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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
hopeful
tense
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
Süße Geschichte mit Abzügen
„Maybe meant to be, Füreinander bestimmt- vielleicht“ ist ein Coming of Age Roman von K.L. Walther.
In diesem Roman werden sehr wichtige Themen behandelt, wie z.B. Unsicherheiten bezüglich des Coming Out, Identitätssuche, erste Liebe etc. Leider blieb es dabei eher oberflächlich, etwas mehr Tiefe wäre schön gewesen.
Die Geschichte war ganz süß, aber die fehlende Kommunikation, hat mich leider gestört – auch wenn ich den Grund dafür verstehe. Sage, Charlie und Luke sind sympathische Charaktere, mit Ecken und Kanten. Dadurch, dass es recht oberflächlich blieb, konnte ich nicht so richtig mit ihnen warm werden.
K.L.Walthers locker-leichter Schreibstil ist passend für ein Jugendbuch, es lässt sich schnell lesen.
„Maybe meant to be“ ist ein seichter Coming of Age Roman, der wichtige Themen anspricht. Mir hat es zwar nicht ganz so zugesagt, aber ich würde es trotzdem weiterempfehlen.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-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
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
*i received an arc in exchange for an honest review!*
i just didn’t really like anything about this book huh. hiding most of this review in case of spoilers, but boy do i have some things to SAY about the queer rep
rep: gay MC, Japanese-American gay LI
i just… mmm i’m disappointed. i don’t even know where to start. this cover looks like a cute read but i was just upset reading this, for two main reasons among a few others.
firstly, you don’t have to be “out” or even queer to write these storylines, and i don’t know the author’s identities or anything and she definitely isn’t required to disclose anything, but as a queer person myself I was uncomfortable and angry reading this.
this story alternates between two best friends: Charlie and Sage. Sage is straight and in love with Charlie’s twin brother, Nick. Charlie’s gay and later says “I’ve known for years” but dates so many girls for a few weeks at a time before dumping them, and generally treating them like shit. this is my first complaint. Charlie claims he’s known for years that he’s gay (said as a senior) and that he dated all these girls to hide the fact that he’s gay and because he “had a reputation to hold up”. it’s one thing to date a few girls if you are struggling to accept your sexuality and are still figuring things out, but he treats these girls like shit and barely feels bad about it. i could get past it if he acknowledges that being closeted doesn’t excuse his shitty behavior. even when he first gets with Luke, Charlie doesn’t treat him that well at times.
AND THEN Luke pulls the “we can’t be together if you won’t come out” card, which pissed me off. stop putting this in books unless you’re going to facilitate a discussion about why this is toxic!!! you should NEVER pressure anybody, let alone the person you are dating and supposedly love, to come out just because you want to be with them publicly. that is the shittiest thing to do. AND the book never addresses this. Luke never apologizes. Charlie only goes home and comes out to his parents because Luke broke up with him for not being out to everyone. i’m so fucking tired of reading this in lgbtq+ books, and they’re almost ALWAYS written by non own-voices authors. i’m not even sorry for all this swearing because i am so upset and tired of reading this in books but especially YA books. yes, Charlie’s parents were accepting of him and not homophobic (expect for a few side comments), but not every household is like this. not every lgbtq+ child can come out safely and to have this message that you have to be out in order to date someone in YA books is so fucking harmful. people deserve to come out on their own time when they are comfortable. coming out is not some grand romantic gesture so please stop writing it like that!!! i’m going to scream!!
also this book just screams “look at me i’m such a good ally!!” it’s full of little comments in scenes from other characters after Charlie comes out that are so cringe worthy. there’s a joke about someone hiding in the closet and then a comment of “nobody should have to hide in the closet”. shit like that.
anyway. the writing? this read like a wattpad published first draft. the time skips were SO annoying. every chapter had like 5+ time skips where things just happened off page and you get no sense of development for these characters. the scene would end abruptly and jump ahead and then past conversations would get referenced but we don’t see them happen.
and the two POVs?? useless. there was no differentiation between the characters monologues and this was first person so it was incredibly confusing. i couldn’t tell who’s POV i was reading half the time. i got zero sense of their personalities, and they just read like puppets bouncing around doing things because the author made them. the only character i actually liked was Nick.
i just didn’t really like anything about this book huh. hiding most of this review in case of spoilers, but boy do i have some things to SAY about the queer rep
rep: gay MC, Japanese-American gay LI
i just… mmm i’m disappointed. i don’t even know where to start. this cover looks like a cute read but i was just upset reading this, for two main reasons among a few others.
firstly, you don’t have to be “out” or even queer to write these storylines, and i don’t know the author’s identities or anything and she definitely isn’t required to disclose anything, but as a queer person myself I was uncomfortable and angry reading this.
Spoiler
this story alternates between two best friends: Charlie and Sage. Sage is straight and in love with Charlie’s twin brother, Nick. Charlie’s gay and later says “I’ve known for years” but dates so many girls for a few weeks at a time before dumping them, and generally treating them like shit. this is my first complaint. Charlie claims he’s known for years that he’s gay (said as a senior) and that he dated all these girls to hide the fact that he’s gay and because he “had a reputation to hold up”. it’s one thing to date a few girls if you are struggling to accept your sexuality and are still figuring things out, but he treats these girls like shit and barely feels bad about it. i could get past it if he acknowledges that being closeted doesn’t excuse his shitty behavior. even when he first gets with Luke, Charlie doesn’t treat him that well at times.
AND THEN Luke pulls the “we can’t be together if you won’t come out” card, which pissed me off. stop putting this in books unless you’re going to facilitate a discussion about why this is toxic!!! you should NEVER pressure anybody, let alone the person you are dating and supposedly love, to come out just because you want to be with them publicly. that is the shittiest thing to do. AND the book never addresses this. Luke never apologizes. Charlie only goes home and comes out to his parents because Luke broke up with him for not being out to everyone. i’m so fucking tired of reading this in lgbtq+ books, and they’re almost ALWAYS written by non own-voices authors. i’m not even sorry for all this swearing because i am so upset and tired of reading this in books but especially YA books. yes, Charlie’s parents were accepting of him and not homophobic (expect for a few side comments), but not every household is like this. not every lgbtq+ child can come out safely and to have this message that you have to be out in order to date someone in YA books is so fucking harmful. people deserve to come out on their own time when they are comfortable. coming out is not some grand romantic gesture so please stop writing it like that!!! i’m going to scream!!
also this book just screams “look at me i’m such a good ally!!” it’s full of little comments in scenes from other characters after Charlie comes out that are so cringe worthy. there’s a joke about someone hiding in the closet and then a comment of “nobody should have to hide in the closet”. shit like that.
anyway. the writing? this read like a wattpad published first draft. the time skips were SO annoying. every chapter had like 5+ time skips where things just happened off page and you get no sense of development for these characters. the scene would end abruptly and jump ahead and then past conversations would get referenced but we don’t see them happen.
and the two POVs?? useless. there was no differentiation between the characters monologues and this was first person so it was incredibly confusing. i couldn’t tell who’s POV i was reading half the time. i got zero sense of their personalities, and they just read like puppets bouncing around doing things because the author made them. the only character i actually liked was Nick.
emotional
lighthearted
fast-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
lighthearted
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
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes