Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor
12 reviews
melsage1823's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Disclaimer: This is an own voices review as I am like Sam, Nonbinary, Autistic and Asexual, however please do not just read my review when considering if this book is for you.
An absolutely amazing book with super positive representation, themes of found family, healing and a twisty murder mystery that lingers on every character throughout the book. This book was written with such beautiful care and you can tell that Maya definitely wanted to make a book their teenage self needed.
I had no dislikes I thought everything was handled beautifully. Would have loved to explore more of Sky and his subplot but I feel like that would have dragged from the main plot.
I'm just absolutely amazed. First of all the representation was just perfect and healed the wound in my heart I've had from being misunderstood by people. There are still people that our out to harm Sam but everyone mostly treats Sam like a human being. The stimming and meltdowns were written so well and very delicately but I wouldn't expect anything less from an Autistic Author. Sure Sam had a passionate special interest that would be a bit odd to neurotypicals but they were treated like The Good Doctor or Sheldon Cooper. It's so refreshing to have this representation in literature. I really hope this book inspires Autistic people to write their own stories so we have more fabulous stories like this. The queer representation is perfect too and I felt like I could relate to characters like Sam, Sky and Shep so so much.
Be warned that if you are experiencing a casual murder mystery, don't. The main focus is of Sam healing from their truama, finding a found family of queer friends and overcoming their fear of not living to nineteen. The found family development made me cry especially Sam's relationship with Shep who's an absolute angel. It's nice to see a healthy Autistic/Allistic couple represented in literature. As you follow Sam through their move to Astoria it's clear how even through the bad times Sam's new family are there to help them. Its beautiful and I think reading the book for Sam's amazing and healthy new friendships is worth it alone. Especially when we learn why they had to move.
The slow paced build up to the mystery of who killed Billy was well developed as I had no idea who could have done it till the very end of the book. There were lots of twists and turns that left me in huge suspense. The plot overall balances well with fluff and Sam dealing with their move as well as Billy's case. I don't think it was rushed or dragged out, it was just the right length. I also think the twist didn't seem far fetched as it foreshadowed how bad Carl was.
MacGregor writes amazing characters and it absolutely shows here. Each character introduced were compelling and unique in their own way. For me though the standouts had to be Sam themself, Shep, Sky and Junius. Every character managed to make you feel a curve ball of emotions even if it came from Sam's pov. I already mentioned but I want to say we stan a healthy relationship between a neurotypical parent and an Autistic child. Junius was such a kind character that I wish he was real. The book really makes you care for him and Sam's relationship. Junius is a prime example of how all parents of Autistic children should be and was a great role model. I also loved that he was Aro-Ace as it positively showed that singal parenting can work. There's some great touching moments between Sam and Junius that I don't want to spoil. Seriously all the dynamics Sam had with every character was written beautifully and with alot of intrigue.
Finally, I'd say I loved the fact that this book wasn't about Sam having to dramatically forgive the person that hurt them and forced them to move. It lets Sam take control of their own story and doesn't centre anybody that hurt them. I asked Maya about this at a book talk and they said they didn't want any of Sam's bullies to have a platform which clearly showed as none of their major bullies from Montana get proper names and characters like Blaise don't get forgiveness. It's great as it shows that you aren't owed forgiveness if you hurt someone.
Overall, this book hit hard, super hard. It's a book I wish little Mel had gotten the chance to read. It's so empowering, I'd recommend to it anyone but if your identify under the Trans umbrella and are Autistic you definitely need to pick this up its life changing.
An absolutely amazing book with super positive representation, themes of found family, healing and a twisty murder mystery that lingers on every character throughout the book. This book was written with such beautiful care and you can tell that Maya definitely wanted to make a book their teenage self needed.
I had no dislikes I thought everything was handled beautifully. Would have loved to explore more of Sky and his subplot but I feel like that would have dragged from the main plot.
I'm just absolutely amazed. First of all the representation was just perfect and healed the wound in my heart I've had from being misunderstood by people. There are still people that our out to harm Sam but everyone mostly treats Sam like a human being. The stimming and meltdowns were written so well and very delicately but I wouldn't expect anything less from an Autistic Author. Sure Sam had a passionate special interest that would be a bit odd to neurotypicals but they were treated like The Good Doctor or Sheldon Cooper. It's so refreshing to have this representation in literature. I really hope this book inspires Autistic people to write their own stories so we have more fabulous stories like this. The queer representation is perfect too and I felt like I could relate to characters like Sam, Sky and Shep so so much.
