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shmerikataylor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Gun violence, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Suicidal thoughts
meb1916's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I think this book is incredibly important for a lot of reasons, and I'm grateful I read it.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
sabrinaaa720's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Violence, and Grief
sperzart's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Child death, Gun violence, Racism, Rape, and Sexism
const_elle_ations's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
i have so much to say about this book!! it did what it set out to do so well - i'm just not sure if what it set out to do was 100% my thing. the focus on community and the intersection of lives was fantastic and reminded me of this is us in the way it was constantly switching between both characters, slowly adding more and more, and times. the way the interpersonal relationships were portrayed felt very complex and cool - there's a review on the back of the book that says that "in this small town, backman shows the world", and i think that's pretty true. it can be applied to a lot of tightly-knit communities (i saw my robotics team in some parts of this book). i like how there's no clear main character - though if i had to pick, i'd say it's peter and kira.
i think what fell flat for me was the characters - while the relationships between them were fleshed out beautifully, the characters themselves felt semi-cliched and vague (at least some of them. i'd say a couple felt like they could be real people - peter, kira, ana, and david at times). i wanted less of an overarching, faraway look at what was happening and more of the zoomed-in, real-time emotional reactions of the characters to the rape accusations - especially the reactions of maya, kevin, and benji. i do think there was more of a focus on the adults, which makes sense because it's an adult book, but that made a lot of it feel detached to me. i think if some of the characters felt more personable, it'd be SO much more agonizing to read about their actions - especially the more "gray" characters.
i like the truth-telling writing style - it reminded me of my favorite parts of the raven boys. it felt a little heavy-handed and pretentious sometimes, but i like that sort of thing. i haven't read the reviews yet, but i suspect that's probably most people's gripe with this book if they have any. that, and the pacing, which was admittedly pretty slow for like...the whole book (i was expecting the party to happen a lot earlier in the book, not halfway, and...thought there's be more action/plot?)
that being said, i really loved how much the book tackled and how well it did it. the way it talked about rape culture felt so real and ugly and i wanted to reach into the book and punch pretty much everyone but ana, benji, ramona, and the anderssons. i loved the climax -
i could talk about the symbolism in that scene for days.
i'll definitely finish the series if only to find out which of the boys dies, becomes a father, and plays professional. that was so out of pocket. selfishly, i'm hoping the next two books have more of a focus on the teenagers.
Graphic: Homophobia, Rape, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Addiction, Child death, Gun violence, and Classism
Minor: Self harm
xiggy's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
lizziaha's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
julieshuff's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.25
This book deals with lots of heavy topics in passing (class, sexism, alcoholism, homophobia, abuse, death of a child), and pivots around a graphic on-page rape and the fallout that comes from the girl going to the police. It was very anxiety inducing to see how few people in the town believed her, even if it wasn’t surprising.
P.S. there is rampant unexamined fatphobia throughout this book as well.
Graphic: Fatphobia and Rape
Moderate: Sexism, Toxic friendship, and Classism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide attempt
aniquegrace's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
katbird's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence