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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!
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!
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
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
dinipandareads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
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
5.0
Please be treated to my 3:30am profanity-laced thoughts after immediately finishing this book. I'm not sorry! I was WRECKED!! š
Holy fork, I was not ready for the magnitude of what-the-forkery this book would put me through. My head and heart are still reeling after finishing this and I donāt quite know what to do with myself. This is not (exactly) a happy book despite what the title may imply. Oh... I canāt get over how much Silvera has me forking turned around with this book! It hit so much harder than I expected it to, especially with the addition of the new chapter in this deluxe edition, and it had me aching with a longing for it to be so real. š„ŗ I know this is a book that will stick with me for many years to comeā¦
Honestly, thereās not much that I can say about this that wonāt give the story away and I donāt know if itās just my inability to see things coming in books, but I didnāt expect the direction it took at all. Itās a dark and depressing coming-of-age story that covers many deep subjects including homophobia, suicide/suicidal ideation, severe depression, domestic abuse, and amnesia amongst others. As much as I wanna say go into this not knowing what to expect in terms of the storyline, I would not pick this up if youāre not in the right headspace. <u>Please, please read the content and trigger warnings first!</u>
This has a slight magical realism/sci-fi element to it in the form of the Leteo Institute and its memory erasure/suppression procedure thatāll magic your bad memories away so that you can live your best life. The science and possibilities of it arenāt very well explained or explored but I didnāt mind because the central focus for me was on everything Aaron was experiencing in the now. Thereās such a simple, evocative and enjoyable quality to Silveraās writing that made it so easy for me to devour the pages. I practically finished this in one sitting (itās currently 3:30am as I write thisāwho needs sleep, right?)! Although I was enjoying it enough until the 40% mark, I was admittedly a bit worried when it left me feeling slightly whelmed. But when the last few pages before Part Zero happened, it was like a flare went off and everything CLICKED and emotional combustion ensued.
I think another thing that made this book hit is that itās so raw and the characters are so incredibly messy, confused, and volatile which makes them all the more realistic and relatable. The author breathes such life into these characters! My heart was torn apart reading Aaronās story because it is like watching someone get hit over and over and over again. It's ugly and sad but also true. It hurt so much, even when heās not always the most likeable character and there were plenty of times when I wanted to give him a good long shake but then I wanted to give him the biggest hug and protect him from everything. Thereās so much anger, fear, sadness and desperationāsome people are really SO forking VILEābut there is also a huge well of love, forgiveness, support and yes, happiness too. Silvera had me running the full gamut of emotions with this story that packs an immensely powerful punch!
Iām so glad that I came across and bought this Deluxe edition because the "More Happy Ending" was the soothing balm I desperately needed, even as it made my tears keep flowing. All of you lovers of Aaron and his story deserve to read that last bit too. š Iām gonna forever be wondering how Aaronās doing and if heās okay. I seriously didnāt expect to be bawling and snotty-ugly-crying to one of my first few reads of 2024 but HERE WE ARE. Thank you for your service, Adam Silvera!!!
Holy fork, I was not ready for the magnitude of what-the-forkery this book would put me through. My head and heart are still reeling after finishing this and I donāt quite know what to do with myself. This is not (exactly) a happy book despite what the title may imply. Oh... I canāt get over how much Silvera has me forking turned around with this book! It hit so much harder than I expected it to, especially with the addition of the new chapter in this deluxe edition, and it had me aching with a longing for it to be so real. š„ŗ I know this is a book that will stick with me for many years to comeā¦
Honestly, thereās not much that I can say about this that wonāt give the story away and I donāt know if itās just my inability to see things coming in books, but I didnāt expect the direction it took at all. Itās a dark and depressing coming-of-age story that covers many deep subjects including homophobia, suicide/suicidal ideation, severe depression, domestic abuse, and amnesia amongst others. As much as I wanna say go into this not knowing what to expect in terms of the storyline, I would not pick this up if youāre not in the right headspace. <u>Please, please read the content and trigger warnings first!</u>
This has a slight magical realism/sci-fi element to it in the form of the Leteo Institute and its memory erasure/suppression procedure thatāll magic your bad memories away so that you can live your best life. The science and possibilities of it arenāt very well explained or explored but I didnāt mind because the central focus for me was on everything Aaron was experiencing in the now. Thereās such a simple, evocative and enjoyable quality to Silveraās writing that made it so easy for me to devour the pages. I practically finished this in one sitting (itās currently 3:30am as I write thisāwho needs sleep, right?)! Although I was enjoying it enough until the 40% mark, I was admittedly a bit worried when it left me feeling slightly whelmed. But when the last few pages before Part Zero happened, it was like a flare went off and everything CLICKED and emotional combustion ensued.
