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rereader33's review against another edition
2.0
2022 January Buzzword Challenge
Prompt: read a book that has "what" in the title.
This book was so, so disappointing. Books, especially YA, dealing with foster care and the foster care system are sooooo rare and I was soooo stoked to read a book tackling this issue. And funnily enough, the foster care aspects were the only redeeming qualities about it. Everything else was garbage.
Something that frustrates me about books dealing with sensitive/important topics is that anyone outside of the main characters have little to no nuance and/or are cardboard-cutouts of characters. This novel is no exception, but to an obnoxiously unrealistic extreme. If you're a decent person, you're amazingly perfect, wonderful, and might as well be God's gift to mankind. If you're a bad person or even slightly antagonistic, you're a horrible caricature of evil and meanness. Muir was the only person with any nuance and possessing more than one personality trait, but that doesn't stop her from also being a judgmental asshole and #notlikeothergirls. Although the only reason why she's #notlikeothergirls is because she's nice to people in general, so take with that as you will. Oh, and Natan? He's exactly what every psuedo-feminist thinks men are like and is so outrageously unrealistic in his speech and thoughts on women that I could not take him seriously. Yes, I hated him and he was a creep, but he was so over-the-top evil in his misogyny it was impossible to see him as a person. I swear, Saturday Morning Cartoon villains had more depth and nuance them him, Tiana, and Katrina. Speaking of them...
I was not prepared for the amount of girl hating/shaming that was present in this book, but boy was it there and infuriating. Folks, little piece of advice: if you're only way to make a girl unlikable is to make her a stereotypical "mean girl," either rework the character or don't put her in your work at all. The mean girl trope is beyond overdone, incredibly insulting, and does not make for an interesting antagonist/villain. Oh, pro tip #2: if the only way for your female protagonist to combat the mean girls is to be just as petty and judgmental to them as they are to her, go back to the drawing board because that shit is WEAK. Seriously, Muir is just as judgmental and rude to them as they are to her, but it's okay cuz she's the main protagonist and is a "good person"? Spoiler alert--NO, IT'S NOT. Writers, stop writing this shit. It's 20-fucking-22, this shit's not acceptable anymore and hasn't been acceptable ever, so KNOCK THIS SHIT OFF.
I could write more, but I'm honestly too exhausted. This started of so strong and was dealing with am underrepresented topic, but all the other bullshit ruined it. 2 stars for the topic, read it for that but that's about it. Thank you for coming to my rage-fueled Ted Talk.
Prompt: read a book that has "what" in the title.
This book was so, so disappointing. Books, especially YA, dealing with foster care and the foster care system are sooooo rare and I was soooo stoked to read a book tackling this issue. And funnily enough, the foster care aspects were the only redeeming qualities about it. Everything else was garbage.
Something that frustrates me about books dealing with sensitive/important topics is that anyone outside of the main characters have little to no nuance and/or are cardboard-cutouts of characters. This novel is no exception, but to an obnoxiously unrealistic extreme. If you're a decent person, you're amazingly perfect, wonderful, and might as well be God's gift to mankind. If you're a bad person or even slightly antagonistic, you're a horrible caricature of evil and meanness. Muir was the only person with any nuance and possessing more than one personality trait, but that doesn't stop her from also being a judgmental asshole and #notlikeothergirls. Although the only reason why she's #notlikeothergirls is because she's nice to people in general, so take with that as you will. Oh, and Natan? He's exactly what every psuedo-feminist thinks men are like and is so outrageously unrealistic in his speech and thoughts on women that I could not take him seriously. Yes, I hated him and he was a creep, but he was so over-the-top evil in his misogyny it was impossible to see him as a person. I swear, Saturday Morning Cartoon villains had more depth and nuance them him, Tiana, and Katrina. Speaking of them...
I was not prepared for the amount of girl hating/shaming that was present in this book, but boy was it there and infuriating. Folks, little piece of advice: if you're only way to make a girl unlikable is to make her a stereotypical "mean girl," either rework the character or don't put her in your work at all. The mean girl trope is beyond overdone, incredibly insulting, and does not make for an interesting antagonist/villain. Oh, pro tip #2: if the only way for your female protagonist to combat the mean girls is to be just as petty and judgmental to them as they are to her, go back to the drawing board because that shit is WEAK. Seriously, Muir is just as judgmental and rude to them as they are to her, but it's okay cuz she's the main protagonist and is a "good person"? Spoiler alert--NO, IT'S NOT. Writers, stop writing this shit. It's 20-fucking-22, this shit's not acceptable anymore and hasn't been acceptable ever, so KNOCK THIS SHIT OFF.
I could write more, but I'm honestly too exhausted. This started of so strong and was dealing with am underrepresented topic, but all the other bullshit ruined it. 2 stars for the topic, read it for that but that's about it. Thank you for coming to my rage-fueled Ted Talk.
bornfromtheashes's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
afestivalaparade's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
sacrill's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
5.0
anniejakes's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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
5.0
izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
Oh. My. Gosh. This book. It made me laugh, cry, cringe, roll my eyes, and throw it across the room. It was amazing. One of my favorite books I’ve read this year. I loved the characters. I really cant think of how to explain this book. If i had to choose a book to become adapted i would choose this one. I want to ramble about this book but i cant think of anything bad to say about it.
shareen17's review against another edition
4.0
A girl who has grown up in the foster care system has learned to keep her head down and stay detached from people. She's now 17, facing aging out of foster care at 18, and placed in what may be her last foster care placement. Her new foster mother and friends test her resolve to stay detached. I liked the characters and the Bainbridge Island setting, as well as the underlying positive message about children in foster care. At times I thought the social justice messages were a little heavy-handed, but not enough to keep me from enjoying the book.
laraleighz's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly this book was so so good. A really powerful glimpse into the reality of growing up in the foster care system in this country. It drove home the concept that every single child is entitled to having someone to rely on, to being cared for, to having ownership over their stories and their lives, and to letting those stories be heard.
“The purpose of adoption is not to procure children to fulfill an adult’s desire to be a parent… the intended purpose of adoption is to find parents and families for children who need them.”
“The purpose of adoption is not to procure children to fulfill an adult’s desire to be a parent… the intended purpose of adoption is to find parents and families for children who need them.”
talkativetaylor11's review against another edition
emotional
slow-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
5.0