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jsncnrd's review
5.0
This book was a wild ride. First of all -- HUGE trigger warning (self-harm, suicide, mental illness, depression, abuse). This book had some very painful moments that evoked emotions related to my own trauma, but I was fine with that. Personally, I think that can be a very healing experience for some. However, it is not healing for everyone -- so please tread carefully.
I will say this -- I am an emotional reader, but this was next-level. I found myself crying for the entirety of a full 20-minute chapter at one point. But that means that Sophie Gonzales did her job beautifully -- she created characters that were three-dimensional, human, and lovable. Characters who were easy to get emotionally attached to.
This story was chaotic, for lack of a better word. And I mean that in the best possible way. When revelations started to occur, I thought to myself "there's no fucking way" ... and then realized that there was, indeed, a fucking way. The plot was pulled off so well, and the use of alternating timelines was done so effectively -- not too much was given away up front or in the middle of the story. Walking into this book, I was not expecting it to become what it did. But I loved what it did become.
I loved Ash so very much. To see such a sweet character endure so much trauma and pain was absolutely heartbreaking, and all too realistic -- there are so many kids in this world who resemble him. Worst of all was seeing him blame himself for things that were not at all his fault. There was a moment where he said he did not deserve to be comforted, and that moment ripped my heart apart. It was moments like these that captured the accuracy of what mental illness feels like and what it does to someone's thoughts & emotions. The scenes of self-harm were ... challenging for me to get through. The commentary on the foster system was also so important, because it was spot-on.
This book made me so very sad, but it also made me so very happy at times. Most of the time, I was feeling both happy and sad simultaneously. I was completely speechless at several points and did not want to put this book down until I got closure. Having read Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales earlier this year, I was absolutely amazed at the versatility of her writing abilities -- she can pull off lighthearted rom-com AND emotionally-heavy stories with incredibly sensitive topics.
Again -- as much as I would love for so many people to read this book, please do not do so unless you are ready for the subject matter. This book was an easy 5 out of 5 for me. It will be sticking with me for a while. Absolutely incredible.
I will say this -- I am an emotional reader, but this was next-level. I found myself crying for the entirety of a full 20-minute chapter at one point. But that means that Sophie Gonzales did her job beautifully -- she created characters that were three-dimensional, human, and lovable. Characters who were easy to get emotionally attached to.
This story was chaotic, for lack of a better word. And I mean that in the best possible way. When revelations started to occur, I thought to myself "there's no fucking way" ... and then realized that there was, indeed, a fucking way. The plot was pulled off so well, and the use of alternating timelines was done so effectively -- not too much was given away up front or in the middle of the story. Walking into this book, I was not expecting it to become what it did. But I loved what it did become.
I loved Ash so very much. To see such a sweet character endure so much trauma and pain was absolutely heartbreaking, and all too realistic -- there are so many kids in this world who resemble him. Worst of all was seeing him blame himself for things that were not at all his fault. There was a moment where he said he did not deserve to be comforted, and that moment ripped my heart apart. It was moments like these that captured the accuracy of what mental illness feels like and what it does to someone's thoughts & emotions. The scenes of self-harm were ... challenging for me to get through. The commentary on the foster system was also so important, because it was spot-on.
This book made me so very sad, but it also made me so very happy at times. Most of the time, I was feeling both happy and sad simultaneously. I was completely speechless at several points and did not want to put this book down until I got closure. Having read Only Mostly Devastated by Sophie Gonzales earlier this year, I was absolutely amazed at the versatility of her writing abilities -- she can pull off lighthearted rom-com AND emotionally-heavy stories with incredibly sensitive topics.
Again -- as much as I would love for so many people to read this book, please do not do so unless you are ready for the subject matter. This book was an easy 5 out of 5 for me. It will be sticking with me for a while. Absolutely incredible.
nyeran's review
5.0
"See, the thing is, happiness is a whore."
♠ È proprio vero quando ti dicono che le cose non le capisci finché non le vivi. Stare nella testa di Ash mi ha stancato più che se avessi scalato una montagna. Era questo l'intento, ovvio, però madonna. Il mio cervello mi costringeva a smettere di leggere perché veramente era una tortura. L'ho capita la sua sofferenza, ho carpito ogni piccolo dettaglio, ho condiviso ogni dubbio però madonna. Capirlo è diverso dal viverlo e arrivi al punto dove sei contento che questo si sia suicidato perché almeno smette di vivere nella sua testa. E sembra brutto anche a me scrivere una cosa così perché io questa situazione l'ho vissuta. Sono stata anche io al funerale di un amico morto suicida. E mentre sei li che piangi e ti chiedi come hai potuto non accorgerti mai di niente, come possa la mente rompersi al punto da sabotarsi così, ti accorgi che una parte di te continua invece a ripetersi che adesso almeno ha smesso di soffrire. Ti rifiuti di pensare al fatto che quella decisione è stata una conseguenza del suo essere arrivato al fondo, dove tutto era nero e l'unica via d'uscita era quella. Ti aggrappi al fatto che ora non soffre più. O quello o non ne esci. Che alla fine dei giochi non ha senso dare colpe o assoluzioni ci sono cose che sono oltre la comprensione.