Be warned that if you are experiencing a casual murder mystery, don't. The main focus is of Sam healing from their truama, finding a found family of queer friends and overcoming their fear of not living to nineteen. The found family development made me cry especially Sam's relationship with Shep who's an absolute angel. It's nice to see a healthy Autistic/Allistic couple represented in literature. As you follow Sam through their move to Astoria it's clear how even through the bad times Sam's new family are there to help them. Its beautiful and I think reading the book for Sam's amazing and healthy new friendships is worth it alone. Especially when we learn why they had to move.
The slow paced build up to the mystery of who killed Billy was well developed as I had no idea who could have done it till the very end of the book. There were lots of twists and turns that left me in huge suspense. The plot overall balances well with fluff and Sam dealing with their move as well as Billy's case. I don't think it was rushed or dragged out, it was just the right length. I also think the twist didn't seem far fetched as it foreshadowed how bad
MacGregor writes amazing characters and it absolutely shows here. Each character introduced were compelling and unique in their own way. For me though the standouts had to be Sam themself, Shep, Sky and Junius. Every character managed to make you feel a curve ball of emotions even if it came from Sam's pov. I already mentioned but I want to say we stan a healthy relationship between a neurotypical parent and an Autistic child. Junius was such a kind character that I wish he was real. The book really makes you care for him and Sam's relationship. Junius is a prime example of how all parents of Autistic children should be and was a great role model. I also loved that he was Aro-Ace as it positively showed that singal parenting can work. There's some great touching moments between Sam and Junius that I don't want to spoil. Seriously all the dynamics Sam had with every character was written beautifully and with alot of intrigue.
Finally, I'd say I loved the fact that this book wasn't about Sam having to dramatically forgive the person that hurt them and forced them to move. It lets Sam take control of their own story and doesn't centre anybody that hurt them. I asked Maya about this at a book talk and they said they didn't want any of Sam's bullies to have a platform which clearly showed as none of their major bullies from Montana get proper names and characters like Blaise don't get forgiveness. It's great as it shows that you aren't owed forgiveness if you hurt someone.
Overall, this book hit hard, super hard. It's a book I wish little Mel had gotten the chance to read. It's so empowering, I'd recommend to it anyone but if your identify under the Trans umbrella and are Autistic you definitely need to pick this up its life changing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Homophobia, Hate crime, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Medical trauma, Medical content, Murder, Torture, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, and Stalking
Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Alcohol, and Kidnapping
Sam eventually tells Shep what happened to them in Montana and the hate crime is quite a graphic and serious one do be warned. Billy's murder attempts to murder several people throughout the book including Sam and its quite graphic too. Do be warnedashylibrarian's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? No
4.25
I had a great time reading this story and following Sam along their challenging adventure of life in a new town.
Sam's character is so dynamic and full of emotion that I could not help but feel as if I was next to them the entire time, seeing the story play out from their perspective.
I appreciated the subtle magical-realism that played into the mystery unfolding.
Can we take a MOMENT to appreciate the relationship Sam has with their dad? The positive representation of a single-father household was truly warming to read about, and the ways in which Sam and Junius communicate and engage with each other are beautiful. It's not perfect and clean all the time, but it felt happy and true.
I also love the cover!
Sam's character is so dynamic and full of emotion that I could not help but feel as if I was next to them the entire time, seeing the story play out from their perspective.
I appreciated the subtle magical-realism that played into the mystery unfolding.
Can we take a MOMENT to appreciate the relationship Sam has with their dad? The positive representation of a single-father household was truly warming to read about, and the ways in which Sam and Junius communicate and engage with each other are beautiful. It's not perfect and clean all the time, but it felt happy and true.
I also love the cover!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Bullying, Transphobia, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Death, Biphobia, and Child death
Minor: Alcoholism, Self harm, Cancer, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol
merle_bookdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
I don't even exactly know where to start or end but this book was wonderful.
