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meeklovestoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'd like to note that I didn't know this was a piece of translated fiction so maybe certain concepts that were supposed to be more prominent were lost in translation.
Okay, I'd like to say the first half was promising and then it just went "downhill" for me. Which is not to say the story was bad, but I just felt like it could've been more emotional, more impactful, more promising.
The friendship between Yunjae and Gon felt so lackluster to me which renders Yunjae's gesture towards Gon idiotic to me
Also, Dora's characterization also felt lackluster to me as well. I understand her purpose but in my opinion, her presence was very much so unimpactful and didn't bring much to the story at all. Honestly, because I've consumed a decent amount of ya coming of age stories, I honestly thought there was going to be something between Gon and Yunjae. It's fine that there wasn't, but I was just expecting more.
The way Yunjae introduced Gon and Dora I thought they were going to impact the main character in a life-altering way and it was going to be this epic, emotional story about the binds of friendship and family and illness and sadly it all just fell so flat for me. And the ending. I hate reusing adjectives, but again, lackluster and felt kinda like a cop-out. And felt like a forced "HEA".
I know I keep harping on about my qualms about this book, but it honestly wasn't a bad book by any stretch of the phrase. I really enjoyed learning about alexithymia and the way the main character thinks and views things. It was nice to get a glimpse into another type of human experience that I didn't even know existed so learning about Yunjae and his struggles was nice. And getting to witness the relationship between his mother and his grandmother and their past lives. As well as Yunjae's relationship with Dr. Shim.
Overall, again this is not a bad book. It has so many 4 and 5 stars ratings. It sadly just didn't hit for me and that's okay!
Graphic: Mental illness, Death, Bullying, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Violence and Cursing
Minor: Suicide, Medical content, Child death, Kidnapping, Sexual content, Toxic friendship, and Blood
flashandoutbreak's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Ableism, Blood, Bullying, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Toxic friendship
casinada's review against another edition
4.0
A boy witnesses the deaths of both his mother and grandma, but he isn’t able to grieve over them. He still has to continue schooling and taking over his mom’s business, while continually being picked on by his peers for his inability to feel sorrow for the loss of his family members. As his journey unfolds, he meets friends along the way.
I loved the characters too much, especially Gon, to be content with just 250 pages of him💔. There are so many quotes I have, and they still hit reading through them!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Death, Murder, Blood, Bullying, Physical abuse, and Violence
blau_elmo's review against another edition
- 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
3.25
There are many things to like about the book, from its unspoken softness to its character development, and I feel that Gon is indeed a very compelling character. In the end, however, it is just a simple little story, a heartwarming one that challenges questions about empathy, tragedy, love and personas.
Easy, meaningful read, but not anything too special.
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Blood
sofiaamelia'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
4.75
Moderate: Death, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Animal cruelty
maxgdy'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? It's complicated
3.75
Aunque aprecio las intenciones de la autora, creo que el mensaje que acaba dando el libro es que si eres diferente (tienes alguna discapacidad, condición o trastorno mental) la única forma en la que puedes vivir normalmente es si te “curas” o cambias completamente.
Sin embargo, es una historia corta y emotiva muy hermosa que habla también de las condiciones en las que crecen las infancias y adolescencias y cómo estas pueden influenciarlas y transformarlas para bien o para mal.
No soy buena poniendo en palabras mis pensamientos por lo que se podría malentender esta reseña, tal vez la modificaré en el futuro pero quería dejar una huella de mis pensamientos recién acabado el libro.
Graphic: Blood, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Abandonment, Bullying, Chronic illness, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Grief and Terminal illness
chermi'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
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Murder, Medical content, Blood, and Cursing
lotoblanco's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Medical content, Death, Murder, Physical abuse, Blood, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Addiction
jungsies's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Physical abuse, and Cursing
Minor: Terminal illness and Blood
hickorynut's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was very well translated, bringing an emotionless yet still engaging main character to life. Yunjae's journey through being taught how to be "normal" resonated deeply for me as an autistic reader. His experiences of trauma and tragedy and growing into young adulthood without guardians were narrated in a logical, factual manner with curiosity and an interest to learn and understand more. I ended up reading most of this in one sitting as his simple and straightforward method of communication combined with a complicated and traumatic life, kept me intrigued.
"Love, according to Mom’s actions, was nothing more than nagging about every little thing, with teary eyes, about how one should act such and such in this and that situation. If that was love, I’d rather neither give nor receive any. But of course, I didn’t say that out loud. That was all thanks to one of Mom’s codes of conduct—Too much honesty hurts others—which I had memorized over and over so that it was stuck in my brain."
"Books took me to places I could never go otherwise. They shared the confessions of people I’d never met and lives I’d never witnessed. The emotions I could never feel, and the events I hadn’t experienced could all be found in those volumes."
"But books are quiet. They remain dead silent until somebody flips open a page. Only then do they spill out their stories, calmly and thoroughly, just enough at a time for me to handle."
"“Do you think I could make others understand me, even though I can’t understand myself?”"
Author's note:
"I have come to think that love is what makes a person human, as well as what makes a monster."
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying, Blood, and Mental illness