Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
Moderate: Terminal illness, Death of parent
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
Wren Martin Ruins It All was a decent little read!
I wasn’t a huge fan of the texting and social media aspects, but it was still interesting!
I wasn’t a huge fan of the texting and social media aspects, but it was still interesting!
This opens with the protagonist running face-first into a locked door and basically keeps up that level of slapstick and zany high school hijinks throughout, woven through with some more grounded and serious threads about Wren’s difficulty processing grief and (unrelatedly) his frustration and fear that sex and romance are so entangled and so highly prized by society. Is the “twist” about the true identity of his anonymous flirt-friend predictable? Yes. Is the whole thing a bit silly and American Teen Movie? Also yes. But it’s fun, and you love to see marginalised and underrepresented groups find their place in goofy genre fiction.
adventurous
funny
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:
Complicated
Great lgbtqia+ contemporary ya romance. I really enjoyed reading this and flew through it. I liked most of the characters, they were funny and cool. Sometimes frustrating but they are teenagers so *shrug*. The romance was cute and well developed. I liked them getting to know each other. My two main issues though are one of Wren's worries was about being with someone allosexual when he was asexual. Yes, Leo said in the buddy chat if someone loved him he'd accept that but I don't feel it was addressed well. They never talked about it despite that being like, the driving point of a lot of the book. I also wasn't a fan of the ending. How Leo acted towards Wren after everything but before he knew. Snapped and treated him codly. But meh. It all worked out in the end and they both fell in love with all sides of each other. I liked how Ryan was supporting but I didn't like how pushy she was sometimes. It was a bit much. I also wish there was more connecting with his dad. More talking. It was too opened ending for my liking. I'm glad Wren learned treating someone unfairly is wrong.
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Acephobia/Arophobia
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
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
I loved it!
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
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
This one is definitely one of my favorite books I very read from Amanda thus far. Wren is such an amazing character. Pure chaos, but genuine. Super funny and endearing. Super relatable. I call shenanigans though. How did Leo not know who Anonymous was after seeing the chickens?? Lolol
I have to say, I thought of Ms. Laura and Michael, Amanda's mom and brother, a lot while reading this. It made me wish I knew Michael aside from the little kid I met a couple times, who ended up inspiring the character Wren a lot in the book. And I do miss Ms. Laura. There was a lot I learned from her and some of her lessons in generosity and compassion that I carry with me to this day.
I felt Amanda so much in her writing. There were so many things that made me think about our high school era. Like the school itself, the name inspiration for the principal, and even the houses/neighborhood - right down to the canal Wren hangs out at in one of the chapters.
I loved this book and I may pick it up again whenever I'm feeling nostalgic. Amanda, you did an excellent job on the novel.
I have to say, I thought of Ms. Laura and Michael, Amanda's mom and brother, a lot while reading this. It made me wish I knew Michael aside from the little kid I met a couple times, who ended up inspiring the character Wren a lot in the book. And I do miss Ms. Laura. There was a lot I learned from her and some of her lessons in generosity and compassion that I carry with me to this day.
I felt Amanda so much in her writing. There were so many things that made me think about our high school era. Like the school itself, the name inspiration for the principal, and even the houses/neighborhood - right down to the canal Wren hangs out at in one of the chapters.
I loved this book and I may pick it up again whenever I'm feeling nostalgic. Amanda, you did an excellent job on the novel.
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-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