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prehistoricpotatoes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? No
4.5
I can’t say I enjoyed this book, but I am glad I read it. It was inspiring, while also being dark and heavy.
Really, if ‘Hetero’ is ‘everyone’s gay and no one dies’, then ‘I fell in love with hope’ is ‘everyone’s gay and everyone dies.’ It has inspired characters in my own works. It was metaphor heavy, and I could tell the author is young (though that is a neutral comment). There are parts I wished were omitted just to remove the slight bias the white author has in imagining Hope/Sam. They were intended to be written race-less and gender-less, but details suggest otherwise.
I did cry though.
I did cry though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Terminal illness, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Self harm, Rape, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Homophobia, Hate crime, Grief, Eating disorder, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Death, Chronic illness, Child death, Child abuse, Cancer, Bullying, and Blood
wastingtime1994's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was one of the weirder books I’ve read. I wish it would have been about half the length.
I would say this book is incredibly emotional. I was feeling a lot as I read it; mostly, the emotion was boredom, but there were some tears shed, especially for the last few chapters.
I don’t think I’m clear on what this book was supposed to be. A study in grief? A love story happens to be set in a hospital? A few stories from different places in time that happened to tie together?
I also thought the choice of narrator was odd. It could have been amazing but it felt so unexplored. This whole saga could be taken so much deeper with a developed narrator - and I believe it could be done even without ruining the mystery. I do, however appreciate that just like all the other people in the hospital, the reader never questions what is weird about “Sam.” That was one small thing that did feel appropriate.
I was bored and I was sad. Slightly more bored than sad, though the tears may paint a different story. I will remember this book, but I will not suggest it to others.
3/5
I would say this book is incredibly emotional. I was feeling a lot as I read it; mostly, the emotion was boredom, but there were some tears shed, especially for the last few chapters.
I don’t think I’m clear on what this book was supposed to be. A study in grief? A love story happens to be set in a hospital? A few stories from different places in time that happened to tie together?
I also thought the choice of narrator was odd. It could have been amazing but it felt so unexplored. This whole saga could be taken so much deeper with a developed narrator - and I believe it could be done even without ruining the mystery. I do, however appreciate that just like all the other people in the hospital, the reader never questions what is weird about “Sam.” That was one small thing that did feel appropriate.
I was bored and I was sad. Slightly more bored than sad, though the tears may paint a different story. I will remember this book, but I will not suggest it to others.
3/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Self harm, Terminal illness, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Sexual violence, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment and Homophobia
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