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jenhurst's review against another edition
5.0
This was not what I expected at all. Henry Denton is abducted by aliens and is given an ultimatum by them. The world will end in 144 days, unless he pushes the button. It explores Henry deciding if the world is worth saving.
I liked how it dealt with complex topics. Henry's first boyfriend killed himself and he was struggling to comprehend it. There was a new boy that Henry was trying to connect with. Audrey and him were working to get back to a good friendship after their best friend killed himself. Both blamed themselves. Henry's grandma was losing herself to Alzheimers, his brother is a jobless dropout with a baby on the way, his mom is a struggling waitress. Henry is also dealing with being bulled and secretly with the most popular guy. It is a hard hitting contemporary, not a scifi.
4/5 stars.
If you like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, you'll probably like this. If you like contemporaries this one is a really worth picking up.
Edit: Upon reread I think I loved it even more. This was one I wanted to reread because I loved it so much the first time, I wanted to see if it held up and it does.
I liked how it dealt with complex topics. Henry's first boyfriend killed himself and he was struggling to comprehend it. There was a new boy that Henry was trying to connect with. Audrey and him were working to get back to a good friendship after their best friend killed himself. Both blamed themselves. Henry's grandma was losing herself to Alzheimers, his brother is a jobless dropout with a baby on the way, his mom is a struggling waitress. Henry is also dealing with being bulled and secretly with the most popular guy. It is a hard hitting contemporary, not a scifi.
4/5 stars.
If you like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, you'll probably like this. If you like contemporaries this one is a really worth picking up.
Edit: Upon reread I think I loved it even more. This was one I wanted to reread because I loved it so much the first time, I wanted to see if it held up and it does.
jaimarie's review against another edition
5.0
This book was an emotional roller coaster! I was mainly mad at Henry the whole book, but I started to understand him throughout the story. I loved Diego and Audrey, and I loved Henry's relationship with his mom and grandma, even the development of the relationship with his brother. Overall this book gives you a lot to think about, I would recommend it 100%!
naya_jk's review against another edition
4.0
it was an emotional rollercoaster reading this book, and loved it
asc1006's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars just because of that cliffhanger at the end. I needed to know what was gonna happen to them because I love them and I don't want them to die in an apocalypse. Apart from that the book was amazing, I loved the plot and the writing and above all I loved the characters, although I've got to say, sometimes I would have kicked them in the ass! :)
vicky30312's review against another edition
5.0
Wow... This.. I... I was a little weary at first based on the seemingly silly synopsis but maaaaaaan did I love this book... So much so that half way through I had already looked up the author and ordered his other books at my library. The writing was so..so.. captivating. I just had to keep reading. The sarcastic remarks and hundreds of metaphors make this book amazing. The fact that the author touched on such dark subject matter but all the while keeping the book light just amazed me. He delivered A LOT of hard messages that many people need to hear in such an amazing way that you don't even realize how much it has impacted you until you stop to think about it. The characters were lovable as well; even the ones we don't like make us have feelings for them (Ahem.. Marcus... Ahem) So Yeah.. Over all I loved this book and the cover is so pretty as well.
rocketdea's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Bullying, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Homophobia, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Drug abuse, Self harm, and Miscarriage
asiever's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
stuckinafictionaluniverse's review against another edition
5.0
We remember the past, live in the present, and write the future.
The last time I read a book with this tone was Please ignore Vera Dietz, and in a world of young adult contemporaries with fluffy romance where that one special person changes the depressed MC's outlook on life, it was so nice to return with this.
I saw the word aliens in the synopsis and rolled my eyes, but this is more magical realism than sci-fi, which I adore. The short chapters describing how the world could end complement the present, and all the science stuff didn't completely go over my head.
A cynical yet nuanced story like We are the ants doesn't come often. Many of the characters are morally grey, or even more leaning to the 'bad' side.
Thanks to the well-executed and realistic situations, you can understand why Henry is sick of it all and thinks there's nothing good in the world. You are completely invested in his troubled life, and even if you have never thought about this deep subject before, We are the ants will make you question things. The world will end some day anyway, what does it matter if it's tomorrow or not?
