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lumenades's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Self harm, and Toxic friendship
marciclark's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Bullying
Moderate: Suicide attempt and Abandonment
Minor: Homophobia
gefthetalkingmongoose's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Bullying
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, and Homophobia
Minor: Death of parent, Cancer, and Racism
imstephtacular's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, Homophobia, Racism, Mental illness, Death of parent, Sexism, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Drug use, War, Vomit, and Death
anastasia_raf's review against another edition
- 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
We follow two teenagers Brian and Ezra, while they get through high school and life in general. Discovering that parents aren't perfect, that family can mean more than the people who raised you, but also the people who support you and stand by you right now. Friends can be family. (Found family trope!) Making peace with the fact that sometimes summer can have rain and winter sunny days! Finding out who you are without your parent's ideas, society's expectations and people's fantasies. Who you are when building who YOU want to be, all tools and ingredients your own.
I truly loved all the characters! Expept Colby... I get how and why he exists I just don't LIKE HIM AT ALL. Now that this is out of the way, I loved Brittany and her boyfriend so so much probably my favorite characters! I wanted more of Ezra in general and I felt that the ending was a bit rushed? The book in general took its time and -deservingly so- because with so much discussions and topics to unpack such as racism, micro-aggressions, homophobia, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, bullying, etc, it's important not to hurry, to just mentioned them and that's it...
With that being said, I wanted more of the ending, I think some things could've been explored and leave a dash of curiosity about the future instead of just ending the past and waiting out the present.
Graphic: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Bullying, Mental illness, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
tinytrashqueen's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicide, Medical content, Bullying, and Homophobia
Minor: Drug use
dobbsthedog's review against another edition
5.0
Reread August 2022 via audio. Rating upgraded to 5 stars!
Gah, I love this book! I don’t even understand how a book can tackle so many heavy topics and still feel lovely and heartwarming? Also, chapter 30 is the best.
And now I’m off to discuss the book with my teen book club AND the author! 😃
______
…and that is how you read a book in one sitting.
I really enjoyed this! I’ve known about it since it came out this spring, but only just realized 2 days ago that the author is local and it’s set in Halifax, which is an hour from where I live. And I so enjoy reading books set in places that I know well; being able to picture the library (I was there a couple weeks ago!) and the neighbourhood where Ezra lives (if I were to live in the HRM it would be in that neighbourhood, I love it).
While this is a middle grade book, it dealt with quite a lot of heavy topics. Brian, one of the MCs is dealing with a lot of mental health stuff, both personally and with his mom. His dad is also having trouble with the law, which leads to him having to abruptly leave town (this happens at the beginning of the book). While the majority of the story revolves around Brian and what’s going on in his life, it is dual POV and the other MC, Ezra, is just the sweetest.
Without spoiling the whole book, I just want to say that I like how the book ended, I love how Brian and Ezra’s friendship developed, I loved that it was a story about friends and that real friends will accept you no matter what.
Graphic: Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia and Racism
Minor: Cancer and Death of parent
iamcupid_'s review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Toxic friendship, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Cancer, Racism, and Homophobia
kaylaphaneuf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, and Abandonment
Moderate: Bullying, Blood, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: Grief, Homophobia, and Cancer
xoodlebooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Suicide attempt, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Minor: Death of parent, Racism, Homophobia, Medical content, and Grief