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dododenise'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book does a surprising amount with the number of pages it has. Yet, as someone who enjoys speculative fiction and dystopia I do wish the mind altering aspect of the story was explored more beyond the scope of what it could and could not do for Aaron.
Graphic: Alcohol, Death of parent, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Dementia, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy and Sexual content
jennboyack_scott's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Self harm
Moderate: Mental illness, Dementia, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Drug use, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Hate crime, and Injury/Injury detail
chelseaabu1'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
4.0
Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Homophobia, and Hate crime
Moderate: Self harm, Cursing, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
Minor: Drug use, Sexual content, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol
badmom'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
4.0
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic friendship, Death of parent, Dementia, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Hate crime
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Gun violence, Drug use, Medical content, Sexual content, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Emotional abuse and Pregnancy
anton13'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
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Medical content, Hate crime, Medical trauma, Child death, Cursing, Dementia, Drug use, Suicide, Chronic illness, Death, Self harm, and Terminal illness
Minor: Sexual content, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Gun violence, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Emotional abuse, and Pregnancy
ocelot'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
4.5
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment and Toxic relationship
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Gun 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
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
alyssadavis'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
4.25
If there's happiness tucked away in my tragedies, I'll find it no matter what. If the blind can find joy in music, and the deaf can discover it with colors, I will do my best to always find the sun in the darkness because my life isn't one sad ending - it's a series of endless happy beginnings.
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Cursing, and Alcohol