I think another thing that made this book hit is that itās so raw and the characters are so incredibly messy, confused, and volatile which makes them all the more realistic and relatable. The author breathes such life into these characters! My heart was torn apart reading Aaronās story because it is like watching someone get hit over and over and over again. It's ugly and sad but also true. It hurt so much, even when heās not always the most likeable character and there were plenty of times when I wanted to give him a good long shake but then I wanted to give him the biggest hug and protect him from everything. Thereās so much anger, fear, sadness and desperationāsome people are really SO forking VILEābut there is also a huge well of love, forgiveness, support and yes, happiness too. Silvera had me running the full gamut of emotions with this story that packs an immensely powerful punch!
Iām so glad that I came across and bought this Deluxe edition because the "More Happy Ending" was the soothing balm I desperately needed, even as it made my tears keep flowing. All of you lovers of Aaron and his story deserve to read that last bit too. š Iām gonna forever be wondering how Aaronās doing and if heās okay. I seriously didnāt expect to be bawling and snotty-ugly-crying to one of my first few reads of 2024 but HERE WE ARE. Thank you for your service, Adam Silvera!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, Cursing, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Infidelity
Moderate: 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
childhood friend who moved away for years and finally came back
home.
Iām more happy than not.
Donāt forget me."
I won't forget you Aaron ā¤ļø
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
frqnc22's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Taking such a long break from this book clearly wasnāt good, but as soon as I grabbed the book months later, I dived right back into this dark and emotional world.
To sum everything up, I loved how real this book was and how it presented parts of everything Aaron had to go through in *painful* detail. I connected with his character and cried for him probably more than I expected.
(Aaron: āIām sorry my past is so terrible I couldnāt live in it anymore.ā)
For some time I thought Aaron and Thomas were gonna be endgame. Iām not good at predicting whatās gonna happen in books, movies or TV shows, so I didnāt really expect them to not get together. But, in the end, I actually like this aspect of the story (Aaron: āHe loves me without being in love with me.ā) Their relationship developed so nicely through the book. They deserve each other, because of how supportive, understanding and helpful they are. And I think this counts as a happy ending for them, since their friendship remains.
As for the topics showed in this book, I truly didnāt expect the memory erasing procedure and the great amount of pain that came with it. I expected the story to leave me with a bittersweet feeling, but clearly didnāt expect such an introspective look on depression, homosexuality or memory loss. Iām glad I didnāt figure out what was gonna happen, because I was amazed by the storytelling. It is worth mentioning that I loved the flashbacks and where they were placed!
The sad reality depicted in the book, homophobia, was hard to read, especially all the fights and slurs. (Aaron: āThis is what death feels like, I think.ā) Itās hard to even imagine something as traumatic as Aaronās life, and learning to accept yourself in a situation like his sounds nearly impossible. His whole life changed drastically just because he was brave enough to show his family the real Aaron. The fact that this also happens in real life makes everything worse.
All relationships broke my heart at some point, and some werenāt healthy for the people involved, but they were significant to Aaronās personal growth. He constantly seeks acceptance and comfort (what we all deserve from those we love) from right people (Thomas: āJust remember that I love the hell out of you, okay?ā) or sometimes from the wrong people (like Collin, who called crying ālittle-b*tch tears because guys donāt cryā), but he realized that he deserves to be at peace with himself.
He made mistakes, but the most important thing is learning from them and understanding what he did wrong in the first place. Fortunately, he understands and tries to do better (Aaron: āThe problem was that I didnāt know any better because I forgot my life. And now I know I canāt forget.ā) Iām glad he is on good terms with Genevieve after everything that happened between them. He shouldnāt have been with Collin behind her back and she shouldnāt have stayed with him just to pretend he wasnāt gay. Theyāre both aware of their mistakes now.
As for the ending, I didnāt expect another traumatizing experience for Aaron, but I learnt that this is not a happy bookšš» However, he is so strong for dealing with his amnesia in the way that he does, by living each day however he can (Aaron: āMy life isnāt one sad ending - itās a series of endless happy beginnings.)
