Reviews

The Meadows by Stephanie Oakes

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schrodingersgerbil's review

dark 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? Yes

3.75

This book was hard for me to finish, but I’m glad I did. This character work is really really strong but I had issues with some of the vague world building.

In this raw and timely masterwork of speculative fiction, readers are met with a haunting tale that will sink its roots into their soul. Set in a dystopian society ravaged by climate disaster, the novel introduces us to Eleanor. She is a girl accepted at the prestigious “Meadows”. These special places promise escape from hardscrabble lives, but their luminous facade hides dark secrets.

The Meadows' purpose is to reform students, condition them against their attractions, and enforce a single way of life. Yet, Eleanor meets Rose, and their connection defies the Meadows' rules. Four years later, Eleanor is an adjudicator, ensuring her former classmates toe the line. But she can't escape her past or thoughts of the girl she once loved.

Themes of pain, injustice, love, resistance, and hope permeate the narrative. The lush yet sinister setting mirrors the struggle for identity and truth. Oakes' evocative prose and world-building blend melancholy and hope, creating an atmospheric and unsettling experience. The novel's social commentary, akin to a queer YA Handmaid's Tale, keeps readers on edge, with revelations around every corner.

The Meadows is a novel for our times. It’s a powerful exploration of conformity, love, and the consequences of challenging the status quo. Don't miss this extraordinary journey into a world where darkness and light collide.

Thank you to Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House Publishing Group, for a physical ARC in exchange for my honest review.

justinevandale's review

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medium-paced

3.5

When I saw this cover I was sold. It’s so beautiful. And then when I read a queer Handmaid’s Tale that’s is dystopian SOLD! Now with that all being said I enjoyed this read but it wasn’t mind blowing for me. I liked the storyline just fine. But some things were hard to follow along with, like the technology aspects I didn’t really get. It jumps between past and present but also something else. I’m not sure how to explain it maybe it’s the thinking of our main character so the past and present seem writing different (I don’t know if that makes sense). Also I’m not sure if it’s too much like The Handmaid’s Tale only because what was happening to the girls was also happening to the boys just in different schools that we didn’t see. They weren’t the ones solely controlling everything. The other thing that was a bit confusing was it seems like our world is small because everyone knows each other and went to school together but then it talks about on a global scale. But then every single queer person loves so close to each other. That was weird to me.
I liked our main character. Some could argue that she wasn’t a brave character she didn’t stand up like the others but I disagree. I think pretending to be what you aren’t in order to survive is brave. She also was strong for admitting she had made a mistake with Rose and was guilty about the outcome, she admitted she was in the wrong. I personally would have liked to get to know her a bit better and also learn more about the other characters backgrounds and what the algorithm had to say or why it chose them.
Overall, I did enjoy The Meadows and I enjoyed all of the representation. I’d recommend this to others, just know there are some trigger warnings for this read if that’s something you look out for.

izzys_internet_bookshelf's review

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3.0

Thank you so much to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for allowing me an ARC!
3.5/5
“The ocean could sneak up on a person there, surging unexpectedly through blowholes in the pocked surface. You had to listen. You had to be always on guard.”
I have to admit, this has to be my least favorite read so far. I was very excited to read more new dystopian. I did like the LGBT romance and how the dystopian took inspiration from the 1940s era were women were meant to be seen and not heard. The only reason why I felt disappointed was because I had read a book similar to this one, and I was hoping for there to be a more broader area in this genre. Even though I say this having read books like Hunger Games and Divergent, as well as The Maze Runner.

the_sunchaser's review

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dark hopeful mysterious 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

4.75

fatheraki's review

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dark emotional 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

Shocking, beautifully written, somehow even realistic in a way. A book about a dystopian future where being different is against the law, it’s wonderful. I have so much to say about this, and it’s only good things. It absolutely resonated. I might write a bigger review soon!!