Reviews with content warning for Sexual violence - The Music of What Happens

Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

10 reviews

thehmkane's review against another edition

emotional funny 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? Yes

4.0

I started out being deeply annoyed by one of the leads, and not super able to connect to the other, but by the end I was very fond of them both, as well as their little friend groups. Liked that the ending was hopeful, but not super pat.

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a_l_reads's review

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challenging emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective sad medium-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? It's complicated

3.75

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rayne_1906's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.75

Audiobook - 4 hours 36 minutes - This wasn't quite what I was expecting - it was a lot heavier than it seemed in the synopsis, exploring darker themes than a book just about a summer romance would. I liked Max's character - it took me a little longer to like Jordan. There were some elements I didn't like at first but I realised towards the end of the novel that a fair few of these were intentional and specifically commented on as part of the conclusion. There were parts of this book that were extremely hard for me to read - Max's story in particular hit far too close for home and upset me a lot, but that is on me for choosing this audiobook at random without researching the content warnings. But overall, I liked the structure of this book - it diverted from the 'automatically happy ending' that I've come to expect from YA novels, and it was a refreshing change, that made sense within the context of the book.

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davidbythebay's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

An emotional story touching upon several difficult topics, this was a beautiful exploration of youth, coming of age, and being gay. When two gay boys take over a food truck for the summer, the story looks likes its going to be a sweet unknown/enemies to lovers trope. And it sort of is. But it's more about realizing what our boundaries are, how to communicate, the strength in speaking your truth and in supporting others' truths, and coping with significant trauma. It's about speaking what you want and having someone listen to it and abide by it. Boundaries are the key theme of this book and it handles them beautifully. Really, a sweet read that spoke volumes in a matter of pages.

TW: parent death, grief, addiction, gambling, rape, sexual assault, gaslighting, bullying

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aimhkaitlin's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

The author heavily relied on the third act save that fixed a lot of the plot issues and problematic behaviors and thought patterns that bothered me consistently throughout the book. I think the first-person narrative allowed for a lot of the problematic elements to go unquestioned for far too long and lacked a level of condemnation that I believe should be the responsibility of an accountable YA writer. (Negative thoughts patterns not being questioned, gaslighting, etc.) Covers a lot of heavy and sensitive topics, that I could see being impactful to the right reader but to be effective this book needs to be finished in its entirety before the benefits can be reaped. This worries me for any vulnerable reader who does not finish it and instead is left with the lack of resolution that occurs in the final chapters and the critical accountability for multiple characters and actions. An okay read but left me with concerns.

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justreaditem's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective sad fast-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

5.0

This book took me completely by surprise.

Not only does it show an honest story between two young gay boys, it shows the relationship between mother and son, father and son, and friendships. It shows how men can just as easily be sexually assaulted and raped as women; and and that addiction comes in many forms. If I didn't know any addicts, I wouldn't have been able to sympathise with Jordan's mum. For addicts to truly get the help they need, they have to want it because nothing is more important than their fix, not even their kids. I adored that Max was Hispanic/Latino, as it showed brought another layer of male posturing and homophobia, not only within sports but also within other cultures.

Jordan and Max had a really cute relationship, the way they argued and grew as a couple, with all their own issues before realising that a problem shared is a problem halved, and eventually knew that they could rely on each other no matter what.

I can't wait for this author's next book.

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rosage's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

my high school self would have loved this book. however it’s is very much trauma bonding and their whole relationship is built bc of their two personal traumas.

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