Reviews with content warning for Medical trauma - More Happy Than Not

Reviews tagging 'Medical trauma'

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

17 reviews

jennboyack_scott's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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puddledunk's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

3.5

This book is heartbreaking and very well done. While it is science fiction, it’s very much a relatable story. I recommend checking the listed trigger warnings prior to reading as many tough issues are addressed.

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frqnc22's review against another edition

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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 wasn’t 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: “I’m sorry my past is so terrible I couldn’t live in it anymore.”)

For some time I thought Aaron and Thomas were gonna be endgame. I’m not good at predicting what’s gonna happen in books, movies or TV shows, so I didn’t really expect them to not get together. But, in the end, I actually like this aspect of the story (Aaron: “He loves me without being in love with me.”) 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 didn’t 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 didn’t expect such an introspective look on depression, homosexuality or memory loss. I’m glad I didn’t 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: “This is what death feels like, I think.”) It’s hard to even imagine something as traumatic as Aaron’s 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 weren’t healthy for the people involved, but they were significant to Aaron’s personal growth.

He constantly seeks acceptance and comfort (what we all deserve from those we love) from right people (Thomas: “Just remember that I love the hell out of you, okay?”) or sometimes from the wrong people (like Collin, who called crying “little-b*tch tears because guys don’t cry”), 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: “The problem was that I didn’t know any better because I forgot my life. And now I know I can’t forget.”) I’m glad he is on good terms with Genevieve after everything that happened between them. He shouldn’t have been with Collin behind her back and she shouldn’t have stayed with him just to pretend he wasn’t gay. They’re both aware of their mistakes now.

As for the ending, I didn’t expect another traumatizing experience for Aaron, but I learnt that this is not a happy book👍🏻

However, he is so strong for dealing with his amnesia in the way that he does, by living each day however he can (Aaron: “My life isn’t one sad ending - it’s 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 Aaron’s development is everything! Being “more happy than not” seems difficult to achieve, but he’s doing his best, after going through the worst.

“Don’t forget me.”

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caro_las's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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mousmoulo's review against another edition

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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)

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anton13's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective 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

Wow… just wow. Once again Adam has written a sob story and it’s amazing. Like almost better than they both die at the end. I do have to warn that it’s got a lot of content that can be triggering to people so pls check tw before reading it. But Omg over all an amazing read. One of the best books I’ve read! And the end… I was not expecting that. Everything seemed to be a mess so the fact that Adam was able to tie it all together like that in the end and give a satisfying end was just wonderful. I laughed and cried with these people, just an amazing book

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mxbluet18's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

0.5

Trigger warnings for More Happy Than Not include: attempted suicide; depression, domestic abuse; homophobia and suicide. Also just a general spoiler warning for content and characters.
☆
☆
I honestly can't say I liked this book. I couldn't like the main characters, nor his friends. they just all seemed really boring and flat, with no actual substance to them. Like, it feels as though Aaron's only personality trait is being gay, and the internalised homophobia that led to him having the Leteo procedure and trying to convince himself that he's straight.
~
I also just got confused about the timeline, and how Aaron knew Evangeline, and just all of it. I found the entire book very confusing and can't say I actually enjoyed reading it. I think it's probably one of the few books with gay representation that I haven't enjoyed.

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