Questo libro mi ha riportato alla mente momenti belli, momenti bellissimi e momenti tristi. Mi ha riportata in quella chiesa. Mi ha fatto ripensare a tutti quei dettagli che forse non ho notato, o non ho voluto vedere ma che avrei dovuto, allo sforzo che ha fatto per tenersi tutto dentro, a tutte le volte che ha finto, a quel fulmine a ciel sereno e a quelle parole dette senza fiato “ma che cazzo dici?”
Le lacrime che ho versato erano vecchie di 7 anni.
♠ È proprio vero quando ti dicono che le cose non le capisci finché non le vivi. Stare nella testa di Ash mi ha stancato più che se avessi scalato una montagna. Era questo l'intento, ovvio, però madonna. Il mio cervello mi costringeva a smettere di leggere perché veramente era una tortura. L'ho capita la sua sofferenza, ho carpito ogni piccolo dettaglio, ho condiviso ogni dubbio però madonna. Capirlo è diverso dal viverlo e arrivi al punto dove sei contento che questo si sia suicidato perché almeno smette di vivere nella sua testa. E sembra brutto anche a me scrivere una cosa così perché io questa situazione l'ho vissuta. Sono stata anche io al funerale di un amico morto suicida. E mentre sei li che piangi e ti chiedi come hai potuto non accorgerti mai di niente, come possa la mente rompersi al punto da sabotarsi così, ti accorgi che una parte di te continua invece a ripetersi che adesso almeno ha smesso di soffrire. Ti rifiuti di pensare al fatto che quella decisione è stata una conseguenza del suo essere arrivato al fondo, dove tutto era nero e l'unica via d'uscita era quella. Ti aggrappi al fatto che ora non soffre più. O quello o non ne esci. Che alla fine dei giochi non ha senso dare colpe o assoluzioni ci sono cose che sono oltre la comprensione.
Questo libro mi ha riportato alla mente momenti belli, momenti bellissimi e momenti tristi. Mi ha riportata in quella chiesa. Mi ha fatto ripensare a tutti quei dettagli che forse non ho notato, o non ho voluto vedere ma che avrei dovuto, allo sforzo che ha fatto per tenersi tutto dentro, a tutte le volte che ha finto, a quel fulmine a ciel sereno e a quelle parole dette senza fiato “ma che cazzo dici?”
Le lacrime che ho versato erano vecchie di 7 anni.
sleepysamreads's review
1.0
TRIGGER WARNINGS: suicide, self-harm, child abuse, drug abuse
Special thanks to NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You can find this review and others on my blog SleepySamReads!
I don't ever rate books 1 star. Especially if I have finished the entire thing. To me, that at least warrants 2 stars. The Law of Inertia is the first book I have read in a long time that really just left me feeling quite disturbed. Sometimes when a book does this it's a good thing, but not in this case.
I'm going to be as vague as possible so I don't spoil anything for those of you who would like to read it. Because of this, it might not make a ton of sense as to why I did not like it. I'll try my best though.
I believe books about suicide and self-harm can be educating to people. I don't expect every book to have a happy ending. That being said, I also don't want these type of books to be damaging, and I fear that this one can be.
I liked Ash well enough in the beginning. He has suffered with depression and suicidal ideation for the majority of his life and that's something I can really relate to. I also relate to him being queer. I also liked James a lot. He's an incredibly caring boyfriend and I loved how much he did for Ash. I think the lengths James went to to discover what happened to Ash the night he committed suicide really speaks to how much James loved him.
I did not like Elliot or Louise very much. Elliot seemed like he wanted to do the best for his brother, he's still just a teenager. As someone who was a teenager not very long ago I remember vividly not trusting anyone else and wanting to believe I could do everything. But that isn't always how it really is and that was the case with Elliot. He wanted to provide a good life for Ash, but he was also just a teenager who wanted to party. He also had a drug problem, which was handled very poorly in this book.
Louise was just a boring character. She didn't really have much a story line outside of Elliot and I found myself skimming her chapters.
I HATED the ending. It was what ultimately drove me to rate this so low. It was supposed to be a shocking twist, but I saw it coming and desperately hoped I was wrong. I'm not going to say what happened, but I will say that it perpetuates the idea that mentally ill people shouldn't be held accountable for their actions and I strongly disagree with that. Mentally ill people can be toxic.
