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kittenesque's review against another edition
2.0
This was a 2.5 from me. The parts I loved were the illustrations and how his family (especially his Grandma) were described. I loved the extras parts like the playlists at the end too
The less good parts were the main story which felt a little muddled & it was hard to see sometimes what characters motivations were. A cute enough read but not a favourite
Edited to add: I forgot until I saw this in another review - there is a SERIOUSLY transphobic slur in the "extras" section at the end of the book which made me want to jam the book down this authors throat when I saw it.
The less good parts were the main story which felt a little muddled & it was hard to see sometimes what characters motivations were. A cute enough read but not a favourite
Edited to add: I forgot until I saw this in another review - there is a SERIOUSLY transphobic slur in the "extras" section at the end of the book which made me want to jam the book down this authors throat when I saw it.
sbelasco40's review against another edition
2.0
I have complicated feelings about this book. There were parts of it that were great, and I love the concept behind it - integrating a graphic/comic component. Some well-drawn parental-type figures including the male protagonist's grandmother (Gram), who is lively and wonderful, and of course his two gay bffs are fun and funny. But there's something weirdly unbalanced about the book as a whole - Evan, as the overachiever sacrificing his desires to his fathers' wishes, is neither that interesting or that deep, while his love interest, tortured Lucy, is both Manic Pixie Dream Girl and bipolar goth all wrapped into one, so weighed down she collapses under a pile of her own (unoriginal) angst. I kept wanting her to get therapy, or at least some sort of solid support system that isn't her childhood best friend who she sees for 2 weeks a year, but Emond wraps it all up with a nice little bow at the end while somehow skipping the hard work part that depicts how they get there. It might have been better as an actual graphic novel, and it feels a little like it got picked up because of its cool concept instead of the quality of the story. Disappointing.
barbarianlibarian's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. The book really seemed to be promising, but I just could not get into it. The characters didn't develop enough, and the storyline dragged. The ending chapters were abrupt, and the final scene was just a little too perfect.
saggittarianlibrarian's review against another edition
3.0
I really liked the comic strips that mirrored the story throughout the book. The whole plot was simple an realistic. I enjoyed it.
kaitrosereads's review against another edition
4.0
Winter Town is not like any other book I have read. It was a quick, fun read and the best word to describe it is quirky. If Stephen Emond's other book is anything like this one I will have to check it out.
Stephen Emond's writing and illustrations are the two best things about this book. The writing very quickly draws you in and the book seems a lot shorter than it is because it is hard to stop reading. The illustrations and comic strips only add to that. They tell a story all of their own yet they tie in to the main story seamlessly.
Lucy and Evan, the two central characters, are two totally different people yet somehow so perfect for each other. Evan's story definitely drew me more than Lucy's but I never once lost interest in either of their stories. Evan was the nerdy kid, scared to do anything that might upset his parents. Lucy, on the other hand, did everything she could to upset her parents. Her story definitely had me curious but Evan was the more relatable of the two. The non-central characters; Tim, Marshall, Gram, Evan's mom and dad, were surprisingly well-developed and all pretty likable. The book really had a great cast of characters.
The plot of Winter Town was hard for me to discern. The story didn't seem to go anywhere for quite some time. The book was very character driven and I would have liked there to have been more going on. It picked up towards the end but the beginning was a bit dull.
Overall, Winter Town isn't one I would highly recommend but definitely check it out if it appeals to you and if you enjoyed Emond's previous book, Happyface.
Stephen Emond's writing and illustrations are the two best things about this book. The writing very quickly draws you in and the book seems a lot shorter than it is because it is hard to stop reading. The illustrations and comic strips only add to that. They tell a story all of their own yet they tie in to the main story seamlessly.
Lucy and Evan, the two central characters, are two totally different people yet somehow so perfect for each other. Evan's story definitely drew me more than Lucy's but I never once lost interest in either of their stories. Evan was the nerdy kid, scared to do anything that might upset his parents. Lucy, on the other hand, did everything she could to upset her parents. Her story definitely had me curious but Evan was the more relatable of the two. The non-central characters; Tim, Marshall, Gram, Evan's mom and dad, were surprisingly well-developed and all pretty likable. The book really had a great cast of characters.
The plot of Winter Town was hard for me to discern. The story didn't seem to go anywhere for quite some time. The book was very character driven and I would have liked there to have been more going on. It picked up towards the end but the beginning was a bit dull.
