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theloveofinches's review against another edition
5.0
and she does it again! I already expect great things from Dahlia but still I was pleasantly surprised by this book and all the personal valudation I felt reading it. kind of like going to college, graduating college and entering a career comes with a lot of changes and uncertainty, especially around friendships. but it doesn't matter what our differences are or where we want to go in life. like Vic and Reagan, if we care enough, there'll be a way. the most rewarding friendships are the ones full of support in spite of how often you see each other and stories you're not ready to tell and everything else that comes in the way. ❤️❤️❤️
alienor's review against another edition
3.0
Edit 24/11 : FULL RELEASE TODAY (including in Kindle) - Not my favorite but a good book nonetheless :)
"Duh." He reaches out and flips up the one white curl that hangs in my face.
"Rogue, obviously."
"Oh, yes. Her. Obviously."
He gives me a you must be kidding look. "Please tell me you know who Rogue is."
"Hey, I knew 'Frak.'" That has to count for something."
I'm not gonna lie : I spent the first percents bitching about the clichés in Reagan's life. Let's see...
✔ She's a straight-As student (of course she is)
✔ Her parents don't give a damn about her (of course they don't) and she's the one acting like a reasonable adult when it comes to bills, food, well, everything.
✔ She lives in the trailer park of a nowhere town that she can't wait to leave (with reasons)
✔ She works her ass off at a dinner (I'm beginning to think that every teenager works in a dinner)
Perhaps all these facts don't scream clichés for you, but after having read many coming of age stories these past months I can't say that I got an original vibe at first.
But then enters Victoria, the second MC. Victoria, whose parents ... Are you ready? Really? Sure? Okay. You've been warned. They care about her education and about her in general *GASP* I knoooow. Crazy stuff right? I absolutely loved witnessing Vic's close relationship with her mum and the way they communicated every day (using ASL, by the way, because her mum is deaf).
Not to mention the original use of alternative POV between the 2 friends, Reagan and Victoria. It's a nice change from the boy/girl POV we get 99,99% of the time. I say yes to that.
This is probably where [b:Just Visiting|25223115|Just Visiting|Dahlia Adler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429803179l/25223115._SY75_.jpg|44938557] stands out from many other young adult novels : indeed [a:Dahlia Adler|7071439|Dahlia Adler|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1423195741p2/7071439.jpg] offers us girl friendship done well : look, Vic and Rae are different in a lot of ways (family, hobbies, boys) but they don't judge each other and the rare times they do, it feels realistic and natural. They don't NEED boys to enjoy their time together and they SUPPORT each other whatever happens. Thank you so much for that, Dahlia.
It's no surprise to me that when [a:Dahlia Adler|7071439|Dahlia Adler|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1423195741p2/7071439.jpg] creates cute boys, they're really adorable, not the "I'm supposed to be cute but in fact I am a stalker/controlling asshole/prick" we often find.
I mean,
✔ He's a (cute) dork and attends parties with a Battlestar Galactica T-shirt.
✔ His dialogues with Reagan often show a oh-my-god-this-is-awkward-but-funny quality I can't help but find incredibly appealing.
✔ He doesn't sugar-coat Reagan's problems and despite being smitten, he's still able to call her on her shit when needed.
✔ His shyness doesn't prevent him for being... driven, let's say. God. He made me smile so much.
He's just so freaking cute, I swear! As for the other one.... I won't say who he is, but awww good guys definitely make for a good change :D
In my opinion [b:Just Visiting|25223115|Just Visiting|Dahlia Adler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1429803179l/25223115._SY75_.jpg|44938557] handles several issues in a positive way :
✔ First of all, yay to diversity! I really appreciated how [a:Dahlia Adler|7071439|Dahlia Adler|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1423195741p2/7071439.jpg] dealt with Victoria's Mexican origins and what it means to be a minority when living in nowhere town, without never belittling her roots but showing pride over them. Plus, Dev is Indian, what I found really refreshing in all this ocean of golden boys we call YA fiction.
✔ Poverty isn't sugar-coated and all the details in Reagan's life felt realistic to me.
✔ The sex issues brought real and positive vibes to me : there are talks about protection, consent, and not a once of slut-shaming.
Okay, so at this point you're probably wondering why my rating isn't higher. WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED, ANNA? The fact is, I rarely give 3s to books, because most of the time I end despising or loving a story. Truth being told, I kind of hate giving 3s. Is that a thing?
For me, what will draw the line between a book I liked and a book I loved is so personal and linked to my feelings that it's really difficult to assess the exact reasons. What I can say is this : something was missing for me to be truly involved in the characters' life.
It could be the characters' voices that I found pretty juvenile, to be honest, but we're dealing with teenagers, so perhaps I'm not being fair.
It could be the way the characters keep holding back events from their pasts INCLUDING TO THE READER which has a tendency to annoy me. We're in their head, dammit! I always fail to understand how people actually manage to censure themselves. Do you ? Because I definitely don't.
But... To be frank, if this story contains a lot of details that I genuinely liked, I never really cared about the characters, as if they lacked this extra layer to make me interested : in the end, I'm still not sure if I know them enough to understand them and it's a deal breaker for me. This story, how good it is, won't stand out in my mind, and in the end, that's why I can't rate it higher.
This being said, it could be different for you, so don't hesitate to try it^^
*The book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review (thank you so much!). It did not, in any case, influence my opinion.*
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liralen's review against another edition
4.0
Reagan and Vic are unlikely friends—one determined to rise above her circumstances (and do well academically) and the other desperate to escape from the tedium and racism of small-town Kansas (and hit up college parties). They're different, but it's those differences that make them friends—they're not only different from each other, but different from the majority of their classmates, and that's enough to bond them together. And now it's senior year, and they're determined to keep that bond as strong as ever when they go to university.
