Scan barcode
sunshinesyst3m'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
3.75
Graphic: Drug use, Sexual assault, Rape, and Death
Moderate: Lesbophobia
rebelbooks101'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Trigger warning for descriptions of suicide, rape, and abuse.
What I’ve learned from this is I don’t really like hard hitting contemporary or things that make me sad. I still want to explore this genre and see if I can find something I like but it’s just not what I like to read anymore sadly.
I feel like my younger self would’ve liked this book more than I do now. I probably would’ve given it a 3.5 had I read it when I was in middle school.
That being said, I in no capacity believe this is a bad book. Like I’ve been saying a lot recently, this book wasn’t for me. I went into this book, hoping I would enjoy it but I didn’t.
If this book was 150 pages shorter I think it would’ve been better. There were so many parts the story dragged on. I never really got into this book as it was slow the entire time. If a lot of it was cut out I see this being a better book.
The whole writing letters to the dead was a cool concept at first but it got old quickly. I found myself never really caring about what she had to say to these famous dead people. It more so read like a diary.
I found all the characters really one dimensional. They didn’t really have a personality besides one character trait which seemed to define them. Take Laurel for example. She is grieving therefore she is sad. It effects the way she talks and that’s all that I felt I knew about her. I didn’t really know her besides that.
I think mental health was talked about in a great way and this book did a great job at exploring and talking about so many topics.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of the relationships at the beginning but I ended up really appreciating it in the end. I like how these two characters support each other and I really liked how we saw their relationship in the end.
I really did enjoy the plot line between Natalie and Hannah however, the whole interaction when Laurel caught them together and one of them (I think Hannah) said she needed to kiss Laurel so she wouldn’t tell was not okay. She didn’t kiss her because Laurel ran away from her and I understand the characters were intoxicated but it was never addressed again and she never apologized.
Overall, this book was fine, just not for me sadly.
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Rape
bookcaptivated'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
4.5
Graphic: Alcohol, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Grief, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Lesbophobia, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicide, Infidelity, Outing, and Religious bigotry
the_escapist'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
3.75
Moderate: Alcohol, Sexual assault, Vomit, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
zeus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Grief, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual harassment, Vomit, and Rape
hijabi_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcohol, Death, Grief, and Rape
nina17'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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Suicide
ashfantastic98's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, and Grief
Moderate: Lesbophobia
mimi_gonetosleep's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Rape, Suicide, Death, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Outing, Mental illness, Grief, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Dementia
fiwwa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Every chapter in this book are related to each letter Laurel wrote and to her life. Not the best book I've read to be honest, for me this is just a story about the daily life of Laurel and nothing so special about it, just about a normal teenage life. But it's unique how Laurel wrote those letters to the dead like they're still alive and she was just talking about her problem to them.
Graphic: Death, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide