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melbsreads's review against another edition
4.0
Trigger warnings: homophobia, needles and medical crises (the protagonist is diabetic), death of a parent (in the past), car accident (in the past), accidents involving circular saws and fingers (in the past but still horrifying ohgod), simulations of death(???), blood.
Well, this was super cute. It's the story of a 16 year old girl who's a) homeschooled and b) diabetic. She basically has one friend, and so when a cute boy moves in next door, she's all "OMG WHAT DO I DOOOOOOOOOO???". Turns out he's on a mission to fake his own death 23 times after losing two fingers to a woodshop accident at school - his own form of immersion therapy. And Stevie's one friend decides that they need to help him in this death-faking exercise.
It sounds a little ridiculous and over the top, but that's really a fairly minor part of the story. Similarly, the romance between Stevie and Max (which can be seen coming a mile away) is also a minor part of the story. The bulk of it is about Stevie standing up for her beliefs (she's part of an activist group protesting the development of a local park and lake), the friendship between Stevie and Sanger growing and changing, and Max learning to live with his anxiety.
So on the whole, it was an engaging and easy read full of great friendships, teen hijinks and a protagonist who's not afraid to speak her mind. And there's a TON of diversity in the story, so...WIN.
My two gripes here are fairly minor:
1. Stevie's cousin, Josh? Yeah, his story was hella interesting and I'd love to see him show up in a standalone book to explore that better because it wasn't nearly as developed as I would have liked; and
2. Sanger's name. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Sanger as a character. I mean, she's a mixed race daughter of lesbian mothers who's really into coding. Buuuuuut "sanga" is Australian slang for "sandwich" and so I just kept thinking of her as "sandwich" the entire time. Which is unfortunate.
Well, this was super cute. It's the story of a 16 year old girl who's a) homeschooled and b) diabetic. She basically has one friend, and so when a cute boy moves in next door, she's all "OMG WHAT DO I DOOOOOOOOOO???". Turns out he's on a mission to fake his own death 23 times after losing two fingers to a woodshop accident at school - his own form of immersion therapy. And Stevie's one friend decides that they need to help him in this death-faking exercise.
It sounds a little ridiculous and over the top, but that's really a fairly minor part of the story. Similarly, the romance between Stevie and Max (which can be seen coming a mile away) is also a minor part of the story. The bulk of it is about Stevie standing up for her beliefs (she's part of an activist group protesting the development of a local park and lake), the friendship between Stevie and Sanger growing and changing, and Max learning to live with his anxiety.
So on the whole, it was an engaging and easy read full of great friendships, teen hijinks and a protagonist who's not afraid to speak her mind. And there's a TON of diversity in the story, so...WIN.
My two gripes here are fairly minor:
1. Stevie's cousin, Josh? Yeah, his story was hella interesting and I'd love to see him show up in a standalone book to explore that better because it wasn't nearly as developed as I would have liked; and
2. Sanger's name. Don't get me wrong, I LOVED Sanger as a character. I mean, she's a mixed race daughter of lesbian mothers who's really into coding. Buuuuuut "sanga" is Australian slang for "sandwich" and so I just kept thinking of her as "sandwich" the entire time. Which is unfortunate.
mabeling's review
3.0
Great book, loved the characters ad the quirky story but found the ending disappointing and too preachy.
ohamylynnn's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
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
kielirose's review
5.0
I met kathryn at a book festival and was super excited to read her book! She did not let me down, this story is exciting and fun, but also has very deep moments. My favorite part was the close friendships and how they were important and that they were never ruined because of a boy.
madmar's review
3.0
I don't really know how to feel about this book?? Idk. I feel like it deserves 4 stars but I didn't like it enough to give it that. The writing style is interesting, the cast of characters diverse (which I enjoyed), and the premise was interesting. I basically read it in one sitting. It was good. I think I just expected a bit too much of it.