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wolf013's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, and Homophobia
nindie's review against another edition
dark
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
4.75
i started bawling my eyes at the end and i found this book to be relatable in a lot of scenarios, made me even more self-aware about how i feel and my interactions.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol and Vomit
juliarose11's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book felt very flat, which may have been intentional to help portray Tori's depression. However, this led to a flat narrator, one-dimmensional/almost non-existent side characters as a whole, and areas within the book that appear to be missing in order to truly understand the storyline. This combined with the strange plot of the Solitaire group (particularly the sudden burning down of the school) made the book hard to really enjoy. Tori at times was relatable and I do appreciate Oseman working to portray mental illness to hopeful bring more awareness to it. However, the lack of really acknowledging the fact that mental health problems are serious and need/deserve support concerns me. I can see how younger audiences could read this book and see the portrayal of mental illness and see it as normal (in the sense that everyone feels this way, so it must not be a problem/deserve attention and help).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Bullying
Moderate: Violence, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Blood, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
sgtbuckaroo's review
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
2.0
SPOILER WARNING.
First of all; I found this book rather boring. It took until page 160 for me to start finding it even remotely interesting, and had I not read 200+ pages when I was stuck with nothing to do, I wouldn’t have finished this book.
Secondly: Oseman writes “this is not a love story” multiple times, when it very clearly is just that.
It bloody ends with Tori getting together with Michael, so yes, definitely a love story no matter what the author says. As with much else in this book, this was just confusing.
Oseman has definitely evolved her writing and story telling infinitely since she wrote Solitaire. I find that her recent works are far more enjoyable and the writing is tons and tons better.
Additionally, I don’t really think Oseman knew where the story was going or what she wanted with it. I feel like it tries to be too much at once, and ultimately ends up being nothing. Nothing is really thought through or explored, and it makes the story quite confusing sometimes. i.e, one of the last parts of the book, the fire in the school and Tori on the roof with Michael, lacked organization, pacing and clear communication from the writer. It was hard to follow what was really happening and who was where.
The characters weren’t bad, but I feel like they needed to be explored more to really make a lasting impression. As they are now, I don’t really care for them and some I even find a bit shallow as well as slightly annoying. I would’ve liked to see more of Michael; his home, his parents, his life. We really get nothing except for the ice-skating.
And Tori deserved to be more fleshed out and not just filled to the brim with quirkiness. At times, her quirks and constant melodramatic way of being got slightly annoying since I felt like it wasn’t justified. Her reactions to things were at times blown completely out of proportion. Sure, it can be put down to mental illness and the fact that breakdowns can be triggered very suddenly form very little things, but you can only read about Tori running away aimlessly and screaming so many times before it gets pointless and confusing. The concept of her character is really good, the execution doesn’t make it justice.
The whole concept with Solitaire could’ve been really interesting and it had potential, but I felt like the mystery isn’t big enough, or interesting enough to really make me care about it. It wasn’t big enough part of the story for it to really hit home and work out like intended.
I felt the ending was a bit rushed and forced, and it’s really noticeable that it’s the authors first work. Unfortunately I didn’t end up liking it as much as I wanted to. Although, I must recognize that I am not part of the intended audience, and I believe I would’ve liked it a lot more had I read it when I was 12-13.
Alice Oseman’s writing has improved so much since she wrote Solitaire and I will gladly recommend her later works. Solitaire isn’t a bad book, but it’s not a great one either.
Personally, I feel it’s almost as if she wrote two different stories and then tried to merge them into one. Had she picked one of the plots and explored that one more deeply, I feel like this could’ve been great.
Finally; Solitaire is great if you’re 11-14 years old, and it can definitely be a really good experience for you when you’re the right demographic.
First of all; I found this book rather boring. It took until page 160 for me to start finding it even remotely interesting, and had I not read 200+ pages when I was stuck with nothing to do, I wouldn’t have finished this book.
Secondly: Oseman writes “this is not a love story” multiple times, when it very clearly is just that.
It bloody ends with Tori getting together with Michael, so yes, definitely a love story no matter what the author says. As with much else in this book, this was just confusing.
Oseman has definitely evolved her writing and story telling infinitely since she wrote Solitaire. I find that her recent works are far more enjoyable and the writing is tons and tons better.
Additionally, I don’t really think Oseman knew where the story was going or what she wanted with it. I feel like it tries to be too much at once, and ultimately ends up being nothing. Nothing is really thought through or explored, and it makes the story quite confusing sometimes. i.e, one of the last parts of the book, the fire in the school and Tori on the roof with Michael, lacked organization, pacing and clear communication from the writer. It was hard to follow what was really happening and who was where.
The characters weren’t bad, but I feel like they needed to be explored more to really make a lasting impression. As they are now, I don’t really care for them and some I even find a bit shallow as well as slightly annoying. I would’ve liked to see more of Michael; his home, his parents, his life. We really get nothing except for the ice-skating.
And Tori deserved to be more fleshed out and not just filled to the brim with quirkiness. At times, her quirks and constant melodramatic way of being got slightly annoying since I felt like it wasn’t justified. Her reactions to things were at times blown completely out of proportion. Sure, it can be put down to mental illness and the fact that breakdowns can be triggered very suddenly form very little things, but you can only read about Tori running away aimlessly and screaming so many times before it gets pointless and confusing. The concept of her character is really good, the execution doesn’t make it justice.
