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lmfry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Murder, Car accident, Mass/school shootings, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Cancer, Medical trauma, and Medical content
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Drug use, Abortion, Misogyny, Sexism, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
zooix'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
4.25
Moderate: Misogyny, Death, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Grief, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Gaslighting
Minor: Pregnancy
leweylibrary'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
4.25
I think my favorite aspect that I don't think I've seen anyone talk about is how Sam is absolutely aro/ace and how much other characters struggle with understanding that. Like Sadie just could not get why Sam never made a move and why he couldn't say I love you. But the friendship love once he did say it to her was really sweet. Honestly Marx was probably my favorite character, he was just such a gem and a sweetie 🥹
I also love a book that ties everything together from the beginning into the end, I really do appreciate that. It makes the story feel complete even if these characters' lives aren't complete.
Quotes:
- Unless they were unreliable or clearly established as lunatics or scoundrels, characters in novels, movies, and games were meant to be taken at face value--the totality of what they did or what they said. But people--the ordinary, the decent and basically honest-- couldn't get through the day without that one indispensable bit of programming that allowed you to say one thing and mean, feel, or even do, another. (4)
- Sam could be ignored, but the childish shared reference could not be. It was an invitation to play. (34)
- What, after all, is a video game's subtextual preoccupation if not the erasure of mortality? (65)
- There is a time for any fledgling artist where one's taste exceeds one's abilities. The only way to get through this period is to make things anyway. (68)
- "It isn't a sadness, but a joy, that we don't do the same things for the lengths of our lives." (227)
- It occurred to Sadie: she had thought after Ichigo that she would never fail again. She had thought she arrived. But life was always arriving. There was always another gate to pass through. (228)
- Anyone who truly looked at Tuesday could not have possibly seen a coyote. But the woman had not truly looked, and the injustice of this hit him. Why was it acceptable for apparently well-meaning people to see the world in such a general way? (245)
- "The actual world is the random garbage fire it always is. There's not a goddamn thing I can do about the actual world's code." (331)
- "And what is love, in the end? Except the irrational desire to put evolutionary competitiveness aside in order to ease someone else's journey through life?" (355)
- For most of his life, Sam had found it difficult to say I love you. It was superior, he believed, to show love to those one loved. But now, it seemed like one of the easiest things in the world Sam could do. Why wouldn't you tell someone you loved them? Once you loved someone, you repeated it until they were tired of hearing it. You said it until it ceased to have meaning. Why not? Of course, you goddamn did. (384)
Graphic: Grief, Misogyny, Suicide, Sexism, Infidelity, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Death, Antisemitism, Ableism, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Car accident and Cultural appropriation
nopebook'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
5.0
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Chronic illness, Misogyny, Ableism, Car accident, Blood, Classism, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Medical content, Death, Medical trauma, Murder, Violence, Grief, Pregnancy, Suicide, Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
hannahrogers'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
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Grief, and Car accident
Moderate: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Violence, and Cursing
Minor: Racism, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Abortion, Murder, and Mass/school shootings
codemasterpi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Car accident, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Violence, Toxic friendship, Suicide, Death, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Moderate: Homophobia, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, and Biphobia
Minor: Cancer, Abortion, Eating disorder, Racism, Pregnancy, Sexism, and Misogyny
bbmaan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Terminal illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, Violence, Cancer, Death of parent, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Sexual harassment, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Cursing, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Abortion, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Misogyny, Car accident, Death, Drug use, and Homophobia
samglade'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
2.75
While I enjoyed the nuanced characters and their relationships, my enjoyment of the book was spoiled by some of the choices the author has made. The author decided on a style heavy on clinical, excessive details (e.g. a list of video game merchandise on a shelf having over 20 items, comma-separated), which betrayed that she is not a tech person and the incorrect usage of technical terms was jarring. More importantly, it felt like she was ticking off all the dark themes she could think of from the list of possible content warnings, all packed into the lives of three individuals. For shock value? I can't tell why it was needed. Given how the story was progressing, I was genuinely surprised that miscarriage wasn't used as a cherry on top.
Graphic: Medical content, Death of parent, Drug use, Mass/school shootings, Toxic relationship, Death, Sexism, Grief, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, and Car accident
Moderate: Cancer, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Drug use, Sexual content, and Chronic illness
Minor: Abortion, Racial slurs, Cultural appropriation, Gore, and Hate crime
jaylene's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
Moderate: Drug use, Car accident, Gun violence, Murder, Suicide, Cancer, and Death
Minor: Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Abortion, and Homophobia
hanbroloo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Gaslighting, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Gun violence, Chronic illness, Religious bigotry, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Ableism and Drug use