Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - We Are the Ants

i wish i cld travel back in time and read this when i was 15 cuz i just kno it wld have hit different. but other than the fact that i am no longer 15, the book was great

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shane_delier's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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davidbythebay's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-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

5.0

I am crying. Wow. I was a little skeptical based on the premise, but it did intrigue me enough to read this. I am so glad I did. This book sums up life in the best way: we keep marching on even if we don't have the answers and we can never get them. This was amazing, BUT check the trigger warnings!

I was so enthralled by this, I lost track of time while reading. It was an immensely entertaining and sometimes sad book that brought sad tears and happy tears to my eyes. Beautifully written, this took a teenager's point of view but made him mature, yet adolescent. Henry was not a child and he was not an adult caught in a child's body. As Henry is gay, like many LGBTQ+ people, he has grown up and matured early so that he can combat the bullying and dangers of this world. His situation has provided even more instances by which he has had to grow up far too fast. I can't tell you how many times I've been told or my LGBTQ+ friends have been told how mature we are for our ages. It comes with the territory I guess. But having this mature teenaged perspective is dead on perfect.

I am absolutely going to read more by this author given how wonderful this book is.

⚠️ TW: violence, physical violence, abuse, parental abandonment, bullying, depression, suicide and suicidal ideation, sexual assault, pregnancy, miscarriage, loss, grief, neglectful parent, memory loss, talk of sexual situations (not in detail). ⚠️

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mitsubachigirl's review

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challenging dark reflective tense fast-paced

3.5

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solitary's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes

3.75

henry is being abducted and examined by aliens for years. he never knew what they wanted, until they told him that the world ends in 144 days and only he has the power to save it with a press of a button. between his deteriorating family, the recent death of his boyfriend, and the constant bullying he receives in school, henry attempts to answer the question: is the world worth saving?

we are the ants is a profound story that explores human significance on the grand scale of the universe. henry’s character is deeply and realistically flawed. his actions sometimes do not coincide with his wants or his needs. he tends to end up hurting himself and the people around him, which made me frustrated at some point. But he is a depiction of how people spiral into their own self-inflicted torment because of pain and isolation. Sometimes we unwittingly hurt the ones we love trying to punish ourselves, and then we punish ourselves more because of it.

although i usually don’t read books with slow pacing, i believe this one is rightly timed to properly narrate henry’s story.

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