Reviews

Wayward Son by Rainbow Rowell

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katmystery's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.0

I expected this to be more meandering and character-driven than Carry On, but it actually had more of a plot than its predecessor. I had a good time, though the multitude of POVs (5??) is way too many for a story where most characters are traveling together and don't have very different worldviews.

arlingtonchamberofgay's review against another edition

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adventurous funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

emschon18's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

4.5

missemleigh's review against another edition

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4.0

4/5 VERY CUTE. I love these characters so much. I felt like this didnt stack up to the first book, but simon and baz woll make my heart flutter ANY DAY
A little dry as far as the new characters and road trip - but this book is good for other aspects

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Spoilery thoughts
- shepard as cursed plotline?? Interesting
- trouble at watford has them going back!!

gabbyrjohnsonn's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.0

While I really enjoyed Wayward Son, I definitely found that it fell short of the standards set by Carry On. This might be partly due to the ending of the first book, which didn't necessarily feel like it needed a sequel to further explore the characters and their stories (although I'm certainly not upset that Rowell chose to write one).

I think my main problem with this book was the lack of real growth that any of the characters seemed to experience (save maybe Baz?). I'm not saying that I wanted all of their problems to be solved by the end of the story, but there were virtually no character arcs and I found their characterizations to be somewhat inconsistent throughout. Simon, for example, was constantly experiencing major highs and major lows with basically no explanation for why he was feeling certain emotions in a given moment. Carry On just set my standard for these characters so high and did a much better job of making their feelings and motivations clear throughout the story.

There were some really fun parts about Wayward Son, however, and I especially enjoyed the Americana of it all, particularly seeing the road trip through the eyes of Simon. It was also cool to be introduced to so many different creatures and I thought it was smart to include Shepard's character as someone to guide both the reader and Simon, Baz, and Penelope through this unfamiliar landscape.

All in all, this wasn't a bad read at all, I'm just hoping to see some more consistency and character growth in the next installment.