Reviews

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Only show reviews with written explanations

liroa15's review against another edition

3.0

I just don’t get it? I know the story here, but it was very much like reading Harry Potter fan fiction with the serial numbers filed off. I didn’t really like any of the characters, and for it being a fairly long book it definitely didn’t feel like much happened at all. I definitely didn’t feel the connection between Simon and Baz the way most people apparently did and I felt the characters were pretty two-dimensional. Maybe just not the book for me.

martymaraschino's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-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

5.0

lpcook's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved this YA novel.

bummo's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

audacityspork's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Previous rating was 5 stars

I previously read the audiobook of this, and I think the audiobook format worked better. Or maybe the voice actors were just so good that I didn’t notice the book’s issues as much. Or maybe I got so swept up in the mystery that I didn’t notice the character flaws. All I know is, the audiobook experience had me loving all the characters a lot more than reading it on the page. This time around, the characters appeared much more argumentative and antagonistic to each other. I found myself wondering, “do any of them like each other?”

The romance still has its shining moments, and I thoroughly enjoy the surprise twists that Rowell pulls off. But there’s so many unresolved threads at the end, including Baz and Simon not yet discussing their

history of bullying

. How can you write such a long book and not include that? Also, I’m docking points for Baz not being in a huge portion of the beginning of the book. He’s the best part of the story by far.