Overall, Winter Town isn't one I would highly recommend but definitely check it out if it appeals to you and if you enjoyed Emond's previous book, Happyface.
purstiltski's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked the writing in this (which surprised me), as well as how relatable it was in many parts.
I found the pessimist in me really hoping this wouldn't be a "and then they ended up together happy happy happyhappyhappy" sort of book. In some ways, it wasn't. However, in the biggest and most easy to spot way, it was. Lucy and Evan end up with a "second chance" to be together.
I wish this book ended on page 302 with, basically, "She knew she had a lot of choices to make. She was terrified." After that, as long as the author doesn't tell me, I'm fine if they end up together. I want something that ends where I am, though. Not with "and it was all okay!" but with "I'm afraid that it might not be okay."
There are a few bits at the end of the book that resonated with me (although, as stated, it's all-around relatable).
"Lucy wondered what she could change. Her problem was she didn't really believe it was possible. In her head she did, in her head she knew she had choices, but it was this gut feeling, this thing deep, deep inside her, in her heart and in her flesh, that just knew it would all turn to shit."
"...it wasn't a eureka moment, just a gut feeling that walked with him, that went against every thought he had, but it was an exciting feeling that he couldn't ignore."
I found the pessimist in me really hoping this wouldn't be a "and then they ended up together happy happy happyhappyhappy" sort of book. In some ways, it wasn't. However, in the biggest and most easy to spot way, it was. Lucy and Evan end up with a "second chance" to be together.
I wish this book ended on page 302 with, basically, "She knew she had a lot of choices to make. She was terrified." After that, as long as the author doesn't tell me, I'm fine if they end up together. I want something that ends where I am, though. Not with "and it was all okay!" but with "I'm afraid that it might not be okay."
There are a few bits at the end of the book that resonated with me (although, as stated, it's all-around relatable).
"Lucy wondered what she could change. Her problem was she didn't really believe it was possible. In her head she did, in her head she knew she had choices, but it was this gut feeling, this thing deep, deep inside her, in her heart and in her flesh, that just knew it would all turn to shit."
"...it wasn't a eureka moment, just a gut feeling that walked with him, that went against every thought he had, but it was an exciting feeling that he couldn't ignore."
nnneato's review against another edition
3.0
Winter Town was a surprisingly light book, despite the summary. I checked this out expecting an extremely depressing novel full of introspective writing and long descriptions. What I got was nothing like that.
Winter Town is more of a light novel than a standard novel. A light novel in Japan is a relatively short book with illustrations every few pages. However, light novels usually comes in a series, which Winter Town isn't.
Getting that out of the way, it was a good book, but fell short of being great for a few reasons...
The Art
While Stephen Emond is great at backgrounds, he could improve on his faces. Compare the pre-change Lucy on the spread before chapter 1 to her portrait before chapter 9. If you took away those giant lips, she could be someone completely different. I mostly attribute this to the weird cheek-line that's slapped on the side of her mouth. Where did that come from? It makes her look like she's 40 years old... ha.
I'll go easy on the art from the little comics spread out throughout the book, since I assume they're supposed to have been drawn by Evan. I've skimmed, read, and shortly looked at a bunch of webcomics during my years on the internet, and Evan's little thing is pretty much the mediocre 80% of them.
The story
Lucy and Evan were both very believable characters.
While did want to slap Lucy for doing the whole "change my outside to match my inside" thing, she had a reason for changing. Unfortunately, her reason is one that many children and teenagers have. All of her stupid decisions were expected, and unlike a lot of books dealing with an "emo" character, her making them didn't lead me to resent her.
Evan is a nice guy, and also one of those people who just can't say no. One one hand, I wanted to slap him too for not standing up to his father. On the other hand, I thought he was the best child ever for never acting out.
Speaking of the father, he was a douchebag. He was a douchebag at the beginning of the book and he was a douchebag at the end of the book. Again, unfortunately, many fathers are like this.
The writing
It was very simple. Since I was expecting a deep, introspective book, it bordered on too simple, but it worked for the story.
The references used will be out of date in a few years, but that's what happens with every book that tries to implement elements from pop culture.
One minor error or oversight I noticed is... (which isn't really a spoiler, but it happens about 3/4 of the way in)
The ending
The ending was very disappointing for me.
