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lleullawgyffes's review against another edition
4.0
Simple, but very sweet. It would be lower if it had been written in 2015 instead of 2004, but as gay YA from a decade ago, I'm impressed. Relatedly, I think I like Alex Sanchez better when he's writing for a younger audience.
opusfra's review against another edition
4.0
A simple look at the way emotions solidify during formative years, without delving too deep beneath the surface. Nicely done.
roxyc's review against another edition
2.0
It is a good coming out story and an easy read for middle schoolers. However, i found Xio a little annoying and i was totally peeved with the way things panned out with Federick. He was totally crushing on Victor who is straight but then ends up with Iggy. Just because there are 2 guys at the same school who happen to be gay does not mean they have to like each other and end up dating. Having a crush on the straight guy is inconvenient, but you can't choose who you develop an attraction to. I did like the fact that the book contains a glossary of the spanish terms for those of us who do not speak the language - i have read many books that do not have this and a good portion of the book is lost because i don't know what the spanish phrases mean. Enjoyable read but a little weak.
kaiteako's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book! The only issue I had with it was how he just randomly out of nowhere "found out" he was gay..
akweley_mazarae's review against another edition
3.0
Rating: 3.5*
This was a cute book, I actually really liked it. There were some stereotypes that I wasn't overly fond of, and Xio was annoying at times, but it was still an interesting and well-written piece of literature. What bothered me the most though is that the characters are so young, because I don't think little kids should be so obsessed with dating at that age. I mean, they're all in Middle School, 13 or something. They need to calm down and chill, enjoy being a kid. Otherwise, loved it.
This was a cute book, I actually really liked it. There were some stereotypes that I wasn't overly fond of, and Xio was annoying at times, but it was still an interesting and well-written piece of literature. What bothered me the most though is that the characters are so young, because I don't think little kids should be so obsessed with dating at that age. I mean, they're all in Middle School, 13 or something. They need to calm down and chill, enjoy being a kid. Otherwise, loved it.
yessieknight's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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
5.0
nightowlreader's review against another edition
2.0
The book is a little less than okay, I didn’t held much expectations going in as a result of never hearing anything about the book, so it’s not like I felt like I was super let down, but as I thought about it, I did really not like this book all that much. I’m wavering between a 2 Star rating and a 2.5 Stars because at best it was mediocre, and at worst it wasn’t very good at all. I had several problems with it, and I felt angry at certain characters. I didn’t feel any sort of happiness or closure at the end, I just couldn’t care less.
The harassment scenes in school really bothered, and as I said before, characters are important to me. I did like Xio much, she was a little bit too boy crazy, or as someone have put it, “too sexualized”
It was alright! It’s an LGBTQIA+ book, and that’s cool.
Xio had gotten upset when one of her friends had asked Frederick if he was gay or not! The question was definitely nosy for sure, but Xio acted as if accusing someone of being gay is an insult, which it isn’t. And that’s an interesting topic to consider.
When all is said, I still thought the book was okay. It’s a very underwhelming book to me.
The harassment scenes in school really bothered, and as I said before, characters are important to me. I did like Xio much, she was a little bit too boy crazy, or as someone have put it, “too sexualized”
It was alright! It’s an LGBTQIA+ book, and that’s cool.
When all is said, I still thought the book was okay. It’s a very underwhelming book to me.
bonecarvdweaver's review against another edition
4.0
So Hard To Say is a cute short story about two characters in turn-style POVs. We have Xio whose met this new kid and falls for him while dealing with the fact that her father has left their family and she doesn't know why. And we have Frederick, who can't figure out why he doesn't like Xio and why he likes someone else instead.
I liked seeing the different cultures represented in the story and I adore the young writing Sanchez has, it brings me back to when I was just as young and figuring things out!
There was, needless to say a lot of drama! I adored the characters and their roles and I loved how involved family was throughout the story. It was very touching!
All in all I'm glad they all had a happy ending- albeit cut short ( I definitely could have done with a few more pages to see what changed next ) and I thought it was a fun read! I definitely recommend it for everyone!
I liked seeing the different cultures represented in the story and I adore the young writing Sanchez has, it brings me back to when I was just as young and figuring things out!
There was, needless to say a lot of drama! I adored the characters and their roles and I loved how involved family was throughout the story. It was very touching!
All in all I'm glad they all had a happy ending- albeit cut short ( I definitely could have done with a few more pages to see what changed next ) and I thought it was a fun read! I definitely recommend it for everyone!
sofiam97's review against another edition
5.0
And for the... third? Fourth time? I read this book. I have lost count of how many times I've read it, I only know that I continue to love it as much as I did when I first read it.
When I read it for the first time, four years ago or something like that, I felt different reading some parts than I do now. After all, at the time, I was the same age as the main characters' so I saw myself in them more than I do now.
But I continue to love this book. It's so... honest. It has the good and the bad sides of being a teenager. All that confusion. All those questions. The relationships that you're not sure you even want to happen.
I love this book. It is one of my favourites by Alex Sanchez (although in all fairnell all of them are probably my favourites). Alex Sanchez is definetely one of my favourite writers of all time and it just astounds me how he's able to create such different persons (Xio and Frederick), while at the same time so alike.
The secondary characters are also fantastic.
This book is amazing. If you haven't read it, go do it now. If you have, then do it again. It's worth it.
When I read it for the first time, four years ago or something like that, I felt different reading some parts than I do now. After all, at the time, I was the same age as the main characters' so I saw myself in them more than I do now.
But I continue to love this book. It's so... honest. It has the good and the bad sides of being a teenager. All that confusion. All those questions. The relationships that you're not sure you even want to happen.
I love this book. It is one of my favourites by Alex Sanchez (although in all fairnell all of them are probably my favourites). Alex Sanchez is definetely one of my favourite writers of all time and it just astounds me how he's able to create such different persons (Xio and Frederick), while at the same time so alike.
The secondary characters are also fantastic.
This book is amazing. If you haven't read it, go do it now. If you have, then do it again. It's worth it.