Scan barcode
al3xa's review
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Body horror, Dysphoria, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, and Toxic friendship
whitneymouse's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
3.75
This was difficult for me to read with my anxiety. It was very good and informative, but the intrusive thoughts were stressful for me. Additionally, I think this book was maybe 50 pages too long and it got repetitive after a while. I realize OCD is about rituals and repetition, but there were multiple poems about the train, multiple poems about Felicia (which didn't feel like it was necessary. It was just an unnecessary addition). The religious aspects could have been better explored. The last 50-60 pages use the phrase "sticky" and "electric meat" A LOT. I think there were some good conversations about therapy, gender, feminism, and police brutality in this book, though. Good, just too long.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Police brutality, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Blood
Moderate: Colonisation, Eating disorder, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Body horror, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Colonization is in reference to gentrification of a neighborhood. Whole book is about mental illness and violent intrusive thoughts, so know that going in. It can be hard for those with anxiety or who are sensitive to graphic descriptions of intrusive thoughts of violence.bookishmillennial's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
I adored this novel-in-verse, though it was quite devastating to see Ariel in pain and so hard on herself throughout the book. This is the first time I have read from Olivia A. Cole and I was so incredibly moved 😭
Ariel is a teenager who is 5’11” and the reason I bring that up is because her size/height is a point of contention, especially for the men around her. They feel inclined to say something about her size unwarranted, and it’s insufferable. She wrestles with insidious thoughts about herself and those around her, while maintaining a long-distance friendship with her sister Mandy who is away at college. Ariel feels stuck at home with her parents who she becomes more and more disillusioned with, and recognizes that her friend Leah is distancing herself from Ariel too.
Ariel makes friends with Ruth and Rex, while continuously fielding her thoughts, in between ruminating on gender, gender stereotypes and the binary, sexuality, and relationships in general. I appreciated the author’s transparency and vulnerability in the acknowledgements/author’s note at the very end, which connects their journey to Ariel’s 🫂 I don’t want to spoil it but I felt this was a deeply honest and bittersweet illustration of a kid working through trauma, grief, identity, and intrusive thoughts/mental health. I will absolutely read from OAC again!
I adored this novel-in-verse, though it was quite devastating to see Ariel in pain and so hard on herself throughout the book. This is the first time I have read from Olivia A. Cole and I was so incredibly moved 😭
Ariel is a teenager who is 5’11” and the reason I bring that up is because her size/height is a point of contention, especially for the men around her. They feel inclined to say something about her size unwarranted, and it’s insufferable. She wrestles with insidious thoughts about herself and those around her, while maintaining a long-distance friendship with her sister Mandy who is away at college. Ariel feels stuck at home with her parents who she becomes more and more disillusioned with, and recognizes that her friend Leah is distancing herself from Ariel too.
Ariel makes friends with Ruth and Rex, while continuously fielding her thoughts, in between ruminating on gender, gender stereotypes and the binary, sexuality, and relationships in general. I appreciated the author’s transparency and vulnerability in the acknowledgements/author’s note at the very end, which connects their journey to Ariel’s 🫂 I don’t want to spoil it but I felt this was a deeply honest and bittersweet illustration of a kid working through trauma, grief, identity, and intrusive thoughts/mental health. I will absolutely read from OAC again!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Abandonment
Moderate: Gaslighting, Cursing, Suicidal thoughts, Ableism, Dysphoria, Sexual harassment, Classism, and Body shaming
Minor: Sexism and Racism
More...