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Reviews tagging 'Toxic friendship'
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor
17 reviews
ghostreadin's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Toxic friendship, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Transphobia, and Hate crime
Moderate: Biphobia, Mental illness, Ableism, and Homophobia
bookcheshirecat's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Transphobia, Homophobia, and Bullying
Minor: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Toxic friendship
bookstarbri's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
This story centers around a 30-year-old mystery in the small town, Astoria. The mystery has a bit of a supernatural pull on our main character, Sam Sylvester, whose perspective we stay in for the entirety of the book. This mystery is such a blight on the town that it has led to those avoiding even discussing the person who died in the so-called "accident." This story is a mystery through and through. The theme of presences and ghosts and psychic feelings kind of add to this mysterious and mystical feel that's present throughout. I think this book is a bit of a lesson on how slow pacing can be effective. It moves pretty slowly for most of the story, but the mystery and the unease grows throughout. We're constantly having questions answered while new ones spring up. For me, the mystery was so interesting and I was desperately trying to figure out who the culprit of it all was. I will say that I wasn't entirely surprised who the culprit ended up being! I actually thought the side aspects to the case were more surprising, but I didn't mind that!
Nearly every character in this is amazing. Sam, Junius, Shep, Sky, Aiden, Margie, and even clueless Dylan are such strong characters. Even those who are minor and don't serve much to the plot are nice side characters. I also think that Junius Sylvester deserves the distinction of best parent in YA ever. He was an AMAZING father and such a stunning character. The bond between him and Sam was so clear from page one and it truly felt like he would do anything to make sure his child was safe. Onto Sam: when I think about my favorite book characters, I think Sam Sylvester will always have a spot on that list. They were a character that made me so indescribably happy. I wanted to fight for them and I wanted them to be joyful experience everything they deserved. They were so carefully developed and I just love Sam so much and the romance they ended up having in this story was sweet. And I always love good ace rep and this was GOOD ace rep!
My minor complaint was that sometimes I got a bit confused with the details of the case. Sometimes we were given facts all at once so it was a lot to keep up with at one time. I also wish we could've had a bit more regarding the threatening notes and who was responsible for them. We got a sentence at the end for who did it, but I wish we could've gotten a more developed why. And I also wish we could've gotten maybe just one more scene with Sam, Shep, Sky, and Aiden all together because I love their friendship so much. Overall, this book is wonderful and so necessary. I adore it and it has a special place in my heart.
Thank you to Maya MacGregor, Astra, and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Nearly every character in this is amazing. Sam, Junius, Shep, Sky, Aiden, Margie, and even clueless Dylan are such strong characters. Even those who are minor and don't serve much to the plot are nice side characters. I also think that Junius Sylvester deserves the distinction of best parent in YA ever. He was an AMAZING father and such a stunning character. The bond between him and Sam was so clear from page one and it truly felt like he would do anything to make sure his child was safe. Onto Sam: when I think about my favorite book characters, I think Sam Sylvester will always have a spot on that list. They were a character that made me so indescribably happy. I wanted to fight for them and I wanted them to be joyful experience everything they deserved. They were so carefully developed and I just love Sam so much and the romance they ended up having in this story was sweet. And I always love good ace rep and this was GOOD ace rep!
My minor complaint was that sometimes I got a bit confused with the details of the case. Sometimes we were given facts all at once so it was a lot to keep up with at one time. I also wish we could've had a bit more regarding the threatening notes and who was responsible for them. We got a sentence at the end for who did it, but I wish we could've gotten a more developed why. And I also wish we could've gotten maybe just one more scene with Sam, Shep, Sky, and Aiden all together because I love their friendship so much. Overall, this book is wonderful and so necessary. I adore it and it has a special place in my heart.
Thank you to Maya MacGregor, Astra, and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Stalking
Moderate: Biphobia, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Cancer
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
foreverinastory's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this one so much!!!
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is a YA thriller about teenage Sam who is nonbinary (they/them pronouns). Sam is recovering from trauma and with their dad has moved to a new school that will hopefully be more understanding of Sam's gender and their autism. Sam ends up meeting some kids from the Queer club and makes a couple friends. But as they settle into their new house, they found out someone was murdered in it before they bought it.
Sam is intrigued and has to know more. With their new friends in tow, the three of them begin to investigate the murder. But things are getting weird, Sam finds threatening notes and sinister shadows the more they dig into the case. Are they onto something or are the notes unrelated?
Y'all I loved this book with my whole being. I need more books with neurodivergent and nonbinary MCs. The feeling of being seen like Sam made me feel is indescribable. I love them so much and I want to protect them and their dad at all costs.
I really loved the mystery part of this as well. It doesn't really ramp up until past 25% or so since Sam is busy trying to fit into school and get used to a new town. But I loved the investigation once it started. It was so gripping and I loved how I was kept guessing until the end.
There's also a little bit of romance in this book and it was so so sweet. I absolutely loved the relationship that developed!
Rep: white Autistic panromantic asexual nonbinary MC, adopted by an aroace Black dad, Latina sapphic female side character, various other queer side characters.
CWs: Bullying, panic attacks, biphobia/bimisia, homophobia/homomisia, transphobia/transmisia, grief, stalking, death, mental illness (anxiety), attempted murder. Moderate: murder, alcoholism (side character), cursing, violence, toxic friendship, suicidal thoughts. Minor: Cancer, domestic abuse, self harm, gaslighting, outing.
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester is a YA thriller about teenage Sam who is nonbinary (they/them pronouns). Sam is recovering from trauma and with their dad has moved to a new school that will hopefully be more understanding of Sam's gender and their autism. Sam ends up meeting some kids from the Queer club and makes a couple friends. But as they settle into their new house, they found out someone was murdered in it before they bought it.
Sam is intrigued and has to know more. With their new friends in tow, the three of them begin to investigate the murder. But things are getting weird, Sam finds threatening notes and sinister shadows the more they dig into the case. Are they onto something or are the notes unrelated?
Y'all I loved this book with my whole being. I need more books with neurodivergent and nonbinary MCs. The feeling of being seen like Sam made me feel is indescribable. I love them so much and I want to protect them and their dad at all costs.
I really loved the mystery part of this as well. It doesn't really ramp up until past 25% or so since Sam is busy trying to fit into school and get used to a new town. But I loved the investigation once it started. It was so gripping and I loved how I was kept guessing until the end.
There's also a little bit of romance in this book and it was so so sweet. I absolutely loved the relationship that developed!
Rep: white Autistic panromantic asexual nonbinary MC, adopted by an aroace Black dad, Latina sapphic female side character, various other queer side characters.
CWs: Bullying, panic attacks, biphobia/bimisia, homophobia/homomisia, transphobia/transmisia, grief, stalking, death, mental illness (anxiety), attempted murder. Moderate: murder, alcoholism (side character), cursing, violence, toxic friendship, suicidal thoughts. Minor: Cancer, domestic abuse, self harm, gaslighting, outing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Transphobia
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cursing, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Outing, and Self harm
spookieboogie's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Cursing
Minor: Domestic abuse, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Self harm, and Bullying
nadjareads's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic friendship, and Transphobia
Moderate: Stalking
Minor: Cancer, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Outing
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