Henry Denton's life sucks. His ex-boyfriend killed himself last year without explanation, his grandmother has Alzheimer's and he's severely bullied at school. The aliens couldn't have picked a worse person to decide the future of the world. But they did, and now Henry has to decide in 144 days whether he will press the button that saves the world or not, because in his opinion there is nothing to save.
In the middle of all this, he meets Diego Vega, a boy who is missing the word past in his vocabulary. I love how Diego doesn't magically change Henry, instead Henry's character development is fuelled by the different characters all whogive their input on the question: If the world was ending and you had a chance to stop it, would you?
Hutchinson somehow balances this heavy backstory with humor and brutal honesty. My favorite characters besides Henry must be the rich popular boy Marcus, who only wants Henry for sex and humiliates him in public. But like everyone else, he too has a story and his reasons.
I really appreciate the portrayal of especially 2 of the stigmatized topics here: mental illness and homosexuality. It doesn't look down on therapy and getting help, but almost normalizes it.
Also the book doesn't end in a predictable way
Henry is gay, but it's not the main point of his character. He doesn't play into any stereotypes and I'm glad to see more books with LGBTQ+ characters whose sexuality isn't constantly at the forefront. I like this normalizing of queer characters. We are humans just like everyone else (although maybe a little more glittery)
Suicide and death are also big themes in the book, and handled with great sensitivity in my opinion (cough cough unlike what I've heard of that show and the shitty book). Henry's quest to find out why his boyfriend killed himself is an internal struggle that too many can relate to.
Loved it, loved it. Can't wait to see what this author next puts out. I'll even be okay with something even 'weirder' than aliens as long as the characters are this amazing and fleshed out. Maybe dragons next?
The last time I read a book with this tone was Please ignore Vera Dietz, and in a world of young adult contemporaries with fluffy romance where that one special person changes the depressed MC's outlook on life, it was so nice to return with this.
I saw the word aliens in the synopsis and rolled my eyes, but this is more magical realism than sci-fi, which I adore. The short chapters describing how the world could end complement the present, and all the science stuff didn't completely go over my head.
A cynical yet nuanced story like We are the ants doesn't come often. Many of the characters are morally grey, or even more leaning to the 'bad' side.
Thanks to the well-executed and realistic situations, you can understand why Henry is sick of it all and thinks there's nothing good in the world. You are completely invested in his troubled life, and even if you have never thought about this deep subject before, We are the ants will make you question things. The world will end some day anyway, what does it matter if it's tomorrow or not?
Henry Denton's life sucks. His ex-boyfriend killed himself last year without explanation, his grandmother has Alzheimer's and he's severely bullied at school. The aliens couldn't have picked a worse person to decide the future of the world. But they did, and now Henry has to decide in 144 days whether he will press the button that saves the world or not, because in his opinion there is nothing to save.
In the middle of all this, he meets Diego Vega, a boy who is missing the word past in his vocabulary. I love how Diego doesn't magically change Henry, instead Henry's character development is fuelled by the different characters all whogive their input on the question: If the world was ending and you had a chance to stop it, would you?
Hutchinson somehow balances this heavy backstory with humor and brutal honesty. My favorite characters besides Henry must be the rich popular boy Marcus, who only wants Henry for sex and humiliates him in public. But like everyone else, he too has a story and his reasons.
I really appreciate the portrayal of especially 2 of the stigmatized topics here: mental illness and homosexuality. It doesn't look down on therapy and getting help, but almost normalizes it.
Also the book doesn't end in a predictable way
Spoiler
with Henry getting help and leaving us wondering. How often do you see that?Henry is gay, but it's not the main point of his character. He doesn't play into any stereotypes and I'm glad to see more books with LGBTQ+ characters whose sexuality isn't constantly at the forefront. I like this normalizing of queer characters. We are humans just like everyone else (although maybe a little more glittery)
Suicide and death are also big themes in the book, and handled with great sensitivity in my opinion (cough cough unlike what I've heard of that show and the shitty book). Henry's quest to find out why his boyfriend killed himself is an internal struggle that too many can relate to.
Loved it, loved it. Can't wait to see what this author next puts out. I'll even be okay with something even 'weirder' than aliens as long as the characters are this amazing and fleshed out. Maybe dragons next?
picketfences's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
the message was good in the end but, the grief to get there was too heavy for me me. i was hoping for more alien/sci-if stuff