Scan barcode
sophiesmallhands's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Bullying
Minor: Self harm, Homophobia, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, and War
ababbabby's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
as a huge fan of The Bright Sessions podcast, i went into this already knowing a lot about the world and characters and even the plot. as a companion novel to the podcast, this book is excellent. i especially enjoyed the earlier parts of the book which gave more insight into adam’s life before caleb and the parts that painted a better picture of adam’s depression, especially since the book doesn’t follow the plot of the podcast far enough for caleb to really learn the details about that part of adam’s life.
there were parts where the pacing felt a little off, and the plot points in the later part dealing with other characters from the show and events that take place there felt a little rushed, crammed into just not quite enough space.
overall though it’s a really enjoyable read, it’s a sweet depiction of young queer romance, and it has good discussions and portrayals of mental illness, would recommend but especially to people who are already familiar with the bright sessions.
there were parts where the pacing felt a little off, and the plot points in the later part dealing with other characters from the show and events that take place there felt a little rushed, crammed into just not quite enough space.
overall though it’s a really enjoyable read, it’s a sweet depiction of young queer romance, and it has good discussions and portrayals of mental illness, would recommend but especially to people who are already familiar with the bright sessions.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm and Mental illness
Minor: War
layayayle's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm
caroliiineb's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness and Self harm
hopelessplatonic's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, and Bullying
Moderate: Self harm, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Suicide attempt
This book also has mentions of Harry Potter and Panic at the disco.tkhenry99's review against another edition
3.0
this book was a solid 4 🌟 read right up until the end. adam really betrayed caleb by telling his parents about his ability and then never really admits that he shouldn’t have done that, even at the end when they’re making up…. there’s no reflection from adam that he did something that was potentially extremely dangerous to caleb and that he was wrong….. super uncool….. and with all the allusions to this mystical organization that targets atypicals and all the fear the characters felt about them, i was expecting at least one character to be evil and none of them were? the ending felt incomplete as a result, why even include that information if you aren’t going to explore it? the second book in this series isn’t even about caleb, it’s about a whole new set of characters, so it seemed kind of pointless.
i also felt like the characters didn’t really develop over the course of the story, which is kind of disappointing.caleb never learns to control his ability and adam never tells caleb the full extent of his depression or about his hospitalization these characters had a lot of potential, but it was all glossed over. i know there’s a whole podcast, but i feel like if you’re going to adapt the podcast into a book series, the books still need to be able to stand on their own?
i also felt like the characters didn’t really develop over the course of the story, which is kind of disappointing.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Suicide attempt and Self harm
iamkiaraayleen's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Mental illness
Minor: Self harm
alskaven's review against another edition
3.5
I have conflicting feelings about this book, mainly because I’ve binged the first two seasons of the bright session podcast just because I heard it was good
And it was, it really was
But it wasn’t a good idea to read it so soon after listening to the podcast because I feel I somehow expected more from the story even tho I knew how it was going to go
I don’t know, I was a little bit underwhelmed but my expectations were too high probably
On the other hand I do not recommend reading it without listening to the podcast as I feel the last 70ish pages will feel rushed and confusing
And it was, it really was
But it wasn’t a good idea to read it so soon after listening to the podcast because I feel I somehow expected more from the story even tho I knew how it was going to go
I don’t know, I was a little bit underwhelmed but my expectations were too high probably
On the other hand I do not recommend reading it without listening to the podcast as I feel the last 70ish pages will feel rushed and confusing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
kelseygall19's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
robinks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
I love The Bright Sessions podcast, and the love story between Caleb and Adam has always been my favorite. I’m so so happy Lauren decided to write an entire novel about them! I giggled out loud and felt my own heart flutters while reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Self harm, Bullying, and Misogyny
Moderate: Homophobia and Violence
Minor: Racism