I'm usually not big on murder mystery but I guess if you package it in a YA queer contemporary with a wonderful protagonist it works. I really enjoyed Sam's POV, learning more about how they see the world and of course the wonderful realizations they had when they were finally surrounded by good friends. And my god are good friends groups one of my favorite things in literature. Sam, Shep, Sky, Aidan, and Ronnie and Jax, too, are such a wonderful group and I just wish everyone could be surrounded by such a safe group of people.
I think while this might sound cheesy one of my other favorite things was the wonderful representation we had in this book. Sam is autistic and nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, and they also identify themselves as panromantic and being on the ace spectrum. We also see Latina, Black, Vietnamese, bi, and aroace rep (and more I'm sure) in Sam's friend group and in the LGBTQIA+ club at school.
The murder mystery part starts slowly and then grows more apparent towards the second half of the book when it becomes obvious that Sam and Shep have stirred a pot that somebody clearly doesn't want to have stirred. I really liked the dynamic development and without any spoilers - I didn't guess who the murder was.
And just for a little bit of emotional pain, because Sam was really good at inflicting that on me:
I'm usually not big on murder mystery but I guess if you package it in a YA queer contemporary with a wonderful protagonist it works. I really enjoyed Sam's POV, learning more about how they see the world and of course the wonderful realizations they had when they were finally surrounded by good friends. And my god are good friends groups one of my favorite things in literature. Sam, Shep, Sky, Aidan, and Ronnie and Jax, too, are such a wonderful group and I just wish everyone could be surrounded by such a safe group of people.
I think while this might sound cheesy one of my other favorite things was the wonderful representation we had in this book. Sam is autistic and nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, and they also identify themselves as panromantic and being on the ace spectrum. We also see Latina, Black, Vietnamese, bi, and aroace rep (and more I'm sure) in Sam's friend group and in the LGBTQIA+ club at school.
The murder mystery part starts slowly and then grows more apparent towards the second half of the book when it becomes obvious that Sam and Shep have stirred a pot that somebody clearly doesn't want to have stirred. I really liked the dynamic development and without any spoilers - I didn't guess who the murder was.
And just for a little bit of emotional pain, because Sam was really good at inflicting that on me:
"I'm not afraid of the dead, Dad. They're dead. [...] The living are scarier."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Biphobia, Death, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Stalking
Minor: Self harm, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Vomit, and Outing
spark_879's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child death, Toxic friendship, Violence, Sexual content, and Transphobia
Minor: Vomit, Gun violence, Biphobia, Self harm, and Domestic abuse
transphobia = misgendering & harming someone because they're queer • murder = (accidental) attempted murder • sexual content = kissingevelynyle_88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
The story is really creepy somehow, but heartwarming in some way. I love how Sam Sylvester enganged himself with his autistic (neurodivergent) condition in his life.
I love every minute reading this!
I love every minute reading this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Bullying, and Homophobia
Moderate: Murder, Biphobia, and Death
Minor: Self harm, Domestic abuse, and Cancer
aexileigh's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, Outing, Child death, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Biphobia, Bullying, Death, and Transphobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Blood, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Domestic abuse
betweentheshelves's review
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
Not only is there great representation in this (the main character is nonbinary, autistic, and on the ace spectrum!) but I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery in here. There's a few hints of something almost supernatural at work (kind of like a ghost), and the characters were great. I especially loved Sam's relationship with their dad. Seeing such a supportive dad in a YA book like this is something I love to see. And a single dad at that!
I will say I didn't necessarily think the romance was necessary for the plot, and it fell a little flat for me. It almost felt like it happened too quickly, and I think I would have rathered that maybe it was just a hint at the end of the story.
However, the mystery worked so well, with strong twists and turns unfolding at every turn. If you like your mysteries with a contemporary spin, I'd definitely recommend this one!
I will say I didn't necessarily think the romance was necessary for the plot, and it fell a little flat for me. It almost felt like it happened too quickly, and I think I would have rathered that maybe it was just a hint at the end of the story.
However, the mystery worked so well, with strong twists and turns unfolding at every turn. If you like your mysteries with a contemporary spin, I'd definitely recommend this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Biphobia
Minor: Self harm, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
platoniciris's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book, wow. This book was something else entirely from anything I was expecting. I loved every page of it. It was intimidating as it’s outside my usual genres but I would read this again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Murder, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Biphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Minor: Self harm, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
benediction's review
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Ableism, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Transphobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Violence, Biphobia, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Mental illness, Dysphoria, Outing, and Self harm
Minor: Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Blood, Kidnapping, Medical content, Police brutality, Racism, and Religious bigotry
bookish_burrow's review
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Thank you to Astra Publishing House and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on May 3, 2022!
