Reviews

My bar for books written by this author is high. Some of my favorite books were written by Ms. Magoon. Still I was blown away by this book. It is incredibly intense but also digestible. I really appreciated how this book approached death and some other really heavy issues.

Content Warnings

karis_rogerson's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful tense fast-paced

4.25

This book is heart-wrenching and difficult, an exploration of grief and the ways we are all affected by it differently. It's also about a boy coming to terms with his sexuality, coming to terms with his faith, coming to terms with who he is in the wake of the loss of his sister.

1kelsey_jw's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional 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? No

4.5

A hard hitting story, built with easy to read writing and likeable characters you want to root for

ajacks08's review against another edition

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Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Great story that discussed all kinds of themes…grief, sexuality, love, & fear. I highly recommend the audio version of this book! Really brought the story to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

cpalmisanod's review

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emotional hopeful 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? It's complicated

4.0

Kermit is reeling from the unexpected loss of his older sister and trying to slog through the "after" that is his life. During his first day back at school he finds an invitation in his locker to the mysterious, Minus One Club.

All members of this club have lost someone near and dear but they never, ever talk about it in their club gatherings. They're simply there for each other.

Through this club Kermit begins a friendship with, Matt, the only openly gay kid at their school who also lost his mother. Matt makes it impossible for Kermit to ignore parts of himself he'd previously been pushing to the side. While Matt always seems careful and lighthearted he is fighting his own battles that his friends can't pretend not to see.

This book delves deep into heavy material: death, suicide, grief, substance abuse, bullying, sexuality - but it does so in a realistic way. I'm from a small town and I absolutely know how difficult it can be to explore, let alone embrace, who you are.

There are a lot of resources shared at the end which is great for such a heavy book aimed at teens.

take_me_awayyy's review

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It's not a bad book, it's just not the book for me. This is the like third or fourth book in a row that featured drugs or addiction, and if you've followed me for any amount of time, you'd know this is a no go for me. So give it a try if this content isn't triggering for you.

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