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theespressoedition's review against another edition
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
After just a day or two of thinking about this book, I felt it necessary to lower the rating from 2.5 to 1.5 stars. This book made me so uncomfortable that even as I write this review, I can feel my shoulders begin to rise up around my ears in an unpleasant way.
First and foremost: this book should not be YA. If you aged up the female protagonist just a year and a half, it would've been NA or adult and that would've been much more suitable. Seeing as it is YA, my rating should hopefully make a bit more sense once I get into the details.
The content in this book is heavy. It's under the guise of being a cute, You've Got Mail kind of thing. Online friends who meet IRL but don't realize who the other person is. You know the drill. But now that you're imagining the kind of adorable confusion and mystery, add in the fact that the love interest was attacked by a shark as a kid and has the scars to prove it (both physically and emotionally) and the MC was kidnapped and shot as a child, giving her severe PTSD. OH, and the best friend of the love interest is a major drug addict who likes to just take a shotgun places and scare the crap out of people while high. YEAH. Not a cute, YA romcom.
As someone with my own fears of gun violence, I felt on edge the entire time I read this book. There were scenes I had to skim entirely just because of the discomfort. This is written for a younger audience and at nearly 30, I could barely handle it. Again I say, this should not be YA.
If you're looking for something fun, summer-y, and cute, look the other way. This isn't it.
First and foremost: this book should not be YA. If you aged up the female protagonist just a year and a half, it would've been NA or adult and that would've been much more suitable. Seeing as it is YA, my rating should hopefully make a bit more sense once I get into the details.
The content in this book is heavy. It's under the guise of being a cute, You've Got Mail kind of thing. Online friends who meet IRL but don't realize who the other person is. You know the drill. But now that you're imagining the kind of adorable confusion and mystery, add in the fact that the love interest was attacked by a shark as a kid and has the scars to prove it (both physically and emotionally) and the MC was kidnapped and shot as a child, giving her severe PTSD. OH, and the best friend of the love interest is a major drug addict who likes to just take a shotgun places and scare the crap out of people while high. YEAH. Not a cute, YA romcom.
As someone with my own fears of gun violence, I felt on edge the entire time I read this book. There were scenes I had to skim entirely just because of the discomfort. This is written for a younger audience and at nearly 30, I could barely handle it. Again I say, this should not be YA.
If you're looking for something fun, summer-y, and cute, look the other way. This isn't it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Addiction, Gun violence, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, Death, and Grief
In-depth stories of a shark attack and also of a shootingsrah's review against another edition
emotional
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, and Gun violence
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