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emtees's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ellis is a teenage girl, trying to handle with all the typical teenage things - friends, dating, body image - while also dealing with the fact that her father, who has been on life support for two years after an accident, isn’t recovering. Her mother wants to let him go, but Ellis considers her father the one person she can really talk to and the thought of losing that is devastating. The story takes place over the last week of the school year as Ellis deals with difficult friends, a couple potential love interests and her strained relationship with her mother, as well as a tragedy that has been happening in slow motion.
I enjoyed this book, but the best parts of it didn’t happen until close to the end, so I’d encourage readers who aren’t sure about it to stick it out. Once the story reaches its emotional climax, the writing and the thought behind it really soars. Otherwise, the book is a pretty quick read that often feels light, even if the subject matter is heavy. The chapters are very short - sometimes too short. The gimmick of the book is that each chapter is titled after something Ellis “loves” that appears in that chapter. I say “loves” because the degree to which that’s true varies a lot; in some places, it feels like the author strained to find something in the chapter to add to the list. For most of the book, I wasn’t sure the gimmick was working, but the meaning of the list is revealed in the end in an emotional way that made it worth it.
The character work in this is really good. Ellis, the main character, isn’t always likeable, but she’s extremely realistic - she’s angry and scared and she lashes out at everyone except the people in her life who deserve it most. The other characters, from Ellis’s mom to her friends, are all equally flawed and complex. I liked that a lot of the flaws and interpersonal issues weren’t really resolved in the end; that felt realistic and appropriate.
About the comment on diversity: there is no mention of the ethnicity or race of the characters in this book, so its a little difficult to tell how diverse its meant to be along those lines. There are a few lines that suggest that Ellis might be POC, but nothing definitive. There is definitely room to imagine most of the characters being of any race the reader prefers, which I actually liked a lot. There is queer rep in this book and its nicely handled. Some readers though might find certain issues related to the queer content like Abby’s apparent homophobia or Ellis developing a crush on a girl without thinking about what that means for her sexuality didn’t really get addressed enough. I personally liked the unresolved feeling at the end but I can see where that might be frustrating.
I enjoyed this book, but the best parts of it didn’t happen until close to the end, so I’d encourage readers who aren’t sure about it to stick it out. Once the story reaches its emotional climax, the writing and the thought behind it really soars. Otherwise, the book is a pretty quick read that often feels light, even if the subject matter is heavy. The chapters are very short - sometimes too short. The gimmick of the book is that each chapter is titled after something Ellis “loves” that appears in that chapter. I say “loves” because the degree to which that’s true varies a lot; in some places, it feels like the author strained to find something in the chapter to add to the list. For most of the book, I wasn’t sure the gimmick was working, but the meaning of the list is revealed in the end in an emotional way that made it worth it.
The character work in this is really good. Ellis, the main character, isn’t always likeable, but she’s extremely realistic - she’s angry and scared and she lashes out at everyone except the people in her life who deserve it most. The other characters, from Ellis’s mom to her friends, are all equally flawed and complex. I liked that a lot of the flaws and interpersonal issues weren’t really resolved in the end; that felt realistic and appropriate.
About the comment on diversity: there is no mention of the ethnicity or race of the characters in this book, so its a little difficult to tell how diverse its meant to be along those lines. There are a few lines that suggest that Ellis might be POC, but nothing definitive. There is definitely room to imagine most of the characters being of any race the reader prefers, which I actually liked a lot. There is queer rep in this book and its nicely handled. Some readers though might find certain issues related to the queer content
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Fatphobia
The main plot revolves around a character dealing with a parent’s terminal illness and vegetative state. A secondary character is revealed to have behaved in homophobic ways, though this is not dealt with in any detail. There is some mild internalized fatphobia typical of teenage insecurities.
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