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hommeldraak's review against another edition
dark
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Eating disorder
julescfa's review against another edition
4.0
Clean deftly deals with addiction in YA realm that doesn’t feel exploitive or entirely feeble, it’s refreshing in it’s brevity and clarity while detailing the journey of a number of issues. Lexi Volkov is a privileged white teenage socialite whose life has completely overtaken by drugs. This sense of privilege permeates the entire novel as the majority of it is set at a Detox Clinic that is a manor off the coast of England. Which allows for a myriad of characters who feel less sketched out then Lexi and at times sound as if they’re caricatures of different identifies. We have a white trans anorexic and a black over eater, who when you first meet them apart from Lexi self centered narration, come across as one dimensional characters especially. They intent and progression of each character makes up for the intentional execution.
Taking that it’s a YA novel, first love and friendship are fundamental to the story, Lexi forms such a sweet and tender relationship with sex addict Brady, that I was all for.
Juno Dawson is a wonderful and deeply compassionate author who I will read more of in a heartbeat.
Taking that it’s a YA novel, first love and friendship are fundamental to the story, Lexi forms such a sweet and tender relationship with sex addict Brady, that I was all for.
Juno Dawson is a wonderful and deeply compassionate author who I will read more of in a heartbeat.
tamz27's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
thisisianthe's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely devoured this book. There is something about addiction books that really seem to resonate with me (Crank by Ellen Hopkins, anyone?). I’ve never really had an addiction – I don’t even smoke – but somehow I still feel like I can really relate.
Lexi Volkov is everything that I’m not: rich, riveting and reckless. Her parents are around, but not really, so she is left to herself with more money than she knows what to do with. Her hobbies include partying and shopping and, uh, that’s it. I know what you’re thinking, she doesn’t sound like a very relatable character. But then she hits rock bottom, and we see the real Lexi: a scared, lonely seventeen-year-old.
Juno Dawson’s writing is incredibly compelling. Every chapter in this book is 2 to 5 pages long, which means you can never stop reading because you get stuck in an endless loop of ‘just one more page’ until it’s finished and you realise you need more. (Is this what addiction feels like?)
Following Lexi’s journey through rehab and life was intense but so satisfying. She’s far from perfect, but you can’t help root for her every step of the way.
Clean by Juno Dawson was Waterstones Brighton’s YA & Teen Book Club’s pick for May, and I’m so glad we picked this book because I could not get enough.
Lexi Volkov is everything that I’m not: rich, riveting and reckless. Her parents are around, but not really, so she is left to herself with more money than she knows what to do with. Her hobbies include partying and shopping and, uh, that’s it. I know what you’re thinking, she doesn’t sound like a very relatable character. But then she hits rock bottom, and we see the real Lexi: a scared, lonely seventeen-year-old.
Juno Dawson’s writing is incredibly compelling. Every chapter in this book is 2 to 5 pages long, which means you can never stop reading because you get stuck in an endless loop of ‘just one more page’ until it’s finished and you realise you need more. (Is this what addiction feels like?)
Following Lexi’s journey through rehab and life was intense but so satisfying. She’s far from perfect, but you can’t help root for her every step of the way.
Clean by Juno Dawson was Waterstones Brighton’s YA & Teen Book Club’s pick for May, and I’m so glad we picked this book because I could not get enough.
opinionhaver69's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 out of 5, aka: how many stars can i realistically dock from an otherwise genuinely exceptional novel for having its one fat girl be a chronic overeater whose body ‘seems to hold her back’ and makes the protagonist ‘sad for her’ (but not disgusted! magnanimous!) - these initial judgements are only ever reinforced, not challenged (there are even sections where comments about food made by ruby - the fat girl - are described as being uncomfortable because of how they might make an anorexic patient feel; there’s - perhaps rightly - never any acknowledgement of how the anorexic girl’s internalised fatphobia might make ruby feel, why isn’t this courtesy extended both ways????)
i’m not saying there aren’t fat people irl with food addictions, or that these people aren’t ~valid~ bc they might have negative relationships with their bodies, but having this be the only fat representation in your book is not unlike only writing gay characters with hiv/aids & a gloomy ending - it’s overdone and isolating and contributes to the pervasive social idea that marginalised people are inevitably bound to lead a miserable life without happiness or confidence in who they are, unless they change. from a writer who’s otherwise excellent about including diversity and positive minority representation, i found this to be really disappointing.
i’m not saying there aren’t fat people irl with food addictions, or that these people aren’t ~valid~ bc they might have negative relationships with their bodies, but having this be the only fat representation in your book is not unlike only writing gay characters with hiv/aids & a gloomy ending - it’s overdone and isolating and contributes to the pervasive social idea that marginalised people are inevitably bound to lead a miserable life without happiness or confidence in who they are, unless they change. from a writer who’s otherwise excellent about including diversity and positive minority representation, i found this to be really disappointing.
aliteubner's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Drug use, Death, and Mental illness
whiterugs's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
3.25
thesebookdelights's review against another edition
5.0
When I first read this book I rated it a 4/5. Now that I've re-read it, I'm rating it 5/5. Why? The first time I read it was when it came out in 2018. I'd never read a book like it before. Since reading it for the first time, I've read many books that handle the topics that this one does. And let me tell you, Juno handles these topics better than a lot of the other books I've read.
flatterina's review against another edition
5.0
Ich bin nicht sicher, was ich hier noch hinzufügen könnte, was in den bisherigen Reviews nicht gesagt wurde.
Mit einem Wort: Wow. Definitiv eines der besten Bücher dieses Jahr. Erinnerte mich etwas an "Vier Könige" und wird mir wohl noch eine Weile im Kopf bleiben.
Mit einem Wort: Wow. Definitiv eines der besten Bücher dieses Jahr. Erinnerte mich etwas an "Vier Könige" und wird mir wohl noch eine Weile im Kopf bleiben.