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tortello_alla_zucca's review
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
themermaddie's review
2.0
i feel like firstly i need to give a blanket statement that the premise of this book gives off alllllll the red flags, but it was available at the library and i was curious what this obvious rwrb rip off would change. the 2 stars is for the book itself, not counting for the overall problematic aspect of the entire concept.
first, dre was ... annoying as fuck. he was self and whiny and weirdly not empathetic to dean's decision to stay in the closet, especially as the son of the literal republican nominee. his voice did not endear him to me and i didn't care about him at all, therefore i'm annoyed that my favourite character was the white republican boy. dre seemed to take his parents unconditional love for granted and i was not a fan of how he just didn't seem to understand why dean wasn't in the same safe environment to come out as he was. secondly, i'm not mexican so i can't speak for that rep specifically, but dre's pov definitely doesn't read as poc. it hardly seems a factor in his dislike of dean's mom; instead he only criticises her for her lgbt legislation and gun control (which are both things to criticise) but it was especially strange to not address the border issues as a mexican american. poc experience doesn't get erased by queerness and that definitely does not come thru here. it kinda felt like dre and his family were only mexican so that dre's dad could have something "count against him", in the way that dean's mother being a woman counts against her, by way of different societal privileges.
i actually felt a lot of empathy for dean's situation, that's an incredibly difficult position to be in. i wish there had been more about his relationship with his mom, i enjoyed the bit near the end where he expresses all the things he disagrees with her about and how he still can't stop loving her. it's a complicated relationship to have with someone like that, especially one's own mother, and i think that sort of complexity would have been more compelling than the end result of "dean's Republican Mom gets a redemption arc bc she accepts him on national tv." i liked him much more than dre and i thought his actions felt more believable, but the way he speaks can get a little didactic, especially when it comes to speaking about his sexuality. i saw someone else criticise the portrayal of the asexual character as stiff and robotic; i'm not ace but definitely worth a thought.
i thought their romance was insta but it was developed over time after that. it was weird that they got so close so fast after the shooting drill, esp when they didn't really know/like each other. it was also very ~teenage~ which like, yeah i know it's YA but YA can still be complex and good? this book tried to take on so many difficult topics while also trying to appeal to a YA romance crowd and it just doesn't really succeed at any of them. the political atmosphere doesn't really succeed in playing out, neither of them feel genuinely swamped by the election, and the election ends up feeling like a proxy for their teenager love affair.
the blackmail plot was obvious from the very moment it was introduced and was horribly executed. it was so obvious that this apolitical political romance needed a third party candidate to be the "real villain" who ended up just being the antagonist in a kids spy movie. the ending was cheesy and unrealistic, and SPOILERS the lack of reveal in the final chapter is such a cop out and a terrible way to end the book. you can't yell "love wins, asshole" and not reveal whether or not dean's mom repeals gay marriage. dre and dean's gay love is not more important than legislation that actively puts queer ppl's lives in danger and love doesn't conquer all, particularly not here.
there's so much to complain about but i'm sleepy and this book was a bad idea. i don't know how this could've ended happily even having READ the happy ending.
also who the fuck is mindy and why is she like that lmao
first, dre was ... annoying as fuck. he was self and whiny and weirdly not empathetic to dean's decision to stay in the closet, especially as the son of the literal republican nominee. his voice did not endear him to me and i didn't care about him at all, therefore i'm annoyed that my favourite character was the white republican boy. dre seemed to take his parents unconditional love for granted and i was not a fan of how he just didn't seem to understand why dean wasn't in the same safe environment to come out as he was. secondly, i'm not mexican so i can't speak for that rep specifically, but dre's pov definitely doesn't read as poc. it hardly seems a factor in his dislike of dean's mom; instead he only criticises her for her lgbt legislation and gun control (which are both things to criticise) but it was especially strange to not address the border issues as a mexican american. poc experience doesn't get erased by queerness and that definitely does not come thru here. it kinda felt like dre and his family were only mexican so that dre's dad could have something "count against him", in the way that dean's mother being a woman counts against her, by way of different societal privileges.
