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corriejn's review against another edition
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Violence
baponthecob's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- 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? Yes
4.0
Honestly I wasn't initially that compelled by a first contact story, but I became really invested in the plot and characters??? April May felt so real. She's kind of a shit, but that's the point. I relate to the parts of her that are impulsive and want to sabotage her relationships and are overly prideful to hide how she's deeply insecure. She wasn't some kind of hero; she was just. A person.
I love how she had to learn that she couldnt do everything by herself. She had to let go of her pride and allow herself to be vulnerable, and to admit that she needs help.
The writing style threw me off at first bc it was so casual, but I ended up liking it. Hearing it on an audiobook made it feel like something a regular person actually documented. Kind of refreshing compared to what I've read lately
The pacing was fast for me, but it didnt bother me too much. Maybe some of April's traits could have been built up to instead of her kind of info dumping before something happened. But overall, not a big deal
That cliffhanger at the end should be illegal though ๐ jail
I love how she had to learn that she couldnt do everything by herself. She had to let go of her pride and allow herself to be vulnerable, and to admit that she needs help.
The writing style threw me off at first bc it was so casual, but I ended up liking it. Hearing it on an audiobook made it feel like something a regular person actually documented. Kind of refreshing compared to what I've read lately
The pacing was fast for me, but it didnt bother me too much. Maybe some of April's traits could have been built up to instead of her kind of info dumping before something happened. But overall, not a big deal
That cliffhanger at the end should be illegal though ๐ jail
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, Medical content, and Sexual content
allie_cat3's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Violence
aeoliver's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
A fun, quick book for YA readers. Not my favorite genre, and I did not like the main character, which is why itโs not rated particularly high.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Death, and Homophobia
kellys_bookcase's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Violence, and Mass/school shootings
Minor: Biphobia, Homophobia, Gun violence, and Xenophobia
empathephant's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
So the first time I read this I ate it up. I was sick, it was like a two day read, and all I cared about was the plot and the mystery. At times I kind of rolled my eyes a little bit as I thought Hank was definitely using the book to insert some vlogbrothers-style essay musings on life, which, while interesting pulled me out of the story a little as the voice felt more like Hank than the narrator. But I liked it enough to immediately suggest it as a book I could read aloud to my husband.
In forcing myself to slow down and read it I realized that I never really bonded with the characters. April is kind of annoying as hell. She has "flaws", but they don't seem to get in her way nor does she ever grow past being an impulsive entitled asshole towards people she theoretically should care about. And while the cast is "diverse," they are all gorgeous, ridiculously smart/talented women. Which doesn't feel relatable to me. These people are becoming more and more famous and are literally never self-conscious? Never think about their bodies? Maybe I'm wrong and most women around me are shining beams of confidence in every moment, but...
All of that said, I'd still recommend this book. I think many of its flaws are ones that can easily be ascribed to a first time author who had a pretty quick avenue to getting published, and Hank has an amazing imagination and I can't wait to see him grow as an author. And even more importantly, this book is super timely in the questions it makes you ask yourself about society, politics, and the dynamics of healthy debate on the internet. The idea ofThe Dream was delightful, and I loved every moment I got to spend in it. I grew from reading the book despite not connecting with the characters, which to me says the ideas it contains are pretty smart.
(Also, I'm finding the second book a lot better in terms of character development, and it has a compelling story, so it's worth it to read this just to get to that.)
In forcing myself to slow down and read it I realized that I never really bonded with the characters. April is kind of annoying as hell. She has "flaws", but they don't seem to get in her way nor does she ever grow past being an impulsive entitled asshole towards people she theoretically should care about. And while the cast is "diverse," they are all gorgeous, ridiculously smart/talented women. Which doesn't feel relatable to me. These people are becoming more and more famous and are literally never self-conscious? Never think about their bodies? Maybe I'm wrong and most women around me are shining beams of confidence in every moment, but...
All of that said, I'd still recommend this book. I think many of its flaws are ones that can easily be ascribed to a first time author who had a pretty quick avenue to getting published, and Hank has an amazing imagination and I can't wait to see him grow as an author. And even more importantly, this book is super timely in the questions it makes you ask yourself about society, politics, and the dynamics of healthy debate on the internet. The idea of
(Also, I'm finding the second book a lot better in terms of character development, and it has a compelling story, so it's worth it to read this just to get to that.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, and Confinement
Moderate: Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, and Medical content
Minor: Homophobia and Toxic relationship
The final chapters contain some pretty graphic and intense descriptions ofamarchetta's review against another edition
challenging
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Biphobia, Bullying, Death, Grief, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Sexual content, and Violence
Minor: Xenophobia, Homophobia, and Confinement
gracecleo's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, Gun violence, Xenophobia, Violence, and Kidnapping
Minor: Biphobia, Gore, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Medical content
moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
In roughly the first half of this, I thought the look into social media and fame through April was interesting but the story was very secondary. However, the second half of the book pulled me in and both the story and the discussion happening through April were just as engaging. There is also so much about relationships and the impact one person's choices can really make on someone (not just in terms of the big picture, but how it can impact individuals). I feel like there is still a lot to unpack in regards to what this says about fame and about parts of social media at the time this was written, so I will definitely be doing a reread to really look at this (eventually). I am really interested to see what Hank adds in the sequel, especially since social media has evolved even between 2016-18 (when this was likely being written and edited) to now. I went in preparing to like this, but it still surprised me and I can't wait to get into the sequel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Biphobia, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Homophobia and Gun violence
jet's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Gore, and Medical content
Minor: Homophobia