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endemictoearth's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
jackphoenix's review
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- 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? N/A
2.0
Sappy to a fault while handling a controversial psychiatric phenomenon with simplicity, the artwork is at least a pleasure.
mehsi's review against another edition
5.0
I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.
OMG, I was just so hyped when I was approved for this book. I just love Cassandra Jean’s work, like I really loved Reindeer Boy! So I was very excited to try out this one!
In this one a city boy and a smalltown boy meet each other when the city boy moves to live in the small town, even smackdab next to the smalltown boy. There is an instant connection, no so much instalove, but there is something and I was immediately rooting for these two. I loved it! I loved learning more about each of the characters, about what makes them tick. And Jacob (the city boy) has a lot going on which learn quite early on, but as the story continues we truly learn what is going on. Jacob has Dissociative identity disorder and that means that at times he is just not there. The first time we see it is when Jacob goes missing and Murry finds him in a barn. Jacob has no idea what he has been doing there and didn’t know that hours and hours have passed. But as the story continues we see more and more of DID and what it entails. We learn that Jacob hasn’t had the easiest childhood with his birthparents and that this is a reason why he is switching/why things happen. It was really well written and my heart broke, I loved that Murry stayed. That he tried to be there for Jacob, tried to help when he could, didn’t get angry when Jacob switched and things happening. It was just so sweet, and it makes me happy.
Murry was such a fun character as well! A farmboy but also the star of the sportsteam at school. But he is also very sweet and adorable and I loved how he was there for Jacob. We really got two fantastic characters that you will really love and that will stick with you even after the story.
And of course these two will be dating! Which was adorable and made me squee many a time. I loved seeing them together and see them share kisses, lie in the back of the truck (which is such an American thing to do, haha) and watch stars. I love how Murry didn’t care what people thought about him dating a guy. Sadly, we see that there are a couple of bigots in the town, I was definitely worried for my sweet boys, and sadly things do happen. I am glad that in the end Murry and Jacob got people on their side and that they weren’t alone in this.
Oh, and I just love the smaller guy and big guy romance trope. Is it a trope? I would say yes, haha, and I love it.
I loved that at the end we got some more epilogue/short bits featuring Murry and Jacob, because these two kept on dating even in university years and beyond. So cute! And I was delighted that the author added some more information on DID by letting Jacob chat about it.
The art was, of course duh, fantastic and I loved every bit of it.
Ah, I would like to warn peeps that there is a mention of suicide, not very big, but I know for me seeing those wounds + hear him chat about it was more than enough.
All in all, I flew through this book, it was just adorable, sweet, at times heartbreaking and sad, but all around fantastic. You will love these characters and their bond/their romance. Highly recommended.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
OMG, I was just so hyped when I was approved for this book. I just love Cassandra Jean’s work, like I really loved Reindeer Boy! So I was very excited to try out this one!
In this one a city boy and a smalltown boy meet each other when the city boy moves to live in the small town, even smackdab next to the smalltown boy. There is an instant connection, no so much instalove, but there is something and I was immediately rooting for these two. I loved it! I loved learning more about each of the characters, about what makes them tick. And Jacob (the city boy) has a lot going on which learn quite early on, but as the story continues we truly learn what is going on. Jacob has Dissociative identity disorder and that means that at times he is just not there. The first time we see it is when Jacob goes missing and Murry finds him in a barn. Jacob has no idea what he has been doing there and didn’t know that hours and hours have passed. But as the story continues we see more and more of DID and what it entails. We learn that Jacob hasn’t had the easiest childhood with his birthparents and that this is a reason why he is switching/why things happen. It was really well written and my heart broke, I loved that Murry stayed. That he tried to be there for Jacob, tried to help when he could, didn’t get angry when Jacob switched and things happening. It was just so sweet, and it makes me happy.
Murry was such a fun character as well! A farmboy but also the star of the sportsteam at school. But he is also very sweet and adorable and I loved how he was there for Jacob. We really got two fantastic characters that you will really love and that will stick with you even after the story.
And of course these two will be dating! Which was adorable and made me squee many a time. I loved seeing them together and see them share kisses, lie in the back of the truck (which is such an American thing to do, haha) and watch stars. I love how Murry didn’t care what people thought about him dating a guy. Sadly, we see that there are a couple of bigots in the town, I was definitely worried for my sweet boys, and sadly things do happen. I am glad that in the end Murry and Jacob got people on their side and that they weren’t alone in this.
Oh, and I just love the smaller guy and big guy romance trope. Is it a trope? I would say yes, haha, and I love it.
I loved that at the end we got some more epilogue/short bits featuring Murry and Jacob, because these two kept on dating even in university years and beyond. So cute! And I was delighted that the author added some more information on DID by letting Jacob chat about it.
The art was, of course duh, fantastic and I loved every bit of it.
Ah, I would like to warn peeps that there is a mention of suicide, not very big, but I know for me seeing those wounds + hear him chat about it was more than enough.
All in all, I flew through this book, it was just adorable, sweet, at times heartbreaking and sad, but all around fantastic. You will love these characters and their bond/their romance. Highly recommended.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
braincell4rent's review against another edition
3.0
Things that I liked on this one:
- The art. I loved the art.
- The queer representation (I live for non-toxic teenage romances).
- The fact they addressed mental illness (we need more of these stories that, apart from entertain, give some visibility to this kind of things).
Things I didn´t appreciate that much:
- The usual plot of "us against the world" for no reason (save for a couple of then that just appeared briefly at the end, all Murry´s friends are a bunch of homophobics, the parents of either of the main characters barely appear in the entire story and when they do it´s to believe those shitty friends of Murry and cause more conflict). Too much angst and unnecesary trouble.
- Underdeveloped characters. Is the story predictable? Yes, but that didn´t bother me. What it did was the fact that the only characters a bit well made were the main characters. I felt all the rest were there either to cause misunderstandments or to just appear conviniently for a scene and never come back again.
- The art. I loved the art.
- The queer representation (I live for non-toxic teenage romances).
- The fact they addressed mental illness (we need more of these stories that, apart from entertain, give some visibility to this kind of things).
Things I didn´t appreciate that much:
- The usual plot of "us against the world" for no reason (save for a couple of then that just appeared briefly at the end, all Murry´s friends are a bunch of homophobics, the parents of either of the main characters barely appear in the entire story and when they do it´s to believe those shitty friends of Murry and cause more conflict). Too much angst and unnecesary trouble.
- Underdeveloped characters. Is the story predictable? Yes, but that didn´t bother me. What it did was the fact that the only characters a bit well made were the main characters. I felt all the rest were there either to cause misunderstandments or to just appear conviniently for a scene and never come back again.
tinyelfarcanist's review
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Medical content and Violence
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
erin_is_reading's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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
jay_mack9712's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I am so thrilled that a co-worker recommended this book to me! I loved it. It was a sweet story about two boys finding their way to each other. Jacob has a lot of trauma to deal with and it is the first time I can recall seeing that specific typed addressed in a story. The illustrations are stunning and Murry is just a bean who needs to be protective at all costs! Highly recommend picking this one up!
vekenega's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
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
pachec_oh_no's review
5.0
Very sweet and cute. I loved the art style, it was flat and simple but had a lot of heart. I especially love how the artist draws hands and eyes. The pets are also just plain adorable.
reader_of_books88's review
hopeful
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0