The whole concept with Solitaire could’ve been really interesting and it had potential, but I felt like the mystery isn’t big enough, or interesting enough to really make me care about it. It wasn’t big enough part of the story for it to really hit home and work out like intended.
I felt the ending was a bit rushed and forced, and it’s really noticeable that it’s the authors first work. Unfortunately I didn’t end up liking it as much as I wanted to. Although, I must recognize that I am not part of the intended audience, and I believe I would’ve liked it a lot more had I read it when I was 12-13.
Alice Oseman’s writing has improved so much since she wrote Solitaire and I will gladly recommend her later works. Solitaire isn’t a bad book, but it’s not a great one either.
Personally, I feel it’s almost as if she wrote two different stories and then tried to merge them into one. Had she picked one of the plots and explored that one more deeply, I feel like this could’ve been great.
Finally; Solitaire is great if you’re 11-14 years old, and it can definitely be a really good experience for you when you’re the right demographic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Eating disorder, Mental illness, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence and Bullying
Minor: Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Toxic friendship, and Panic attacks/disorders
m4rtt4's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I put off reading this book for so long, because the synopsis made Tori sound insufferable — and yes, insufferable she was. So much. Despite all the pessimism this book ended up being the best Oseman novel I've read, partly (read: mostly) because Tori and Michael reminded me so much of me and my boyfriend when we were 17. Good times. (not really, I was so oblivious but also such a pain in the ass)
Now I've read every single one of Oseman's literary works, kinda weird to leave the debut till the very end but hey, maybe I just unconsciously saved the best for the last? None of her works have been bad though, she's my comfort author <3
Now I've read every single one of Oseman's literary works, kinda weird to leave the debut till the very end but hey, maybe I just unconsciously saved the best for the last? None of her works have been bad though, she's my comfort author <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Medical content, Self harm, Homophobia, and Violence
pkc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
Yet another Oseman finished and honestly, she does not disappoint! The resemblance to ‘Catcher in the Rye’ is inescapable, BUT, I would say this has more of ‘Heathers’ than Holden Caulfield. I had a lot of love for the cast of characters (many from Heartstopper) and how their story is examined and expanded upon in this much darker narrative. Tori is such an elegantly executed protagonist. I find performative cynicism so dull most of the time, but Tori has a raison d’etre for her attitude and light is carefully shone on it with enough time taken to let it develop. I can’t wait to read my next Alice Oseman novel. I had one irk about the plot, but it wasn’t enough to detract from my overall feelings about the book, so I shall spoiler tag it below.
I was SO BOTHERED that Becky appeared to stay with Ben and I don’t necessarily think that Tori was wrong in being pissed off, considering that she witnessed Ben’s attack on Charlie. Internalised homophobia is probably a decent thing to look at exploring, so I’d like to maybe see that in the future using these characters. I suppose there wasn’t enough space here or it didn’t fit, but anyway. TL:DR Becky was a bad friend for going back to Ben.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Homophobia, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, and Eating disorder
cassie12_21's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoyed this book, but I don’t think I could explain the plot to u if I tried.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Mental illness
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Alcohol
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Self harm
Depression Eating disorder experienced by side character, and discussedvercopaanir's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
2.0
I’m not sure how I felt about this book. Sure made me glad I’m not in high school anymore! It was just kinda… weird to me. It was like a mystery but also a story about mental illness (in fact it was incredibly mentally heavy, just as a warning to anyone interested) and friendship and being a teenager. If you’ve read Alice Oseman’s other books you’ll recognize most of the characters, but the mood is apparently entirely different. I have NOT yet read her other books, so I’m taking the author’s word for it.
For me the most intriguing part was the mystery of who Solitaire was, and the author seemed to do a decent job of dropping hints as well as a couple red herring (herrings? what’s the plural of herring?).
I also had mixed feelings about this audiobook version, because the narrator didn’t do much voice acting in terms of other characters. When there was dialogue between two characters without dialogue tags, I couldn’t tell who was speaking because there weren’t distinct voices. This isn’t a HUGE deal but definitely affected my understanding and enjoyment of the book at times.
Overall, it was okay, but not great and not likely one I’ll read again.
For me the most intriguing part was the mystery of who Solitaire was, and the author seemed to do a decent job of dropping hints as well as a couple red herring (herrings? what’s the plural of herring?).
I also had mixed feelings about this audiobook version, because the narrator didn’t do much voice acting in terms of other characters. When there was dialogue between two characters without dialogue tags, I couldn’t tell who was speaking because there weren’t distinct voices. This isn’t a HUGE deal but definitely affected my understanding and enjoyment of the book at times.
Overall, it was okay, but not great and not likely one I’ll read again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Moderate: Bullying, Eating disorder, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Alcohol, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Vomit and Stalking
bg_oseman_fan's review
dark
emotional
sad
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
4.0
I love Alice Oseman’s writing style. This story is not up to the same standard as her subsequent works, but i enjoyed as a glimpse into her evolving style. The mystery isn’t too mysterious, however. Overall a strong book, but in comparison to her other works doesn’t shine as brightly, but it’s still a star!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
Moderate: Violence, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Blood, Cursing, Alcohol, and Emotional abuse
tiredtori's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Violence
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Stalking, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Homophobia