His way of thinking is truly inspiring, even though I was crying while reading the final pages. Truly an emotional rollercoaster, but Aaronās development is everything! Being āmore happy than notā seems difficult to achieve, but heās doing his best, after going through the worst.
āDonāt forget me.ā
To sum everything up, I loved how real this book was and how it presented parts of everything Aaron had to go through in *painful* detail. I connected with his character and cried for him probably more than I expected.
As for the topics showed in this book, I truly didnāt expect the memory erasing procedure and the great amount of pain that came with it. I expected the story to leave me with a bittersweet feeling, but clearly didnāt expect such an introspective look on depression, homosexuality or memory loss. Iām glad I didnāt figure out what was gonna happen, because I was amazed by the storytelling. It is worth mentioning that I loved the flashbacks and where they were placed!
The sad reality depicted in the book, homophobia, was hard to read, especially all the fights and slurs. (Aaron: āThis is what death feels like, I think.ā) Itās hard to even imagine something as traumatic as Aaronās life, and learning to accept yourself in a situation like his sounds nearly impossible. His whole life changed drastically just because he was brave enough to show his family the real Aaron. The fact that this also happens in real life makes everything worse.
All relationships broke my heart at some point, and some werenāt healthy for the people involved, but they were significant to Aaronās personal growth.
He made mistakes, but the most important thing is learning from them and understanding what he did wrong in the first place. Fortunately, he understands and tries to do better
As for the ending, I didnāt expect another traumatizing experience for Aaron, but I learnt that this is not a happy bookšš»
His way of thinking is truly inspiring, even though I was crying while reading the final pages. Truly an emotional rollercoaster, but Aaronās development is everything! Being āmore happy than notā seems difficult to achieve, but heās doing his best, after going through the worst.
āDonāt forget me.ā
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Bullying, and Hate crime
Moderate: Death of parent, Gaslighting, Blood, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Grief
Minor: Infidelity
mousmoulo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
i had zero plans to read this book but ended up doing so anyway and it was a hell of a ride. it was emotional, raw and painful to read, and the end was so bittersweet it made my heart ache. i honestly didn't expect to like it as much as i did but here we are. it's a book i'll definitely be thinking of for a while.
the reason for the "low" rating is that i've definitely outgrown this type of book and never got fully immersed into it, but i know i would've made this my whole personality if i read it as a teenager lol
(definitely check trigger warnings if you're planning to read it)
the reason for the "low" rating is that i've definitely outgrown this type of book and never got fully immersed into it, but i know i would've made this my whole personality if i read it as a teenager lol
(definitely check trigger warnings if you're planning to read it)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Violence
Moderate: Child abuse, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Drug use
ingridmaria's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
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? It's complicated
4.75
This book stuck hard in my head for days. It surprised me, but not in a shock-value way. The internalised homophobia was so real and I really need to re-read it knowin the ending. I didnāt read the deluxe edition, but apparently I should have because of the extra chapter seeing as this one ends so unhappily. But then again that might take away from why I liked it so much</spoilers>. Knocked a quarter point off because the first 70 pages could (maybe should) have been 30.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Death of parent, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Violence, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Cursing, Vomit, Drug use, Child abuse, Child death, and Dementia
writingcaia's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Itād probably be 4āļø if I had read the first version of this novel which didnāt include the new ending chapter. Like the author I definitely believe Aaron deserved more happy endings, and Iām glad he wrote them.
Aaron is young adult boy living in a poor Bronx neighbourhood with his mom and brother, trying to find love and friendship and who he is, and to forget his dadās suicide and his own attempt at the same.
In a world where technology can erase traumas and past pains, people will make choices that will reverberated, in not always a great way, throughout their lives.
This is a coming of age story with a fantasy twist.
It was a very touching tale of the need to forget, of the need to remember, of crippling memories, of choices that are not choices at all, and those that are but seem to be taken from us.
Aaron is young adult boy living in a poor Bronx neighbourhood with his mom and brother, trying to find love and friendship and who he is, and to forget his dadās suicide and his own attempt at the same.
In a world where technology can erase traumas and past pains, people will make choices that will reverberated, in not always a great way, throughout their lives.
This is a coming of age story with a fantasy twist.
It was a very touching tale of the need to forget, of the need to remember, of crippling memories, of choices that are not choices at all, and those that are but seem to be taken from us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Blood, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, Suicide, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Abandonment
jennsp's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
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
19becky97's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
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
3.5
Content Warnings
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