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louisallama's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I think I found it very hard to connect with Henry is because the book felt quite juvenile. Usually I'm fine with YA but for whatever reason it really didn't work for me this time. I'm not sure why but I was just completely uninvested in Henry's life and emotions. He has multiple very big and real problems that are poinient even to adults, and yet he never got past feeling like a whiny teenager to me.
The other problem is that there are a whole slew of deep, existential questions that could come of finding out that aliens have given you the choice to stop the world from ending in 144 days and this book explores basically none of them. I understand that it was more used as a vehicle for Henry deciding whether he wanted to live, without the trauma of making an actively suicidal main character for the whole book, but he ends up being very blasé about it. The closest we got to Henry asking these questions of himself, was him asking the extremely obvious, "am I going to push the button" throughout the book, as well as asking every character what they would do if they knew the world was going to end but they could stop it, both of which are resolved every time within a paragraph or two. I would think that this is something that I would agonise over, especially if I wasn't fully swayed one direction or the other. And while Henry's life truly is a steaming pile of garbage, linking this back with not feeling connected to him, I never actually felt like he was suicidal at any point, or ever had any conviction to press or not press the button.
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Dementia, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Self harm, Miscarriage, Cursing, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
teaselkie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Dementia
brianna_reading5's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Miscarriage and Rape
lovelymisanthrope'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
3.0
"We Are the Ants" follows a teenager named Henry. Over the past few years Henry has been abducted by aliens. On one of his most recent abductions, the aliens have told him that Earth will blow up in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button. But the world has not been kind to Henry, and with some much sickness and heartbreak, why should he push the button?
I think if I had picked this up five years ago, I would have loved it, unfortunately, this book just did not have that punch I was expecting. The plot, themes, and mannerisms of the main character really reminded me of "Going Bovine" by: Libba Bray, and once I had that in my head, I just could not enjoy the story because it did not feel original too me.
I respect what this book did, and I think the themes and topics discussed are important and done so in a profound way. One of the big topics is suicide. Henry had someone very close to him commit suicide and it has really haunted him ever since. I have not seen a ton of media highlighting how suicide impacts those left behind, and how they work through their feelings of grief and arrive at a state of acceptance. This book shows Henry going through his process to get through this dark time, and it highlights how other characters who were impacted by this death have to deal with their grief in their own ways.
I would recommend this book to a young adult looking for a book that packs a punch and makes you question what makes life worth living.
Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicide, Domestic abuse, Blood, Violence, and Sexual harassment
mary_jinxedit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt
vicixyz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Suicide, Homophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Rape, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship
juliaisnotalright's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.0
But this book is so much more than science fiction, actually,
It’s a book about mental health, dealing with depression, suicide and death in general.
The beginning was interesting but towards the middle it got a tiny bit boring but the ending was great but kinda predictable just like some of the plot.
IMO it’s kinda a mix of the perks of being a wallflower and Aristotle and Dante discover the secrets of the universe.
Would recommend to every teenager but check the trigger warnings !
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Dementia, Rape, Addiction, Violence, Bullying, Drug use, Grief, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
morganmmw'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
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Rape, Suicide, Grief, Sexual assault, and Mental illness
Moderate: Miscarriage, Dementia, and Injury/Injury detail
serenspace's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Grief, Homophobia, Suicide, Bullying, Miscarriage, Dementia, and Drug abuse
souzy_q's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Rape, Miscarriage, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Homophobia, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Rape, Blood, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Mental illness, and Suicide