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cakt1991's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I wasn’t anticipating a sequel to last year’s Finally Seen from Kelly Yang, but I was pleasantly surprised to hear about Finally Heard nonetheless. It was great to see Lina and Co. again, and see more of Lina’s growth in particular, especially as far it relates to the overall arc of the book this time around. She’s still dealing with a lot of similar challenges related to growing up, but there’s a new focus on cyberbullying, and how there’s an impact on her to the point where she fights back in a consequential way.
While issues with social media drama are almost ubiquitous at this point for all ages, I love that Yang chose to tackle it for a young audience, especially since I can’t think of many books tackling it in a way that is very relevant for the tween reader. But I love how it is also written in a way that speaks not just to them, but to their parents and families, especially by providing research and resources related to tweens and teens and social media at the end.
But even with the central narrative slowly escalating toward an intense confrontation, I still liked that there were some “fun” bits. With book banning being such a prominent theme in the prior book, I loved that this theme lived on in a love-fest for other middle grade and YA books, many of which I recognized. Yang even references another of her titles in-text, in a fun, meta bit of “book-ception.”
This was a great follow-up, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for an approachable story highlighting the dangers of social media for younger readers.
iffer's review
4.0
While I suspect young readers won't want to admit that they enjoyed and appreciated this book, I think that many of them will, and as a result of reading it, feel less alone about their uncertainty about puberty and how social media makes them feel. This book is endearingly wholesome, even as it tackles issues like social media's impact on mental health and relationships, as well as bullying.
lindseyfadden's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
pussreboots's review
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
miblette's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
shannonreadss's review
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was a really nice book revolving around important topics such as social media usage and growing up/puberty. In my opinion it was executed really well.
yesthatgirl's review
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
Kelly Yang writes so well you forget it's an adult writing a YA book. I think everyone should read this book. It really opens your eyes to the use of social media on us, not only as individuals, but as a society.
bibliomich's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
I really enjoyed Finally Heard, Kelly Yang's follow-up novel to Finally Seen. I truly loved Lina's story in the first book, and it was great to see what happened next for her, her family, and her friends (especially Finn and Carla).
What I loved:
- I enjoyed the way Kelly Yang integrated scientific research about social media use, particularly the impact of social media on tweens and teens. I think this book would be an excellent resource for parents and teachers of middle grade students to be able to have important conversations with children about how to safely and thoughtfully engage with social media.
- Kelly Yang writes such lovable protagonists and supporting characters. I was rooting for Lina and her friends and family throughout this book, even when she made some regrettable (but relatable) decisions.
- Finally Heard is an enjoyable read, even for an adult. It was fairly easy to get swept up in the story and to feel invested in the characters' journeys.
What didn't quite work for me:
- There was some ableist language (e.g. "lame") that was frequently used by the tween characters (including the protagonists), and this was never called out by anyone in the book. While I know that Kelly Yang was demonstrating the unkind ways that children sometimes talk to each other, I still think some better language choices could have been made.
- I felt that some of the online comments the students made while talking to each other felt a little young for middle grade students. As someone who teaches the age group, I think that my students might roll their eyes at the examples in the book. For example, the protagonist gets in significant trouble for basically calling her classmates "toxic beetles." (Unkind? Definitely. Realistic for middle schoolers, maybe not.) I'm not sure how Kelly Yang could have handled this differently though, unless she just didn't show the discourse between students, as she obviously would then run the risk of including language that is not appropriate for young readers.
Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot, and I will be recommending it to my students!
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!
What I loved:
- I enjoyed the way Kelly Yang integrated scientific research about social media use, particularly the impact of social media on tweens and teens. I think this book would be an excellent resource for parents and teachers of middle grade students to be able to have important conversations with children about how to safely and thoughtfully engage with social media.
- Kelly Yang writes such lovable protagonists and supporting characters. I was rooting for Lina and her friends and family throughout this book, even when she made some regrettable (but relatable) decisions.
- Finally Heard is an enjoyable read, even for an adult. It was fairly easy to get swept up in the story and to feel invested in the characters' journeys.
What didn't quite work for me:
- There was some ableist language (e.g. "lame") that was frequently used by the tween characters (including the protagonists), and this was never called out by anyone in the book. While I know that Kelly Yang was demonstrating the unkind ways that children sometimes talk to each other, I still think some better language choices could have been made.
- I felt that some of the online comments the students made while talking to each other felt a little young for middle grade students. As someone who teaches the age group, I think that my students might roll their eyes at the examples in the book. For example, the protagonist gets in significant trouble for basically calling her classmates "toxic beetles." (Unkind? Definitely. Realistic for middle schoolers, maybe not.) I'm not sure how Kelly Yang could have handled this differently though, unless she just didn't show the discourse between students, as she obviously would then run the risk of including language that is not appropriate for young readers.
Overall, I enjoyed this book quite a lot, and I will be recommending it to my students!
Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced digital copy!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
boehmk's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25