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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
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