I honestly found myself thinking "how can someone be so naive?" when Evan rejected Lucy after her confessions. Why would you push someone away after you hear what they've been through, especially when you've been friends for so long? That was just.. cold. It ruined all the love for Evan that I'd built up throughout the story.
It was very predictable that he'd go to art school... It's also unclear how long it is before Evan sees Lucy again. I assume he's already graduated, but I wonder what happened to Lucy in that time. That's my real problem with the ending. I want to know what happens to Lucy after she knocks on her mother's door.. not Evan.
So...
I'm giving this book three stars. One star is knocked off for the iffy, rushed and/or sloppy artwork, and one star is knocked off for the ending and Evan's reactions. All in all, it's worth reading, and is not a terrible book by any means. I'd recommend it to anyone who's lived the life of a fantasy geek and likes to draw.
Winter Town is more of a light novel than a standard novel. A light novel in Japan is a relatively short book with illustrations every few pages. However, light novels usually comes in a series, which Winter Town isn't.
Getting that out of the way, it was a good book, but fell short of being great for a few reasons...
The Art
While Stephen Emond is great at backgrounds, he could improve on his faces. Compare the pre-change Lucy on the spread before chapter 1 to her portrait before chapter 9. If you took away those giant lips, she could be someone completely different. I mostly attribute this to the weird cheek-line that's slapped on the side of her mouth. Where did that come from? It makes her look like she's 40 years old... ha.
I'll go easy on the art from the little comics spread out throughout the book, since I assume they're supposed to have been drawn by Evan. I've skimmed, read, and shortly looked at a bunch of webcomics during my years on the internet, and Evan's little thing is pretty much the mediocre 80% of them.
The story
Lucy and Evan were both very believable characters.
While did want to slap Lucy for doing the whole "change my outside to match my inside" thing, she had a reason for changing. Unfortunately, her reason is one that many children and teenagers have. All of her stupid decisions were expected, and unlike a lot of books dealing with an "emo" character, her making them didn't lead me to resent her.
Evan is a nice guy, and also one of those people who just can't say no. One one hand, I wanted to slap him too for not standing up to his father. On the other hand, I thought he was the best child ever for never acting out.
Speaking of the father, he was a douchebag. He was a douchebag at the beginning of the book and he was a douchebag at the end of the book. Again, unfortunately, many fathers are like this.
The writing
It was very simple. Since I was expecting a deep, introspective book, it bordered on too simple, but it worked for the story.
The references used will be out of date in a few years, but that's what happens with every book that tries to implement elements from pop culture.
One minor error or oversight I noticed is... (which isn't really a spoiler, but it happens about 3/4 of the way in)
Spoiler
when Evan and Lucy get tattoos. I thought they were supposed to be 17? Maybe there's a different law where they live. Who knows.The ending
The ending was very disappointing for me.
Spoiler
At first, I was angry with Evan for not trying to patch things up, but then I realized that many people would have done the same thing. It's easy to say what you need to do to salvage a relationship. It's harder to actually do it.I honestly found myself thinking "how can someone be so naive?" when Evan rejected Lucy after her confessions. Why would you push someone away after you hear what they've been through, especially when you've been friends for so long? That was just.. cold. It ruined all the love for Evan that I'd built up throughout the story.
It was very predictable that he'd go to art school... It's also unclear how long it is before Evan sees Lucy again. I assume he's already graduated, but I wonder what happened to Lucy in that time. That's my real problem with the ending. I want to know what happens to Lucy after she knocks on her mother's door.. not Evan.
So...
I'm giving this book three stars. One star is knocked off for the iffy, rushed and/or sloppy artwork, and one star is knocked off for the ending and Evan's reactions. All in all, it's worth reading, and is not a terrible book by any means. I'd recommend it to anyone who's lived the life of a fantasy geek and likes to draw.
icecreamjane's review against another edition
4.0
Evan and Lucy are best friends growing up. Lucy moved away so they only see each other around the holidays. The Christmas of their senior year, Lucy has changed. Shiz has gone down. She tries to let things get romantic between her and Evan, but her shiz is too real.
Good story. Pictures and comics interrupt the pages. It's a quick, emotional, entertaining read.
Good story. Pictures and comics interrupt the pages. It's a quick, emotional, entertaining read.
brooklyntaylor's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75