Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

I Wish You All the Best by Mason Deaver

113 reviews

rakl's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad fast-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? No

5.0


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icarusandthesun's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

a pretty decent book—sweet, a bit emotional, inspiring, bursting with positive representation.
but a couple of things still kept me from rating it a 5. the characters were wholesome and all, but i thought the main character ben could be a bit hopeless and slightly annoying at times. i understand their struggles and the desire to push people away sometimes, but some of their actions and thoughts didn't seem fair at all and i found myself feeling sorry for the people around them. sometimes i even wondered why everyone was trying so hard to be their friend, because if it wasn't for their hobbies and trauma, there'd be nothing interesting about them. 
all the funny banter involved mostly other people cracking jokes and them just taking it.
they also constantly expect support from their friends without actually supporting them in return (especially mariam).
the book was also very slow and i feel like many of the long scenes were not exactly necessary, rather tedious and boring.
i like that the romance was generally very slow-burn, but the early flirting and holding hands caught me off guard a bit.

i enjoyed the portrayal of mental health issues though and thought that ben was overall quite relatable. if this just didn't feel so much like a self-help book with ben complaining and everyone trying to console them....

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ivan_levitt's review against another edition

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emotional informative lighthearted slow-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? No

5.0


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asexualandriod's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring 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? It's complicated

5.0

 This book was everything I could have ever wished for and more. Not only is this the first book with an enby main character I've ever read, I've never felt so seen. Mason has achieved the perfect balance between realistic strife and gay tragedy. Ben faced hardships, their life wasn't sunshine and rainbows, but they got a happy ending. So many LGBT+ books fall into either the utopia or tragedy categories. This was neither and it was beautiful. I also really appreciated the casual references to other sexualities (specifically ace). It felt really genuine to me, because my experience as an LGBT+ person is that even identities other than my own or my partner's are inherently a part of my day to day life, in a way it's not for most straight people.

All in all, I Wish You All the Best was beautiful and made me cry in the best way. 

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sabrinalefebvre's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring lighthearted 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

2.0

I almost started crying at the end.

I want what they have, I want to confess to my friend, I want to be with them and be the only one for them. I want to be there when they realize their dreams and make a future for us. I want to have a future with them.

Fuck, this just turned into a confession. Anyways, I’m in love with my friend and I’m too much of a coward to ever tell them

Funny how the friend in question is also non-binary

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lyd41's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

2.75

Dialogue was terribly written and insufferable to read and also very out of character at times but I still liked the premise of the book. Plot was fun. Although cheesy

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avokaitotoast's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective relaxing 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

So so so so good. I could have read this in one sitting if I didn’t have to work (fuck capitalism bruh). At first glance it’s a queer love story but i feel like the most important relationship in this book is the sibling relationship. The way they learn about each other, heal, and redefine their own version of family is so beautiful. It sort of sneaks up on you, just how heart warming this story is. warning for continuous (accidental) misgendering of the mc throughout the book (they aren’t out yet).

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cr_valentine's review against another edition

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emotional 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? N/A

5.0


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sarahmcg's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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? It's complicated

5.0

“It’s just three words: I am nonbinary. But that’s all it takes to change everything.” 

CW/TW ⚠️ misgendering, homophobia, anxiety/depression (detailed panic attack), child abuse (mental, with a mention of physical).

Y’all! This book 🥹 as much as it broke my heart, it was also joyful, a celebration of friendship, and had hope shining through. As a YA book, the author takes such care in addressing these heavy topics. 

Even though Ben’s parents truly failed them, their sister, her husband, Mariam, Mrs. Liu, and the friends they make at their new school really take up the baton and provide Ben with such a nurturing and supportive environment as they heal from everything they’ve been through. 

Some of my fave things from this little cutie book:
- Grump x sunshine! ☀️
- Mental health rep of anxiety/depression
- LGBTQIA+ rep including nonbinary MC, NB/M relationship, bisexual rep
- Found family 🥹💖
- Star Wars references! 💫
- Nathan owning 5 annotated copies of Pride & Prejudice and referencing Mr. Darcy 🫠
- Some of the characters & vibes reminded me of Heartstopper (Ben is like Charlie, always saying sorry too much!) and Felix Ever After (those messy teenage years trying to figure out your life and identity!) - other 5⭐️ reads I’d recommend if you haven’t checked out yet! 

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zojkajacenko's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted 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

5.0

Probably my new all time favorite. One of the best books I have ever read. It was so relatable on so many levels. I am not non-binary, but I am trans and it made me feel seen, understood. I never thought I would be able to see myself represented so well in a book. You can learn so much from this book, I encourage everyone to read it. It is truly a masterpiece. 

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