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cestnicka's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Writing a sequel is always difficult, especially when you weren’t planning on writing it in the first place. However I felt like this sequel completely made sense and I actually liked it more than the first one.
I appreciated that she kept it very current with what is going on right now in the real world. I also thought she paired down the “issues” she was trying to tackle in one book so I felt like the message she was trying to convey was a lot easier to follow. And it felt more heartfelt. I could tell she did a lot of research for this book and wanted to make sure that the scenarios and the characters felt as realistic as possible.
I also felt like this book is probably the book kids would relate to the most out of the two because reality is that most of these troubled kids are “quans” and not justyce’s”. What I loved is how she connected the two books/characters at the end and finished off the storyline.
The few things I didn’t love about the book was that the ending felt very fairytale. I just don’t see it being super realistic for him to have that big of a support system. And she does address that at the end of the book and stated most kids wouldn’t have what quan ended up having, but she wanted to write the story like that. But I do think it makes it feel a bit less authentic.
I also find some of the conversations between the two boys a bit juvenile,And a bit cringy. So sometimes I had a hard time getting through their conversations cause I feel like people just don’t talk like that. And I felt that way reading the first book as well. So maybe it’s just the style but it’s not my favorite.
I definitely think people should read this book as it gives a really really good perspective into what these kids are going through and what happened in their life that put the on the “troubled path”. I think it could help people understand this population better and help “check their privilege” as Jared would say
I appreciated that she kept it very current with what is going on right now in the real world. I also thought she paired down the “issues” she was trying to tackle in one book so I felt like the message she was trying to convey was a lot easier to follow. And it felt more heartfelt. I could tell she did a lot of research for this book and wanted to make sure that the scenarios and the characters felt as realistic as possible.
I also felt like this book is probably the book kids would relate to the most out of the two because reality is that most of these troubled kids are “quans” and not justyce’s”. What I loved is how she connected the two books/characters at the end and finished off the storyline.
The few things I didn’t love about the book was that the ending felt very fairytale. I just don’t see it being super realistic for him to have that big of a support system. And she does address that at the end of the book and stated most kids wouldn’t have what quan ended up having, but she wanted to write the story like that. But I do think it makes it feel a bit less authentic.
I also find some of the conversations between the two boys a bit juvenile,And a bit cringy. So sometimes I had a hard time getting through their conversations cause I feel like people just don’t talk like that. And I felt that way reading the first book as well. So maybe it’s just the style but it’s not my favorite.
I definitely think people should read this book as it gives a really really good perspective into what these kids are going through and what happened in their life that put the on the “troubled path”. I think it could help people understand this population better and help “check their privilege” as Jared would say
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Hate crime, Racism, and Panic attacks/disorders
brandie_abbie19's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Chronic illness, Death, Cursing, Drug abuse, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Police brutality, Racial slurs, and Violence
bookswithmybulldog's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Gun violence, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
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