The only positive thing I have to say about this book is that it was racially diverse. James is half Filipino and Louise is Hispanic. I really appreciated that.
Overall, I really disliked this book. Anyone who has read this or who is okay with spoilers is welcome to contact me and I can discuss more in depth why I did not like this book.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Amberjack Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You can find this review and others on my blog SleepySamReads!
I don't ever rate books 1 star. Especially if I have finished the entire thing. To me, that at least warrants 2 stars. The Law of Inertia is the first book I have read in a long time that really just left me feeling quite disturbed. Sometimes when a book does this it's a good thing, but not in this case.
I'm going to be as vague as possible so I don't spoil anything for those of you who would like to read it. Because of this, it might not make a ton of sense as to why I did not like it. I'll try my best though.
I believe books about suicide and self-harm can be educating to people. I don't expect every book to have a happy ending. That being said, I also don't want these type of books to be damaging, and I fear that this one can be.
I liked Ash well enough in the beginning. He has suffered with depression and suicidal ideation for the majority of his life and that's something I can really relate to. I also relate to him being queer. I also liked James a lot. He's an incredibly caring boyfriend and I loved how much he did for Ash. I think the lengths James went to to discover what happened to Ash the night he committed suicide really speaks to how much James loved him.
I did not like Elliot or Louise very much. Elliot seemed like he wanted to do the best for his brother, he's still just a teenager. As someone who was a teenager not very long ago I remember vividly not trusting anyone else and wanting to believe I could do everything. But that isn't always how it really is and that was the case with Elliot. He wanted to provide a good life for Ash, but he was also just a teenager who wanted to party. He also had a drug problem, which was handled very poorly in this book.
Louise was just a boring character. She didn't really have much a story line outside of Elliot and I found myself skimming her chapters.
I HATED the ending. It was what ultimately drove me to rate this so low. It was supposed to be a shocking twist, but I saw it coming and desperately hoped I was wrong. I'm not going to say what happened, but I will say that it perpetuates the idea that mentally ill people shouldn't be held accountable for their actions and I strongly disagree with that. Mentally ill people can be toxic.
The only positive thing I have to say about this book is that it was racially diverse. James is half Filipino and Louise is Hispanic. I really appreciated that.
Overall, I really disliked this book. Anyone who has read this or who is okay with spoilers is welcome to contact me and I can discuss more in depth why I did not like this book.
booksbymaddie's review
4.0
4 stars | tagged on the StoryGraph as medium-paced, character-driven, emotional, and mysterious
"I get the feeling that if I could see myself the way you see me, I'd like what I was looking at."
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would because, while the summary was interesting and got me reading, it's a story about so much more. I connected with James and Ash quickly, seeing pieces of my high school self in both of them. I thought the book was well organized with the multiple POVs and timelines, though some felt unnecessary at times. There was some harmful language regarding drug use and addiction and unresolved issues with victim-blaming, but I don't think either took too much from the story.
"I get the feeling that if I could see myself the way you see me, I'd like what I was looking at."
I enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would because, while the summary was interesting and got me reading, it's a story about so much more. I connected with James and Ash quickly, seeing pieces of my high school self in both of them. I thought the book was well organized with the multiple POVs and timelines, though some felt unnecessary at times. There was some harmful language regarding drug use and addiction and unresolved issues with victim-blaming, but I don't think either took too much from the story.
edgyhousewife's review against another edition
4.0
the ending didn't wreck me and depress me like i thought it would and for that i am grateful
hexagonseoli's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
3.25
adunham's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, and Drug use
Moderate: Death of parent
cewhisenant's review
5.0
This is Sophie Gonzales at her darkest and grittiest... and I loved it?!
Don't get me wrong, I adored [b:Only Mostly Devastated|45046743|Only Mostly Devastated|Sophie Gonzales|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558716772l/45046743._SY75_.jpg|60447162] and [b:Perfect on Paper|49204960|Perfect on Paper|Sophie Gonzales|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607324016l/49204960._SY75_.jpg|74656790], but I could go for another book like this. I figured out the *twist* around halfway through but it didn't matter. The tension wasn't held by the twist but by the legendary, thinky characterization only Gonzales can truly pull off.
Don't get me wrong, I adored [b:Only Mostly Devastated|45046743|Only Mostly Devastated|Sophie Gonzales|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1558716772l/45046743._SY75_.jpg|60447162] and [b:Perfect on Paper|49204960|Perfect on Paper|Sophie Gonzales|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1607324016l/49204960._SY75_.jpg|74656790], but I could go for another book like this. I figured out the *twist* around halfway through but it didn't matter. The tension wasn't held by the twist but by the legendary, thinky characterization only Gonzales can truly pull off.
roxane's review
challenging
emotional
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? It's complicated
5.0
omg this book was so good. i'm in love
greatu's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Biphobia, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, and Physical abuse