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sarahcothron's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Violence, Suicide, Bullying, Homophobia, Self harm, and Mental illness
Minor: Pregnancy and Domestic abuse
tfeldman1995's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, and Suicide attempt
m_riaelle's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
First of all, I feel sorry for those who've read this without the new final chapter. Just thinking of myself finishing this book without it, I knew I would have given it one star out of spite. I never wanted (needed) a character to actually have a break from all the shits life is giving him.
Second, as always, I'm here for the sad and intense feelings that I get from Adam Silvera's books, and I'm heartbreakingly satisfied. The twists in his books never failed to shock me.
Third, why not five stars? I would never ever tolerate cheating. I would have let it slide if it was done once due to poor decisions, but it happened for so long and happened again when the characters saw the chance to do so. I know the author tied the loose ends, but I just can't let that go. It does happen in real life, and one of the most things I hated is that.
Fourth, another reason why I didn't give this five stars? It's because I found myself skimming the first few and some middle chapters, which means it didn't give any impact at all. Also, I'm considering what I would've given this without the new final chapter, and for a debut book, this is surprisingly good.
CW: Gun Violence, Drugs, Mention of Armed Robbery, Suicidal Ideation, Grief, Suicide, Death of Parent, Self-harm, Homophobic Slur, Toxic Relationships, Toxic Friendships, Hate Crime, Homophobia, Cheating, Assault, Blood, Depression, Hospitalisation, Physical Abuse, Profanity, Teenage Pregnancy, and Violence (search it up for more specifics or correct CW as mine is what I thought was triggering while I read it)
Second, as always, I'm here for the sad and intense feelings that I get from Adam Silvera's books, and I'm heartbreakingly satisfied. The twists in his books never failed to shock me.
Third, why not five stars? I would never ever tolerate cheating. I would have let it slide if it was done once due to poor decisions, but it happened for so long and happened again when the characters saw the chance to do so. I know the author tied the loose ends, but I just can't let that go. It does happen in real life, and one of the most things I hated is that.
Fourth, another reason why I didn't give this five stars? It's because I found myself skimming the first few and some middle chapters, which means it didn't give any impact at all. Also, I'm considering what I would've given this without the new final chapter, and for a debut book, this is surprisingly good.
CW: Gun Violence, Drugs, Mention of Armed Robbery, Suicidal Ideation, Grief, Suicide, Death of Parent, Self-harm, Homophobic Slur, Toxic Relationships, Toxic Friendships, Hate Crime, Homophobia, Cheating, Assault, Blood, Depression, Hospitalisation, Physical Abuse, Profanity, Teenage Pregnancy, and Violence (search it up for more specifics or correct CW as mine is what I thought was triggering while I read it)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Homophobia, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Blood, Hate crime, Gun violence, Toxic friendship, Violence, Suicide, Self harm, Toxic relationship, and Physical abuse
cateemma's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
3.0
Trigger warnings: suicide, suicidal thoughts, violent homophobia, abusive parents
THE NARRATIVE
Characters: 4/5
A nice mix of completely loveable and utterly detestable characters, all well-rounded. Aaron especially had a clear voice, though (and perhaps this was deliberate and I'm just dumb) sometimes his feelings were unclear or brushed over.
Plot: 4/5
An extra star for the plot twist I can't believe I didn't see coming, it was so perfect and shocking (usually I guess the ending/twist in books but for some reason I didn't in this one??). Overall, the plot was a bit messy and there was a lot to follow, but it kept me engaged and entertained throughout.
Writing: 4.5/5
Objectively, I can see that this book is written super well, but the writing style wasn't particularly to my taste - though that didn't stop me loving the book. This might be a weird thing to notice, but even though there was heaps of swearing, it never felt unnecessary? Like it just fit Aaron's character so well and added a lot to passages that wouldn't have been as impactful otherwise.
THE THEMES
Sexuality: 3.5/5
Honestly, the reason for the low rating is that one, I couldn't relate to Aaron's experiences, and two, there weren't really any lgbtqia+ characters who were happy with themselves and that just got to me a bit. Aaron's mum's support was beautiful, though, I loved that part of it.
I also found it weird how SpoilerAaron was so convinced Thomas was actually gay and in love with him and also there was low-key bi-erasure but that's fine.
Mental illness: 4/5
Once again, I just personally couldn't relate to Aaron's experiences the way I have been able to with other YA characters, so I don't think I can fairly judge the portrayal of mental illness in this one.
Friendship:
I just feel like Genevieve and Aaron would have been beautiful friends, okay? Those two and Thomas would have made an awesome trio if there weren't all the complications and history.
MY THOUGHTS
I don't really know how I feel about this book. I know I couldn't put it down while reading it, but I don't look back on it that fondly. I definitely want to read more of Adam Silvera's books though, I'll be borrowing or purchasing them asap.
THE NARRATIVE
Characters: 4/5
A nice mix of completely loveable and utterly detestable characters, all well-rounded. Aaron especially had a clear voice, though (and perhaps this was deliberate and I'm just dumb) sometimes his feelings were unclear or brushed over.
Plot: 4/5
An extra star for the plot twist I can't believe I didn't see coming, it was so perfect and shocking (usually I guess the ending/twist in books but for some reason I didn't in this one??). Overall, the plot was a bit messy and there was a lot to follow, but it kept me engaged and entertained throughout.
