Reviews tagging 'Abandonment'

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

151 reviews

elijah__'s review

emotional medium-paced

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

3.0

I think this is generally a good book I'm just not in the target audience for; I picked it up for an LGBT book club, but it felt oriented to a much younger audience. That being said, I think Mariam and Ben's relationship feels deeply inappropriate; Mariam is an adult, college graduate YouTuber who refers to a high school student as their "bestie" and ultimately

has them move to their area, or possibly even home, (it's unclear) to recruit them to their business the moment Ben graduates.

While the character of Mariam means no harm, the relationship mirrors YouTuber scandals in an unsettling way, and I feel it glorifies an inappropriate relationship to the teens this book seems to be aimed towards. While being friends with someone outside your age group is not inherently bad, a full adult with celebrity status calling a high-school-aged fan their "bestie" doesn't sit quite right with me. Making Mariam closer to Ben's age would make things feel a lot less questionable, and wouldn't be unrealistic, as plenty of teens have "made it" on social media.

That being said, the family drama feels realistic and well-written, as does the portrayal of mental illness. The romance is alright, if not particularly unique or interesting, and I enjoy the character of Nathan. The family plot really takes center stage for me, and I feel Hannah in particular is a very interesting and well-written character. While I like the characters, I do feel Nathan and Hannah are a bit lacking in flaws - - that being said, Hannah does exhibit some, and is (in my opinion) the most interesting character in the book; a guilt-ridden elder sister, now stepping into a parental role for her younger sibling, who would do anything to make up for lost time.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Mental illness

Moderate: Alcohol, Dysphoria, and Transphobia

Minor: Homophobia and Physical abuse

zeetheb00kie's review

emotional sad tense 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Abandonment

readingwithtemperance's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Ben and I are so much alike. Both just genderless queers riddled with far too much anxiety. I loved reading about them. 

This was like a big hug for my 16 year old self. I can't wait to read more from Mason!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, and Panic attacks/disorders

shelvesofivy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.75

Ohhhhhh my goodness, this book ♡
It had been on my tbr for a few years and I'd known how beloved and cherished this book is, especially among other nonbinary people. Now I know firsthand how special this book is 💛🤍💜🖤
This book hits you hard right from the very start, continues to give sucker punches, but then also builds you back up. Ben's story will be forever cemented into my heart I think. 
I fell in love with the cast of characters who loved and supported Ben through everything. Nathan especially had my heart as a fellow bookworm and Pride & Prejudice fan lol

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Dysphoria, Transphobia, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Mental illness

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Alcohol, Biphobia, and Cursing

Minor: Medical content and Suicidal thoughts

space_pancake's review against another edition

emotional hopeful

• 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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia

Moderate: Dysphoria and Homophobia

reallyitsrudi's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.25

bc this is the first book centering a nonbinary character that I've read, I'm open to reading more fiction w/ nb characters. representation matters!!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

martapsalvado's review

emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Sometimes I ponderate if I'm losing interest in the young adult genre but I'm clearly not because books like this still exist.
This story is so important, I learned a lot and it kept me involved and eager to read. I really like the characters, found them very well-written and loved that it focuses on family and friendship almost or just as much as romantic love.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Homophobia, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Alcohol

Misgendering

robyn_fenix's review

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Deadnaming, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Abandonment

Moderate: Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Dysphoria

Minor: Gaslighting, Outing, and Bullying

ghostlyprince's review

emotional funny reflective 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Abandonment, Homophobia, and Child abuse

Moderate: Alcohol, Religious bigotry, and Stalking

Minor: Gaslighting and Physical abuse

jachnax's review

emotional funny informative reflective sad 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

5.0

This is the first book that accomplished to tear me up. Maybe because I read it in a very emotional moment idk. What I do know is that I couldn't put this down either. This is also the first book ever that I read in one sitting. Normally my brain does not have the attention span to read 100 pages in one sitting, but this book was so damn good I stayed up until 3 am just to finish it and fuck up my sleep schedule. 
This book is so important and I am so thankful that it exist. Everything feels so real and very well described. As someone that experiences panic attacks myself, this is the first book where I can say 'yep that is exactly what it feels like'. I am in love with this book. This book deserves 6 ⭐️. It deserves everything. All I can really say is to please read this book because it handles so many important themes so very well. I honestly just can thank Mason Deaver that they wrote this and I will from now on read anything they will publish.

Additional Content Warnings:
Misgendering, Mental illness, Therapy content

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Homophobia, Dysphoria, Panic attacks/disorders, Religious bigotry, and Transphobia

Minor: Child abuse, Eating disorder, and Sexual harassment