First off, WOW! It is has been quite a while since a book sucked me in so much that I NEEDED to finish it in one sitting! This book has it all; a diverse cast of characters, a mysterious small town brimming with secrets, ghostly happenings, a loveable friend group, and INCREDIBLE representation.
I loved Sam, they were such a loveable character and it was great to see an autistic and nonbinary character represented in literature! I will be honest I didn't realize how little I had read things in fictional literature regarding autism, nonbinary representation, pronoun introductions or usage, or even happily single dad representation. I loved seeing bisexual representation as well as discussion of bi-erasure and asexuality and aromanticism. Like some other reviewers have commented on, however, there was a specific sentence in the book that included the two as one identity when they are two separate identities. I felt this could add some confusion to young readers who may be exploring these identities. That being said, literature like this is something I wish had been available when I was growing up as a teenager but I am so happy that teens now can.
MacGregor's writing is stunning, it was so well-balanced between character description, ambiance building, and dialogue. I really loved how we learned about Sam's story in gradualness as the mystery of the town unraveled. I was a bit worried that the book would feel weighed down because of the numerous plot lines that all intertwined into the core plot but I didn't actually feel that way at all! By the end, I had come up with about 10 endings I thought would happen and none of them did and I absolutely love that. This book was one that definitely kept me on my toes!!
My other comment does not affect my overall rating of this title as it was more of a personal thing because it was the one thing that took me out of my reading. To preface, I am an adult reader and I know for a fact my 15-year self had been reading this she wouldn't have even blinked an eye because she created very long acronyms in text and in spoken conversation. Within the book, Sam at times will respond to what someone is saying by stating an emoji that might be used in a text conversation in spoken conversation. It was something minute, in all honesty, and doesn't take anything off my rating it was just something I cringed a little at while reading.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it but I would want to caution some readers as some content in this book may be triggering to individuals. Thank you again to Astra Publishing House, Netgalley, and to MacGregor for such an incredible book brimming with lots of important content.
First off, WOW! It is has been quite a while since a book sucked me in so much that I NEEDED to finish it in one sitting! This book has it all; a diverse cast of characters, a mysterious small town brimming with secrets, ghostly happenings, a loveable friend group, and INCREDIBLE representation.
I loved Sam, they were such a loveable character and it was great to see an autistic and nonbinary character represented in literature! I will be honest I didn't realize how little I had read things in fictional literature regarding autism, nonbinary representation, pronoun introductions or usage, or even happily single dad representation. I loved seeing bisexual representation as well as discussion of bi-erasure and asexuality and aromanticism. Like some other reviewers have commented on, however, there was a specific sentence in the book that included the two as one identity when they are two separate identities. I felt this could add some confusion to young readers who may be exploring these identities. That being said, literature like this is something I wish had been available when I was growing up as a teenager but I am so happy that teens now can.
MacGregor's writing is stunning, it was so well-balanced between character description, ambiance building, and dialogue. I really loved how we learned about Sam's story in gradualness as the mystery of the town unraveled. I was a bit worried that the book would feel weighed down because of the numerous plot lines that all intertwined into the core plot but I didn't actually feel that way at all! By the end, I had come up with about 10 endings I thought would happen and none of them did and I absolutely love that. This book was one that definitely kept me on my toes!!
My other comment does not affect my overall rating of this title as it was more of a personal thing because it was the one thing that took me out of my reading. To preface, I am an adult reader and I know for a fact my 15-year self had been reading this she wouldn't have even blinked an eye because she created very long acronyms in text and in spoken conversation. Within the book, Sam at times will respond to what someone is saying by stating an emoji that might be used in a text conversation in spoken conversation. It was something minute, in all honesty, and doesn't take anything off my rating it was just something I cringed a little at while reading.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would highly recommend it but I would want to caution some readers as some content in this book may be triggering to individuals. Thank you again to Astra Publishing House, Netgalley, and to MacGregor for such an incredible book brimming with lots of important content.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Transphobia
Moderate: Death, Grief, Murder, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Outing