Writing: 4.5/5
Objectively, I can see that this book is written super well, but the writing style wasn't particularly to my taste - though that didn't stop me loving the book. This might be a weird thing to notice, but even though there was heaps of swearing, it never felt unnecessary? Like it just fit Aaron's character so well and added a lot to passages that wouldn't have been as impactful otherwise.
THE THEMES
Sexuality: 3.5/5
Honestly, the reason for the low rating is that one, I couldn't relate to Aaron's experiences, and two, there weren't really any lgbtqia+ characters who were happy with themselves and that just got to me a bit. Aaron's mum's support was beautiful, though, I loved that part of it.
I also found it weird how SpoilerAaron was so convinced Thomas was actually gay and in love with him and also there was low-key bi-erasure but that's fine.
Mental illness: 4/5
Once again, I just personally couldn't relate to Aaron's experiences the way I have been able to with other YA characters, so I don't think I can fairly judge the portrayal of mental illness in this one.
Friendship:
I just feel like Genevieve and Aaron would have been beautiful friends, okay? Those two and Thomas would have made an awesome trio if there weren't all the complications and history.
MY THOUGHTS
I don't really know how I feel about this book. I know I couldn't put it down while reading it, but I don't look back on it that fondly. I definitely want to read more of Adam Silvera's books though, I'll be borrowing or purchasing them asap.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Hate crime
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Self harm, and Blood
sakuraisobsessedwithbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Outing, Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Suicide attempt
readwithmo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Death of parent, and Self harm
davidbythebay's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I anticipated more of a gay romance set in a harsher Outsiders scenario. With Pony Boy translated to the Bronx and a queer element to the story. What I got was more of a hard hitting emotional ride into what makes a person a person, the dangers of denying who you are, toxic masculinity, and depression. There are some moments that speak out to me now that I have completed and sat with the story. I felt a lot of those emotions on my coming out process and was glad to see the raw emotions here.
The original ending was fine and good. But did feel a little bleak. To take that journey and end that way was just unsatisfying. But the newly added epilogue brought that refreshing light to the end of a dark story. Even Romeo and Juliette end in some positivity with the two families realizing they can't sustain this hatred forever.
I do think I'd benefit from a second reading of this book as it hid some many more details and explorations than I gathered this first time around. Overall, a great novel.
The original ending was fine and good. But did feel a little bleak. To take that journey and end that way was just unsatisfying. But the newly added epilogue brought that refreshing light to the end of a dark story. Even Romeo and Juliette end in some positivity with the two families realizing they can't sustain this hatred forever.
I do think I'd benefit from a second reading of this book as it hid some many more details and explorations than I gathered this first time around. Overall, a great novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Homophobia
Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Minor: Death of parent
pippat25's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
More happy than not is so cleverly written by Adam silvera, the plot leading up to the plot twist really makes you completely oblivious to what’s going to happen. It was totally unexpected. This book covers so many important issues we face in society and I think it’s a very good read.
Favourite quotes (potential spoilers) :
- “it sucks that a word that’s supposed to mean happiness can somehow feel warped”
- “happiness comes again if you let it”
- “he loves me without being in love with me and that’s all I can ask of him”
- “I will do my best to always find the sun in the darkness because my life isn’t one sad ending - it’s a series of endless happy beginnings”
- “sometimes pain is so unmanageable that the idea of spending another day with it seems impossible”
Favourite quotes (potential spoilers) :
- “it sucks that a word that’s supposed to mean happiness can somehow feel warped”
- “happiness comes again if you let it”
- “he loves me without being in love with me and that’s all I can ask of him”
- “I will do my best to always find the sun in the darkness because my life isn’t one sad ending - it’s a series of endless happy beginnings”
- “sometimes pain is so unmanageable that the idea of spending another day with it seems impossible”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Death, Suicide, Self harm, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Pregnancy, Blood, and Cursing
writingcaia's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
It’d probably be 4⭐️ if I had read the first version of this novel which didn’t include the new ending chapter. Like the author I definitely believe Aaron deserved more happy endings, and I’m glad he wrote them.
Aaron is young adult boy living in a poor Bronx neighbourhood with his mom and brother, trying to find love and friendship and who he is, and to forget his dad’s suicide and his own attempt at the same.
In a world where technology can erase traumas and past pains, people will make choices that will reverberated, in not always a great way, throughout their lives.
This is a coming of age story with a fantasy twist.
It was a very touching tale of the need to forget, of the need to remember, of crippling memories, of choices that are not choices at all, and those that are but seem to be taken from us.
Aaron is young adult boy living in a poor Bronx neighbourhood with his mom and brother, trying to find love and friendship and who he is, and to forget his dad’s suicide and his own attempt at the same.
In a world where technology can erase traumas and past pains, people will make choices that will reverberated, in not always a great way, throughout their lives.
This is a coming of age story with a fantasy twist.
It was a very touching tale of the need to forget, of the need to remember, of crippling memories, of choices that are not choices at all, and those that are but seem to be taken from us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment
malenaa14's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
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: Homophobia, Death of parent, and Suicide
Moderate: Violence