Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

The Best at It by Maulik Pancholy

1 review

emily_mh's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Let’s start with the good stuff! I’m a huge fan of a flawed MC doing their best, and Rahul is definitely that. The relationships in this book were super heartwarming, especially the one between Rahul and Bhai. I also liked the Mathletes stuff and how the competitions worked. 

My big issue with this book is that I wasn’t a huge fan of how the plot was carried out. There was so much time spent in the beginning setting up various plot points, that there wasn’t enough time left to meaningfully resolve them. There just wasn’t enough space given to explore the really complex challenges Rahul was facing so that his change in character felt really sudden and not the result of gradual development. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Outing, and Racism

Moderate: Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, and Xenophobia

Minor: Domestic abuse, Vomit, Death, Misogyny, Ableism, Physical abuse, Sexism, Car accident, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Self harm, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Racial slurs, Blood, Excrement, and Grief

Graphic: internalised racism Moderate: internalised colourism, toxic masculinity Minor: ageism, climate change/global warming, loss of a loved one, colourism 1 HP reference.