i actually felt a lot of empathy for dean's situation, that's an incredibly difficult position to be in. i wish there had been more about his relationship with his mom, i enjoyed the bit near the end where he expresses all the things he disagrees with her about and how he still can't stop loving her. it's a complicated relationship to have with someone like that, especially one's own mother, and i think that sort of complexity would have been more compelling than the end result of "dean's Republican Mom gets a redemption arc bc she accepts him on national tv." i liked him much more than dre and i thought his actions felt more believable, but the way he speaks can get a little didactic, especially when it comes to speaking about his sexuality. i saw someone else criticise the portrayal of the asexual character as stiff and robotic; i'm not ace but definitely worth a thought.
i thought their romance was insta but it was developed over time after that. it was weird that they got so close so fast after the shooting drill, esp when they didn't really know/like each other. it was also very ~teenage~ which like, yeah i know it's YA but YA can still be complex and good? this book tried to take on so many difficult topics while also trying to appeal to a YA romance crowd and it just doesn't really succeed at any of them. the political atmosphere doesn't really succeed in playing out, neither of them feel genuinely swamped by the election, and the election ends up feeling like a proxy for their teenager love affair.
the blackmail plot was obvious from the very moment it was introduced and was horribly executed. it was so obvious that this apolitical political romance needed a third party candidate to be the "real villain" who ended up just being the antagonist in a kids spy movie. the ending was cheesy and unrealistic, and SPOILERS the lack of reveal in the final chapter is such a cop out and a terrible way to end the book. you can't yell "love wins, asshole" and not reveal whether or not dean's mom repeals gay marriage. dre and dean's gay love is not more important than legislation that actively puts queer ppl's lives in danger and love doesn't conquer all, particularly not here.
there's so much to complain about but i'm sleepy and this book was a bad idea. i don't know how this could've ended happily even having READ the happy ending.
also who the fuck is mindy and why is she like that lmao
ameserole's review
3.0
This was very cute with a pretty predictable ending.
The State of Us was so much fun to listen to. Although, with audios.. I do tend to love when I have chapters to go alone with instead of names. That way I don't have to always count where I am "chapter" wise to figure out the percentage when making a comment on a buddy read. BUT WHAT DO I KNOW?
Besides being salty about that one little thing, I enjoyed this book a lot. Especially after meeting Dre and Dean. They were both very likable and easy to fall in love with. Plus it doesn't hurt that they had wicked awesome chemistry with one another. Luckily for me, nothing felt forced and I wasn't easily bored with anything going on.
Unless Mel was involved. Or Mindy. Ugh, those two just rubbed me the wrong way. Especially when it came to Mel. If she's is supposed to be the "best friend" she needs to shape it up. Definitely felt like she was selfish and petty throughout the book. Plus she just annoyed me whenever she was talking.
Other than that, everything was really cute.
The State of Us was so much fun to listen to. Although, with audios.. I do tend to love when I have chapters to go alone with instead of names. That way I don't have to always count where I am "chapter" wise to figure out the percentage when making a comment on a buddy read. BUT WHAT DO I KNOW?
Besides being salty about that one little thing, I enjoyed this book a lot. Especially after meeting Dre and Dean. They were both very likable and easy to fall in love with. Plus it doesn't hurt that they had wicked awesome chemistry with one another. Luckily for me, nothing felt forced and I wasn't easily bored with anything going on.
Unless Mel was involved. Or Mindy. Ugh, those two just rubbed me the wrong way. Especially when it came to Mel. If she's is supposed to be the "best friend" she needs to shape it up. Definitely felt like she was selfish and petty throughout the book. Plus she just annoyed me whenever she was talking.
Other than that, everything was really cute.
mijsfranssen's review against another edition
4.0
I updated my rating system for this year so it makes sense :))
4/5 ✨ i enjoyed it a lot
I enjoyed this book so much. It was lovely. I liked that the chapters differentiated between Dre’s and Dean’s POV. The characters were great, the plot was good, I enjoyed it lots. It is great for fans for Red White and Royal blue, but this is YA and therefore is a little different in wording, story and there are far less explicit scenes.
The fact that this story is so diverse, made it even more enjoyable. There is ofcourse gay representation, but also ace spectrum, lesbian, plus size, and POC in there.
The reason why it is not getting five stars, is because it is very very YA, which is not necessarily bad, but it made me relate a little less.
