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therainbowshelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
5.0
A dynamic group of artistic, queer teens struggling with deep self-loathing find deep friendship and inspiration in one another. I loved the journey this took us on through each character’s struggles, as well as the process of identifying and talking about eating disorders. There is no solid conclusion, but it feels natural since their story isn’t over, just this part of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Self harm, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Eating disorder, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Vomit
Toxic parentsgeorgiaisreading's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder
Moderate: Vomit, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Dysphoria
notabookseller's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
slow-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
Major thanks to NetGalley and First Second Books for this ARC of The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle in exchange for an honest review. The Greatest Thing is currently available for pre-order and will be released on February 8th, 2022.
This story has a full and solid cast of characters who are all read and I’d love to spend more time with them; I think that this universe would make a great cartoon series. I can’t explain why, but as I was reading there were moments where I felt like I was missing something, but I wasn’t. At the end of the book there weren’t any unanswered questions, but it was definitely more open ended than I would’ve liked for something that I know to be a standalone book.
Overall, I did enjoy my time reading this story; I thought the friendships explored were lovely and it was very easy to get attached to these characters. The Greatest Thing touches on a lot of real, sensitive, and important topics and Searle handled them beautifully. April is a tad abrasive at times but it compliments Win’s passivity well, so it works out (Winifred has a tendency to let life happen to her and April does a good job of happening to Win). I truly do hope that we get to see these characters again; I think that they have more stories in them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Vomit
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