The thing that stuck out to me here is that, although the book is wildly diverse as far as mainstream YA goes, it's not casual diversity but rather careful diversity. Very intentional. Reagan is white and poor, with parents who are ineffectual at best; the parts of her history she divulges later on in the book make it abundantly clear that she's had a lot of stereotypical 'trailer trash' (terrible term) experiences. Vic, meanwhile, who is from a stable family, is Mexican-American; her race plays a huge part in how people in their small town see her. To add a non-race-based layer of diversity, Vic's mother is deaf. Meanwhile, one of the romantic leads is Indian-American, and there's at least one East Asian (adopted, Jewish) side character.
I point this out not because any of it is a problem—it's just interesting. It's handled a far sight better than in a lot of YA (hell, it's handled, period, which is a far sight better than a lot of YA); I'm just looking forward to the point when this much diversity in a book (or in a pile of books) is the norm rather than the exception and it really is casual rather than careful.
The thing that stuck out to me here is that, although the book is wildly diverse as far as mainstream YA goes, it's not casual diversity but rather careful diversity. Very intentional. Reagan is white and poor, with parents who are ineffectual at best; the parts of her history she divulges later on in the book make it abundantly clear that she's had a lot of stereotypical 'trailer trash' (terrible term) experiences. Vic, meanwhile, who is from a stable family, is Mexican-American; her race plays a huge part in how people in their small town see her. To add a non-race-based layer of diversity, Vic's mother is deaf. Meanwhile, one of the romantic leads is Indian-American, and there's at least one East Asian (adopted, Jewish) side character.
I point this out not because any of it is a problem—it's just interesting. It's handled a far sight better than in a lot of YA (hell, it's handled, period, which is a far sight better than a lot of YA); I'm just looking forward to the point when this much diversity in a book (or in a pile of books) is the norm rather than the exception and it really is casual rather than careful.
lauroberge's review against another edition
4.0
OH HOW I LOVED THIS BOOK! There's something about it that reminds me of I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios (which I looooove, it's one of my favourite books).
alittlebitheather's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
3.0
Pretty typical contemporary - but a good coming of age and friendship/found family story at its core. Nothing that knocked my socks off, but I really am not the target audience either. I think this one would be great for teens in their later years of high school/early years of college.
broccoli_baz's review against another edition
4.0
This book started rockily for me, but by the end I was wholly invested. I loved the dual POV girl friendship, I loved the girls and their love interests, and I loved where they ended up in the last pages. This is a book about deciding what you want to do after high school, being pulled in so many different directions, and the hope and terror that your decision will define the rest of your life. I had no idea where the girls' journeys were leading until the very final pages, and that really rang true to life.
My issues with the beginning were pretty simple. Rae and Vic's relationship seemed pretty superficial at first, and their humour was mostly confined to friendship break-up jokes. I didn't really appreciate that. It seemed pretty inevitable to me that their friendship was going to completely crash at some point. I can't say how utterly delighted I am that that didn't happen. They had spats, and big differences, but they ultimately supported and cared for one another in a way I didn't anticipate. The way their friendship deepened over the course of the book was beautiful. I feel like the first few chapters were just the author getting a feel for Rae and Vic's dynamic, that never got revised.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this book! I expect I'll read it again.
Edit: There was one thing I felt weird about and that's the morning after pill rep. Three things were said or implied that could potentially be dangerous misinformation (mind, I don't know if there's a pill out there that does fit these criteria): (1) it's portrayed as standard that you feel really sick after taking it, (2) the character vomits soon after taking the pill and doesn't take another one (yikes), (3) the characters seem to think it's 100% effective when that's so entirely untrue.
My issues with the beginning were pretty simple. Rae and Vic's relationship seemed pretty superficial at first, and their humour was mostly confined to friendship break-up jokes. I didn't really appreciate that. It seemed pretty inevitable to me that their friendship was going to completely crash at some point. I can't say how utterly delighted I am that that didn't happen. They had spats, and big differences, but they ultimately supported and cared for one another in a way I didn't anticipate. The way their friendship deepened over the course of the book was beautiful. I feel like the first few chapters were just the author getting a feel for Rae and Vic's dynamic, that never got revised.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this book! I expect I'll read it again.
Edit: There was one thing I felt weird about and that's the morning after pill rep. Three things were said or implied that could potentially be dangerous misinformation (mind, I don't know if there's a pill out there that does fit these criteria): (1) it's portrayed as standard that you feel really sick after taking it, (2) the character vomits soon after taking the pill and doesn't take another one (yikes), (3) the characters seem to think it's 100% effective when that's so entirely untrue.
varo's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
hazelstaybookish's review against another edition
4.0
Friendship and diverse characters and college visits = enjoyable YA contemp <333
blevisky's review against another edition
4.0
this book features so many things i'd never seen in books before! i can't go into detail without giving away spoilers, but if you need a late #diverseathon rec, this is it.
admittedly, i wasn't the biggest fan of one of the main characters/her love interest or the ending, but so many other aspects of the book make up for those that i'd still consider this a 4* read.
admittedly, i wasn't the biggest fan of one of the main characters/her love interest or the ending, but so many other aspects of the book make up for those that i'd still consider this a 4* read.
bookmarklit's review against another edition
5.0
Sooooo good. I loved how complex this story was: every character had their own dreams and issues, even the minor ones. The college tours were fun and very relatable. I ship Vic and Reagan more than them with any boys.