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ursulazc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
From page 100 and on I couldn’t stop reading, this book is so good. It made me cry so much tho, got me right in the feels.
Loved that it was written in the tumblr era, as I was a tumblr/youtube/fandom girly I enjoyed a lot that setting.
Loved that it was written in the tumblr era, as I was a tumblr/youtube/fandom girly I enjoyed a lot that setting.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
bookishmillennial's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This is a reflective coming-of-age young adult/teen fiction story told by Frances and explores themes of sexuality, friendship, identity, virtual spaces, choices, and meaning.
Frances has always been laser-focused on getting into Cambridge, but her best friend Carys ran away (and she knows why), and then she begins working on the anonymous podcast project Universe City, with Aled, Carys’ brother. Aled’s online persona is Radio Silence, and Radio mentions many cryptic messages to February Friday on the podcast. Once the podcast gains traction and one of their identities is revealed, their trust for this new friendship is broken and they must reckon with their uncertain futures alone.
I really appreciated the conversations that Frances had not only with Aled, but with Daniel (Aled’s best friend) & Rain. They discuss miscommunication, relationships, online infamy, curiosity & high school. It felt authentic to how messy high school felt for me, & I’m sure it will ring true for so many others. AO writes incredibly tender stories about young people with great care, & as a chronically online human, I thoroughly enjoyed the commentary on respecting online creators’ privacy & parasocial relationships.
Aled’s mom is a POS & it shows in everything she did to make him miserable & make him pay for any “rebellious” behavior. One example… What she did to his dog was …. a wild, manipulative, abhorrent choice.
content warnings below ❤️🩹
This is a reflective coming-of-age young adult/teen fiction story told by Frances and explores themes of sexuality, friendship, identity, virtual spaces, choices, and meaning.
Frances has always been laser-focused on getting into Cambridge, but her best friend Carys ran away (and she knows why), and then she begins working on the anonymous podcast project Universe City, with Aled, Carys’ brother. Aled’s online persona is Radio Silence, and Radio mentions many cryptic messages to February Friday on the podcast. Once the podcast gains traction and one of their identities is revealed, their trust for this new friendship is broken and they must reckon with their uncertain futures alone.
I really appreciated the conversations that Frances had not only with Aled, but with Daniel (Aled’s best friend) & Rain. They discuss miscommunication, relationships, online infamy, curiosity & high school. It felt authentic to how messy high school felt for me, & I’m sure it will ring true for so many others. AO writes incredibly tender stories about young people with great care, & as a chronically online human, I thoroughly enjoyed the commentary on respecting online creators’ privacy & parasocial relationships.
content warnings below ❤️🩹
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Outing, Acephobia/Arophobia, Child abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
bernie_b's review
emotional
inspiring
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? No
5.0
It's one of my favorite books so far ; I loved all of Alice's books though. She's an amazing writer.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting, Child abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
mengzhenreads'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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal death
serenity667's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Fire/Fire injury, Child abuse, and Bullying
bookobsessedmommy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-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
I don't read many books written by actual young adults, but when I do I can usually tell by how well they capture how all encompassing everything feels at that age. The way you can bury yourself in a hole of maybes out of fear. Whil this isn't a romance, it is a beautiful love story. I really like seeing representations of philia (non-romantic) love in books, because it's way more common in reality. The affection between friends and family makes up so much of our daily interactions, but it doesn't get as much representation in books about love. Watching Aled and Frances struggle to articulate their feelings was so real and heartbreaking. Aled's mom is a real piece of work, and my heart hurts for any kid dealing with that kind of emotional abuse. I love all the eastereggs from Solitaire and Heartstopper, and now I need to go rewatch the Netflix series and see if I missed anything.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Grief and Alcohol
piperrhoads's review against another edition
dark
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Mental illness
Moderate: Animal death
excusemycat's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Minor: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Stalking
pleione's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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? No
4.5
love love love. kinda embarassing at points sorry
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, and Mental illness
Minor: Abandonment
aweso10's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? Yes
3.5
such a easy breezy sweet and wholesome YA read. made my heart feel warm and fuzzy. if you are looking for a feel-good story with found family and coming of age vibes, this is IT<3
Content Warnings
Minor: Animal death, Emotional abuse, and Child abuse