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alexlily's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Physical abuse and Stalking
Minor: Islamophobia, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
emilyinherhead's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Outing
pitschi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Outing
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
morimyths's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
Moderate: Outing and Dysphoria
Minor: Child abuse and Cursing
harrydaylight's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Outing, and Dysphoria
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
- 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
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....
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Outing
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Dysphoria
Minor: Child abuse, Cursing, Homophobia, Physical abuse, and Alcohol
lyd41's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Outing, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
nikexistiertnik's review against another edition
- 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 spent my day reading it and when i tried to do anything else (like watching horseland or taking a nap) it didn't take long for me to pick it up again.
i don't know what it was, but i found myself laughing out loud, crying, squeaking and screaming, almost having panic attacks with ben, so i actually had to pause and concentrate on calming down before i could continue reading, but also getting hella excited and really having to force myself not to skip entire pages when there was too much tension and excitement for me to handle.
thank you for this story, i loved everything about it - the pain i felt, how much i could relate to ben, and the pure joy and happiness i experienced because of them.
and now i definitely have to check out mariam haidari.
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Deadnaming, Homophobia, Medical content, Alcohol, and Dysphoria
Minor: Eating disorder, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Outing
shelby9's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, and Abandonment
Moderate: Physical abuse, Outing, and Dysphoria
artiiichoke's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Outing, and Abandonment
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Mental illness