4/5 ✨ i enjoyed it a lot
I enjoyed this book so much. It was lovely. I liked that the chapters differentiated between Dre’s and Dean’s POV. The characters were great, the plot was good, I enjoyed it lots. It is great for fans for Red White and Royal blue, but this is YA and therefore is a little different in wording, story and there are far less explicit scenes.
The fact that this story is so diverse, made it even more enjoyable. There is ofcourse gay representation, but also ace spectrum, lesbian, plus size, and POC in there.
The reason why it is not getting five stars, is because it is very very YA, which is not necessarily bad, but it made me relate a little less.
finhatfield's review
3.0
Its a little cliche but it wasn't bad. By this I mean that I knew what was going to happen pretty early on.
On one hand there are some problems with how the characters are portrayed in relation to their back story. Like Dre is supposed to be a Mexican American and that heritage only seemed to be pulled out in relation to politics. I'm not saying that every Mexican American 17 year old relates to their culture all the time but this is a work of fiction and the way people are portrayed is a choice. I judge the choices made with different standards than if it was non fiction. Like there is a mid ground between stereotype and nothing.
On the other hand I really like Vikas Adam as a voice actor and I felt that he gave a lot of credibility to Dre in his performance so many sins were forgiven.
Some of those sins probably shouldn't have been forgiven though. I felt that Dre was at times rather flat.
In addition the book failed to make some of its own arguments. I feel like the idea that we should listen and try to meet people in the middle without making assumptions was a major theme, unfortunately the characters mostly dealt with this problem by not seriously talking about the subjects they disagree on. It was overall a quite simplistic way to approach politics and it wasn't even adhered to in the text.
The kids felt very 17 although sometimes it was more like YA 17.
On one hand there are some problems with how the characters are portrayed in relation to their back story. Like Dre is supposed to be a Mexican American and that heritage only seemed to be pulled out in relation to politics. I'm not saying that every Mexican American 17 year old relates to their culture all the time but this is a work of fiction and the way people are portrayed is a choice. I judge the choices made with different standards than if it was non fiction. Like there is a mid ground between stereotype and nothing.
On the other hand I really like Vikas Adam as a voice actor and I felt that he gave a lot of credibility to Dre in his performance so many sins were forgiven.
Some of those sins probably shouldn't have been forgiven though. I felt that Dre was at times rather flat.
In addition the book failed to make some of its own arguments. I feel like the idea that we should listen and try to meet people in the middle without making assumptions was a major theme, unfortunately the characters mostly dealt with this problem by not seriously talking about the subjects they disagree on. It was overall a quite simplistic way to approach politics and it wasn't even adhered to in the text.
The kids felt very 17 although sometimes it was more like YA 17.
threeracoonsinatrenchcoat's review
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
2.0
mayamadeline's review
3.0
Is this book well written? No. Is it worth the read? Maybe? I had fun with it. While my enjoyment of this book is 3 stars the actual writing is only a 2. I think um enjoyment is enhanced by having read this after the 2020 election. That being said the book is basic and follows a predictable plot that is full of tropes and stereotypes. The characters are are 2 dimensional. The author tries to pad them by giving them beliefs and quirks, interests and struggles all the things that make a character but it falls short. I think this is because they all act as if from a formula it is predictable like the plot. The references to the last election and are living out a fantasy and a bit pedantic. The politics within the book are inch deep, readers keep getting told how much all these politics matter while not at all being affected by them despite the fact they would in real life all be directly affected in fact It almost seems mocking in its attempts to exhibit them. Obviously based on my critique there are numerous problems in this book. Some would even consider these unforgivable but Despite all these flaws in the writing, characters and plot it is a joyful book that made me feel good. The characters have got chemistry and are heartwarming. In essence I just liked this book because I had fun with it. It is an easy read. No it’s not good writing but I liked it anyways so I gave it a three stars. It is the equivalent of a comfort meal or a movie so bad it’s good.
dreamzyp06's review
3.0
If I could, I'd give this book 3.5 stars. I felt the main characters were very realistic; they made mistakes but they were likeable. I especially enjoyed Dean and his character arc, though he was pretty defensive. I appreciated the way the story forced the reader to rethink their preconceived ideals. I loved how the characters challenged each other. However, the main characters were defensive and constantly bickering. The writing overall wasn't my favorite. I guess I would say this book is really good and worth the read, but it's not one of the best I've read.