Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was definitely a lot of fun to read, I blew through it, but most of the revelations or seemingly major story events felt pretty weak. Some of the characters' choices and changes felt weird or abrupt too. Good concept and wonderful atmosphere, but it does have that debut novel roughness. Also, thank you MQ for spoiling a couple of literary works I haven't read yet.
I'm going to start by saying I watched the movie years ago, so I had some idea of what was going on while reading. The book was definitely better in the way it portrayed the issues that Pat was dealing with throughout the book.
Glad I picked this up instead of sticking with only the movie version!
Glad I picked this up instead of sticking with only the movie version!
So I liked this book okay. I'm thinking that I would have liked this book a whole lot more if I hadn't watched the movie at least six times since it's come out, before reading this book. The book is actually pretty slow and so I understand why they took great portions of it out. And unlike the movie, there is no clear happy ending- that's kind of the point of the whole thing. The characters are complex and heartbreaking but again, because I am comparing them characters seemingly less complex and more dramatic in the movie, the whole thing felt a bit too much. Honestly, this is very much in the same vein as [b:It's Kind of a Funny Story|248704|It's Kind of a Funny Story|Ned Vizzini|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1420629730s/248704.jpg|240980] and [b:The Perks of Being a Wallflower|22628|The Perks of Being a Wallflower|Stephen Chbosky|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1438668337s/22628.jpg|2236198] (especially the latter), and I think that I like those two more than this one. There was something almost disjointed about that one, and the only thing that seemed to be holding it together is the whole "silver linings" theme and Tiffany. Perhaps that can be interpreted as an extended metaphor for Pat as a character but it was pretty draining to read.
Overall, pretty okay story but I've read better books of similar theme elsewhere.
Overall, pretty okay story but I've read better books of similar theme elsewhere.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse
I bought this right before the movie came out, when people seemed to be coming out of the woodwork to praise it and say it was so amazing. I'm not, by any means, a football fan, but as someone who has spent more than half of my life with depression, I figured I could at least relate to one of the characters, so why not?
The answer should have been not. The premise itself was a good enough one, and it kept me turning the pages long enough to reach the point of no return, but that was about all that this book had going for it. Pat, the protagonist, spoke in such a simplistic manner that I spent 90% of the book wondering if he was mentally handicapped and they just forgot to tell us. Tiffany, the character I was most excited to get to know, was a wooden psychopath that was absolutely unrelatable. If I hadn't DNR-ed so many books before this one and therefore felt guilty, I would have thrown this one down too. It's not worth the time- even the ending isn't really a pay off.
Fun fact, I also tried the movie and couldn't finish that, either. Don't waste your time, folks.
The answer should have been not. The premise itself was a good enough one, and it kept me turning the pages long enough to reach the point of no return, but that was about all that this book had going for it. Pat, the protagonist, spoke in such a simplistic manner that I spent 90% of the book wondering if he was mentally handicapped and they just forgot to tell us. Tiffany, the character I was most excited to get to know, was a wooden psychopath that was absolutely unrelatable. If I hadn't DNR-ed so many books before this one and therefore felt guilty, I would have thrown this one down too. It's not worth the time- even the ending isn't really a pay off.
Fun fact, I also tried the movie and couldn't finish that, either. Don't waste your time, folks.
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the rare instances where I liked the movie more than the book.
The book was pretty good. I liked that it was written from Pat's perspective, so that you got a really good idea of how his mind works. However, I saw the film first, and I definitely recommend it over the book. They did a better job with the film on virtually all counts. The movie is excellent.
challenging
dark
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes