hue's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Honestly, the back of the book didn't say much at all. But after having read the book, I now see why.
To say the least, the characters were flat, superficial, and two-dimensional. They didn't feel real, and I didn't much care about their feelings, thoughts, and so forth. The story was divided into four POVs, one for each boy, and written in first person. This muddled the story significantly because they all sounded the exact same. They had the same thoughts, the same reactions, the same existence, essentially. Half the time I wasn't sure who I was following. They all seemed to have one of two reactions every given time; either they were blushing from the smallest of things, or they were crying. That or they were smiling.
Following four different summer vacations was messy and uninspiring. They were way too co-dependent on each other for no reason, sending 'I miss you' texts every given minute and then being sad when their friends, who all were busy with their own stuff, didn't reply immediately. It was irritating, and I don't know any sixteen-year-olds who'd act like this.
I also can't for the love of me understand why Matt would get "back" together with Gabe after he literally ditched him and slept with his ex the moment his ex (Sal) was back in the picture. He never apologized for this, at least not in a way that made his mistake clear (saying it's complicated is an ass excuse for cheating), and yeah maybe Matt and Gabe weren't together together yet, but it still would make me feel very unsure in the relationship if I knew he'd been fooling with his ex immediately after his arrival. It doesn't sit right with me.
Same as Reese getting angry and jealous that Heath, his friend not his boyfriend, kissed another guy. Heath definitely didn't need to apologize for that, and nothing gave Reese the "allowance" to say he's forgiving Heath. There was nothing to forgive.
So, all in all; superficial characters, uninteresting plot, hollow relationships, and a lot of unnecessary cringe. Can't say I'd recommend it.
To say the least, the characters were flat, superficial, and two-dimensional. They didn't feel real, and I didn't much care about their feelings, thoughts, and so forth. The story was divided into four POVs, one for each boy, and written in first person. This muddled the story significantly because they all sounded the exact same. They had the same thoughts, the same reactions, the same existence, essentially. Half the time I wasn't sure who I was following. They all seemed to have one of two reactions every given time; either they were blushing from the smallest of things, or they were crying. That or they were smiling.
Following four different summer vacations was messy and uninspiring. They were way too co-dependent on each other for no reason, sending 'I miss you' texts every given minute and then being sad when their friends, who all were busy with their own stuff, didn't reply immediately. It was irritating, and I don't know any sixteen-year-olds who'd act like this.
Same as Reese getting angry and jealous that Heath, his friend not his boyfriend, kissed another guy. Heath definitely didn't need to apologize for that, and nothing gave Reese the "allowance" to say he's forgiving Heath. There was nothing to forgive.
So, all in all; superficial characters, uninteresting plot, hollow relationships, and a lot of unnecessary cringe. Can't say I'd recommend it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Infidelity, Bullying, and Mental illness
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, and Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Panic attacks/disorders, and Bullying
Minor: Grief and Sexual content
luxxltyd's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Alcohol
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Mental illness
Minor: Addiction, Sexual content, Infidelity, and Grief
diana_raquel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
“I feel the past clinging to me like condensation on a glass of water. He’s everywhere around me. He’s my relief, and my protection.”
Look at me!! Reading a book I know nothing about! This was impulse buying. I liked the title and decided to buy it. However, it was a nice surprise. This is a coming-of-age story about 4 friends that decide to follow different paths during the summer before their senior year of high school. It's a story about identity, growing up, and romance. The characters are well-written and well-developed. And the story itself is also well-structured. I also liked that the reader has access to other mediums, such as images of Reese's schedule.
However, I think that the pacing is slow in the beginning. And that affected my reading experience to the point that I thought about DNF'ing the book. After the friends went their separate ways, the story becomes more dynamic but, in the beginning, it was very slow for my liking.
Still, it is a solid reading.
Look at me!! Reading a book I know nothing about! This was impulse buying. I liked the title and decided to buy it. However, it was a nice surprise. This is a coming-of-age story about 4 friends that decide to follow different paths during the summer before their senior year of high school. It's a story about identity, growing up, and romance. The characters are well-written and well-developed. And the story itself is also well-structured. I also liked that the reader has access to other mediums, such as images of Reese's schedule.
However, I think that the pacing is slow in the beginning. And that affected my reading experience to the point that I thought about DNF'ing the book. After the friends went their separate ways, the story becomes more dynamic but, in the beginning, it was very slow for my liking.
Still, it is a solid reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, and Infidelity
Minor: Sexual content
emmaward55's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
2.5
This review is a bit of a sad one, because I'm feeling disappointment with this book.
It starts slow and the pacing felt off throughout. Having four point of view characters can be tricky at the best of times, but it was too many narrators in the allotted space. Stamper would have done better either by spending more time with each boy (and giving us a longer book) or cutting one of the POVs. This is a shame to say, because at first all the different stories sound so interesting, but we're never with any character long enough to get anything of substance from them. I know as much about these boys in chapter sixty as I did in chapter ten.
Heath suffered the worse from this, with what felt like barely any chapters to live out his child-of-divorce plot. I can list off five surface-level facts about his life and that's it. I didn't get why Reese had such a thing for him. Reese is also the other character who doesn't seem to undergo any significant transformation during his "character arc", if we can call it that. He decides he likes a slightly different field of art better than his current interest and that was... it? There was no sense of passion from him in his chapters, no inspiration or excitement in his telling of events. He was boring for an artist.
Sal and Gabe fare better overall, with the former confirming that he has no idea what his next step is, and the latter getting a shot of confidence for the first time. Sal's plot was the most interesting. I could have read an entire novel just about Sal's time interning for the Senator.
Honestly I'm losing interest in writing this review now. I don't think it was a bad book, but it had some pretty big structural flaws. The writing isn't detailed, but it's easy to read and fine if you're just looking for some lighthearted queer romance and friendship dynamics.
It starts slow and the pacing felt off throughout. Having four point of view characters can be tricky at the best of times, but it was too many narrators in the allotted space. Stamper would have done better either by spending more time with each boy (and giving us a longer book) or cutting one of the POVs. This is a shame to say, because at first all the different stories sound so interesting, but we're never with any character long enough to get anything of substance from them. I know as much about these boys in chapter sixty as I did in chapter ten.
Heath suffered the worse from this, with what felt like barely any chapters to live out his child-of-divorce plot. I can list off five surface-level facts about his life and that's it. I didn't get why Reese had such a thing for him. Reese is also the other character who doesn't seem to undergo any significant transformation during his "character arc", if we can call it that. He decides he likes a slightly different field of art better than his current interest and that was... it? There was no sense of passion from him in his chapters, no inspiration or excitement in his telling of events. He was boring for an artist.
Sal and Gabe fare better overall, with the former confirming that he has no idea what his next step is, and the latter getting a shot of confidence for the first time. Sal's plot was the most interesting. I could have read an entire novel just about Sal's time interning for the Senator.
Honestly I'm losing interest in writing this review now. I don't think it was a bad book, but it had some pretty big structural flaws. The writing isn't detailed, but it's easy to read and fine if you're just looking for some lighthearted queer romance and friendship dynamics.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Cursing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content
alibraryofpages_'s review against another edition
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Mental illness, and Homophobia
imstephtacular's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Alcoholism
Minor: Sexual content, Toxic friendship, Classism, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Grief
antonique_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I am torn about this one! I thought it had a bit of a rocky start, but it definitely picked up once all of the boys were in their respective places for the summer. Stay tuned for a full review to come next week!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying and Homophobia
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