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jennsp's review against another edition
- 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? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Infidelity, Medical content, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Violence
katsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
“I’m more happy than not. Don’t forget me.”
“Happiness shouldn’t be this hard.”
This book was a complete roller coaster. One of my students recommended it so, of course, I had to follow through and let them know how I felt about it. I'll be real, I thought I was going to get an angsty teen novel, and it was that, but it was also so much more than that. It was fast-paced and angsty, like I said, but it also included so much more about relationships and trauma. So definite trigger warnings for suicide (attempted and successful), emotional abuse, grief, death of a parent, hate crimes and medical trauma. There are probably more that I'm forgetting but those are just the rapid fire ones I could think of off the top of my head. I enjoyed the time I spent with this book and I am definitely going to give Adam Silvera's other work a try. This was his debut novel and, again, it was good, it just felt a little lacking to me. There were times when the writing felt a little clunky and awkward. There were some points where I feel like it dragged on just a bit too much because of all the different elements. But for a debut, it's pretty solid. I may even put my copy in my classroom for my other students to enjoy.
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Dementia, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical content, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol and Sexual content
Minor: Abortion, Cursing, and Domestic abuse
maryy_r0se's review against another edition
**note: I read this as part of an ongoing project to read and critique young adult books that include themes of mental illness**
High schooler Aaron Soto is on the path to recovering from his father's suicide and his own suicide attempt. With Gen, his free-spirited and loving girlfriend at his side, he is ready to move forward, even when the pain feels overwhelming. His progress gets derailed when he befriends Thomas, a quirky kid with a love of movies and no real direction in life. Aaron feels connected to Thomas in a confusing way that seems to transcend friendship. Add to that his community's mounting tension over the Leteo Institute, a controversial medical practice that claims to suppress distressing memories, and Aaron begins to find himself in a freefall that may very well be his undoing.
There is a lot to like about this book. I don't regularly read young adult novels, so it took me a while to adjust to the writing style. However, Silvera achieves at writing a main character who is deeply flawed and yet the reader can still root for. The pacing was inconsistent at parts, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it in the first half, but the second half really picked up for me.
The comparisons to Eternal Sunshine are certainly warranted, and at times I did wonder if it felt close enough to the movie to dull my enjoyment of the book; it is not a rip off by any means, but didn't fully grip my attention because of the occasional inkling of "haven't I heard this before?" I kept waiting for Thomas, the book's resident movie buff, to bring up the Eternal Sunshine connection. That said, I have very little experience with sci fi content, and perhaps if I did I would simply see this as a common enough trope that it wouldn't stand out.
I read the version with the altered ending, and while I think I personally would have appreciated the original ending a tad more, considering it is a teen book I think adding the extra chapter was the right move. I was left with a major question at the end:
I read this book to screen it for a library booklist I am making regarding teen mental health books, and I have decided to approve it for the list. Despite some flaws, I think it shows a nuanced perspective on familial suicide and mental health, while also providing representation to often unrepresented groups.
Graphic: Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical content, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
Minor: Gun violence and Pregnancy
19becky97's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, and Violence
thebisexualbooknerd's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Outing, Violence, and Hate crime
Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Drug use, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Sexual content
Minor: Fatphobia and Pregnancy
lish_e's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I didn’t like Thomas to be honest. So I wasn’t really fond of the way the story seemed to unfold at first.
…And then the plot twist hit and it started to be more captivating.
“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.”
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Dementia, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Medical content, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Medical trauma, and Sexual content
Minor: Domestic abuse
puzzledbooks's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Dementia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Hate crime
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Medical content
Minor: Murder