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steel_city_peach's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Heartbreaking
This was a very emotional read. It really touched a nerve for me because it hit so close to home. I lost my brother in the same manner and method. Witnessing Nate process his emotions cut so deep. It was realistic, but so painful. The journey to find out what pushed Al to the edge revealed such a sweet, lovable boy. I wished someone could’ve saved him. The kids that taunted him were so cruel. When their actions were fully revealed, it turned my stomach. I felt such intense anger towards them. There was no way to have a happy ending with a story like this. It left me feeling gutted through the very end.
nickymaund's review
5.0
Audiobook reread (2022) -
The impact of this one doesn’t lessen on a reread - and the audiobook version adds to the impact as you listen to the voices of Nate, struggling to understand why his beloved older brother took his life, and Megan as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her one true friend , which she chose to keep secret, and of course little snippets from Al himself. Given the subject matter, this one is packed full of difficult themes - so vulnerable readers beware.
Boy this one had me crying again. Jawando is great at giving the main characters in her story, who are young teens, such unique perspectives, and they’re all so real. Their stories are just heartbreaking - she really sheds a light on what life is like as a teen, school, peer pressure, social media, pressure they put on themselves…..the list goes on.
Our two narrators bring such innocence and vulnerability to their characters, but the very brief snippets you’re shown of Al are utterly heartbreaking. He’s such a beautiful soul.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again - recommended reading for any teen.
Ebook first read (2020) -
First off: reader caution. This book deals heavily with suicide (both the moments after and the effect on those bereaved by suicide), bullying, the effects of social media, body image and mental health.
This is a beautiful and heartbreaking read as Nathan is struggling to make sense as to why his apparently perfect big brother took his own life - in effect he needs someone to blame. He’s left with the unique type of grief that only those who are bereaved by suicide will experience - the anger, the guilt, the questions, the pain and the anguish. Each chapter, which alternates between Nathan and Megan’s viewpoint starts off with Al’s story and he truly is a beautiful person and the bullying that’s he’s subjected to is heartbreaking.
This is an emotionally hard read, but covers the pain some go through when trying desperately to be honest and true to yourself, but the ‘joys’ of peer pressure and fear prevent us from being our true selves, and also prevent us from seeking help. These are important messages - we shouldn’t feel afraid to seek out help when we need it and we shouldn’t feel ashamed to show our true selves. This is hard enough for an adult, damn near impossible for a teen.
Finally a powerful message from Danielle Jawando; “Please remember to always be kind, but, most importantly, know that you deserve to be here. It will get better, and it is never your fault, no matter how different you are. So speak up and seek help – there is no shame in admitting that you’re hurting. Like Al, you were born to live. You were born to shine. But, most of all, you were born to burn bright.”
The impact of this one doesn’t lessen on a reread - and the audiobook version adds to the impact as you listen to the voices of Nate, struggling to understand why his beloved older brother took his life, and Megan as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her one true friend , which she chose to keep secret, and of course little snippets from Al himself. Given the subject matter, this one is packed full of difficult themes - so vulnerable readers beware.
Boy this one had me crying again. Jawando is great at giving the main characters in her story, who are young teens, such unique perspectives, and they’re all so real. Their stories are just heartbreaking - she really sheds a light on what life is like as a teen, school, peer pressure, social media, pressure they put on themselves…..the list goes on.
Our two narrators bring such innocence and vulnerability to their characters, but the very brief snippets you’re shown of Al are utterly heartbreaking. He’s such a beautiful soul.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again - recommended reading for any teen.
Ebook first read (2020) -
First off: reader caution. This book deals heavily with suicide (both the moments after and the effect on those bereaved by suicide), bullying, the effects of social media, body image and mental health.
This is a beautiful and heartbreaking read as Nathan is struggling to make sense as to why his apparently perfect big brother took his own life - in effect he needs someone to blame. He’s left with the unique type of grief that only those who are bereaved by suicide will experience - the anger, the guilt, the questions, the pain and the anguish. Each chapter, which alternates between Nathan and Megan’s viewpoint starts off with Al’s story and he truly is a beautiful person and the bullying that’s he’s subjected to is heartbreaking.
This is an emotionally hard read, but covers the pain some go through when trying desperately to be honest and true to yourself, but the ‘joys’ of peer pressure and fear prevent us from being our true selves, and also prevent us from seeking help. These are important messages - we shouldn’t feel afraid to seek out help when we need it and we shouldn’t feel ashamed to show our true selves. This is hard enough for an adult, damn near impossible for a teen.
Finally a powerful message from Danielle Jawando; “Please remember to always be kind, but, most importantly, know that you deserve to be here. It will get better, and it is never your fault, no matter how different you are. So speak up and seek help – there is no shame in admitting that you’re hurting. Like Al, you were born to live. You were born to shine. But, most of all, you were born to burn bright.”
carolineroche's review
5.0
An outstanding book dealing with the themes of suicide, grief and social media. The themes make it suitable for your older readers, with a trigger warning. From the moment Nathan finds his brother hanging in his bedroom, he is on a quest to uncover why he did this terrible thing. What he uncovers is a dark world of social media which lead to his brother’s final,desperate act. A book which will stay with you for a long while.
h0llyjvne's review against another edition
4.0
i have a problem with reading books about grief and then getting emotional attached because it matches my own experience lol. it was a good read! i probably would've enjoyed this a lot more if i was younger but i can't fault it. it was a quick and nice read and i enjoyed the fact the characters felt like teenagers.
fellowsjm's review
4.0
I pretty much inhaled this book. It took me a little push to get into it but the raw emotion and realness of it really captured me
f876's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
alexander404's review
5.0
Even tho i cried near the end and it made me feel... a lot of feelings it's a 4.5 because i felt like the dialogue was too fast and the subjects changed too fast. It felt like I didn't have enough time to process what was happening and what was talked about. In my opinion it needed to be a little more detailed when there were dialogues or when emotions were described.
akiha's review
4.0
Du bon et du moins bon pour un 3,5 arrondi. Le bon, l'écriture, qui reprend un peu le langage wesh anglais et mine de rien, ça change et j'ai dû chercher plusieurs mots pour comprendre et c'était intéressant à lire comme exercice. Le moins bon, l'impression de tourner parfois un peu en rond et la double narration n'était pas forcément la meilleure décision. On a dû mal à comprendre vraiment la relation Megan/Nathan et même Al/Nathan. Du coup, c'est un peu vide par moment. Mais l'ensemble reste assez émouvant.
aisya_'s review against another edition
dark
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5