Reviews tagging 'Hate crime'

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

52 reviews

tvgirl's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-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? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime and Homophobia

Moderate: Sexual content

splashcat360's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Homophobia and Hate crime

ottolee's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense medium-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? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Bullying, Dementia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Mental illness, Medical content, Homophobia, Cursing, Infidelity, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Classism, Suicide, Blood, Death, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, Outing, Terminal illness, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Deadnaming and Fatphobia

All of the graphic content feels “earned”. It’s part of the exploration of homophobia in the Latinx community, esp internalized hatred and shame. But it is very intense and,

while the MC survives it,

the ending being “more happy than not” is up for interpretation. The deadnaming comes across like the cis MC not realizing he’s deadnaming/being transphobic, not being malicious. Perhaps another facet of the casual ignorance of the community. Still, was kinda off-putting and not necessary. And idk if the author is also unaware he’s being transphobic.

angelofthetardis's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

Adam Silvera's trademark style of sensitively exploring the discovering and acceptance of sexuality through the lens of a teenage boy, complete with a sci-fi twist is on full display here, and it makes for a beautifully written, heart-wrenching, terrifying-and-yet-completely-relatable read. 

Aaron is a fairly typical teen on the surface - always playing ridiculous games with his mates, taking the girlfriend who adores him out on dates and writing his own comic book. But his life hasn't been easy - he has the scar on his wrist to prove that. I cannot fault the characterisation; Silvera's writing perfectly captures that balance of a person being "normal" on the outside and yet struggling with trauma and their own demons on the inside. His is definitely not a sugar-coated existence, and Silvera has a real knack for making his lead characters so incredibly real, which just makes the 'fantastical' element that much more engaging.

In this case, it's name-dropped a few times early on in the story, and if you've read the author's other works it's not hard to take a stab at guessing what might be on the horizon. But likewise, he's all about giving you hope. And in this case, the twists and turns are perfectly timed to keep you engaged and to keep that hope burning in your chest. 

The secondary characters are also well drawn, but ultimately the more central they are to the story, the more fleshed out they are. This does mean that people like Aaron's mother, brother and his old friends are there and interesting, but they just don't have the same depth to them. In turn, as Aaron's interactions with them are important catalysts in the story, it does leave the whole work feeling just a little bit 'thin' for me. I could have done with perhaps another hundred pages where the background story was developed and explored in more detail. That being said, I can potentially see this issue as perhaps being a writing device, as it does sort of fit with the POV. Nevertheless, I still feel like I needed more. 

In a roundabout way, this story explores what might happen if a person could be "cured" of homosexuality. IMO, what's there to cure?! It's a beautiful illustration of what the struggles people go through when discovering their own preferences might feel like, and how the temptation of 'normality' might appeal, but that who you are will shine through no matter what. It's also a study in acceptance; even the harshest of days contribute to who you are. I can't say it's an uplifting read, but it holds a powerful message.

Absolutely worth the read!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Hate crime, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, Cursing, Homophobia, Death, Death of parent, and Dementia

Minor: Pregnancy, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Domestic abuse

kim_lommaert's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Death of parent, Outing, Suicide attempt, and Suicide

Moderate: Child death, Death, Infidelity, Hate crime, and Gun violence

Minor: Drug use, Domestic abuse, Car accident, and Pregnancy

jennboyack_scott's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Self harm

Moderate: Mental illness, Dementia, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Drug use, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail

chelseaabu1's review

dark emotional hopeful reflective 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Homophobia, and Hate crime

Moderate: Self harm, Cursing, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol

puddledunk's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

3.5

This book is heartbreaking and very well done.  While it is science fiction, it’s very much a relatable story. I recommend checking the listed trigger warnings prior to reading as many tough issues are addressed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, and Hate crime

Moderate: Suicide and Medical trauma

telliot's review against another edition

emotional sad medium-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? Yes

2.5

This was really obvious that it was Silvera's first book. A lot of the characters and their dialogue was really unrealistic, there were some paragraphs where it felt like information was missing. 
I liked the concept, but I felt like it was not executed very well. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Violence, Bullying, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Outing

Moderate: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content

tragicgloom's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

"And while I wait, happiness exists where I can get it. In these notebooks, where worlds of memories greet me, almost like a
childhood friend who moved away for years and finally came back
home.
I’m more happy than not.
Don’t forget me."

I won't forget you Aaron ❤️

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Infidelity, Toxic friendship, Hate crime, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Grief, Violence, Death, and Homophobia

Moderate: Bullying and Medical content

Minor: Abandonment, Fatphobia, Pregnancy, and Drug use