werfen.

TW: Homophobie, Transphobie, Misogynie, Selbstmord, Paranoia, Zwangseinweisung, Schwangerschaftsabbruch, Tod

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thetealdeal's review

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5.0

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rkreads's review

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Thank you to the publisher and Netgally for providing me with an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
I LOVED this audiobook! 10/10 would recommend! That being said a few chapters cut off early but I assume that is an ARC issue.
The author and the narrator both did a fantastic job making Joel feel like a real teenager. The writing makes his voice sound so genuine and, somewhat ironically, normal. The story flowed really well and the pacing was fantastic. I don't know if this is just because I listened to the audiobook, but I can't remember feeling like there were moments that were dragging or rushed.
My favorite part of this book is the relationships! Lisabeth Posthuma really excels at depicting multiple different types of relationships without any of them feeling weird or out of places (unless its in line with the characters- I'm looking at you Godfather). Joel has a very complicated relationship with both of his parents and this handled very well in the book but the thing that really blew me away was that I was reading a YA novel where the parents actually did parent things like wanted to know where their kids were and actually paid attention to what they were or were not doing. I also really enjoyed the dynamic of all the video store employees. If you like books with a friend group or big cast of characters- this one is for you!
Out of all the amazing relationship depictions in this book I have to say a few words about the Baby + Solo dynamic. It was so enjoyable to watch their friendship develop, even while they are both going through some really tough stuff. Their relationship developed in a very natural and authentic way and it was a joy to watch unfold.
This book handles some very serious issues but Lisabeth Posthuma skillfully maneuvers through them and dedicates the appropriate amount of time to tackles these issues. I really love how much a focus was put on proper treatment and coping mechanisms for varying mental health issues and varying severities or issues.

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