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aromarrie's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.25
there’s just something about a.l. graziadei’s protagonists that always get to me :’)
nathaniel hardly knows himself but he was the best part of this entire story and i wish the best for him 🧡
nathaniel hardly knows himself but he was the best part of this entire story and i wish the best for him 🧡
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Sexual assault and Child abuse
bethany6788's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
5.0
I thought I was prepared for this book. I wasn’t. It was so heart-achingly honest and beautiful. Haunting and special. Hopeful and sad.
*spoilers*
Nathanial was a character that I just felt incredibly connected with. His brain was a very interesting place to be. I was really curious about what happened to him to cause his trauma and as I slowly realized, it brought tears to my eyes. Harboring the shame, pain, guilt, and trauma brought him so much sadness. My heart!! When he finally broke then and told his parents, brother, and friends, my heart ached but I loved that he could breathe again.
“But I was a boy and no one thought to ask me.”
I absolutely adored the friend group. How Tasha, Celeste, and Max loved and cared for Nathanial so hard. Even when he pushed them away, they kept coming back. True, loving friendship. I loved how fully fleshed out each of the characters were. Honestly, I would read another 200 pages if these characters because I adored them so much.
Nathanial’s struggles with his family broke my heart. I loved how his brother finally tried to open up their relationship and find out what happened. How his brother protected him at the end.
I was very emotional after finishing this book. It is incredibly gorgeous writing and I would recommend it whole heartedly. Make sure to read content warnings.
*spoilers*
Nathanial was a character that I just felt incredibly connected with. His brain was a very interesting place to be. I was really curious about what happened to him to cause his trauma and as I slowly realized, it brought tears to my eyes. Harboring the shame, pain, guilt, and trauma brought him so much sadness. My heart!! When he finally broke then and told his parents, brother, and friends, my heart ached but I loved that he could breathe again.
“But I was a boy and no one thought to ask me.”
I absolutely adored the friend group. How Tasha, Celeste, and Max loved and cared for Nathanial so hard. Even when he pushed them away, they kept coming back. True, loving friendship. I loved how fully fleshed out each of the characters were. Honestly, I would read another 200 pages if these characters because I adored them so much.
Nathanial’s struggles with his family broke my heart. I loved how his brother finally tried to open up their relationship and find out what happened. How his brother protected him at the end.
I was very emotional after finishing this book. It is incredibly gorgeous writing and I would recommend it whole heartedly. Make sure to read content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Pedophilia
betweentheshelves's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
5.0
Nathaniel Conti hates being alone with his own thoughts. It’s why he’s always looking for ways to make sure that all eyes are on him, so he doesn’t have to feel his own emotions. That’s why he’s always had a reputation as a troublemaker.
But everything is about to change in his first year of college. He’s made some new friends in class, through lacrosse. An aspiring photographer has even asked him to be a part of their project. However, when an old friend shows back up, Nathaniel starts to spiral back into old habits.
Thanks to Macmillan Children’s and NetGalley for an advanced copy of In Repair by A.L. Graziadei to review! I loved Icebreaker when it came out a few years ago, and I was excited to find out this is set in the same place! So you’ll get to see some familiar characters pop up throughout.
A fair warning, this is a pretty emotionally heavy book to read. Nathaniel is struggling with a lot of mental health issues due to childhood trauma, and it’s expressed so well in this book. Graziadei’s writing reflects Nathaniel’s struggles so accurately that there were definitely moments where I had to pause. Because he is just hurting so much for most of the book.
However, despite the heaviness, there are so many moments of hope. Nathaniel finds some great friends, and they put in the effort to help Nathaniel. Is he the most likable character, for a lot of the book? Not necessarily, but so much of it is a facade that he puts up to hide his real emotions. Honestly, I don’t cry a lot in books, but I’m not going to lie, this one got to me a couple of times. It’s probably partly why it took me longer to read this book than it normally does.
Definitely make sure you’re in the right headspace before picking this book up. But if you do, it’s absolutely worth the read. And shows how messy recovering from trauma can actually be. This is a book I’ll probably be thinking about for a while.
But everything is about to change in his first year of college. He’s made some new friends in class, through lacrosse. An aspiring photographer has even asked him to be a part of their project. However, when an old friend shows back up, Nathaniel starts to spiral back into old habits.
Thanks to Macmillan Children’s and NetGalley for an advanced copy of In Repair by A.L. Graziadei to review! I loved Icebreaker when it came out a few years ago, and I was excited to find out this is set in the same place! So you’ll get to see some familiar characters pop up throughout.
A fair warning, this is a pretty emotionally heavy book to read. Nathaniel is struggling with a lot of mental health issues due to childhood trauma, and it’s expressed so well in this book. Graziadei’s writing reflects Nathaniel’s struggles so accurately that there were definitely moments where I had to pause. Because he is just hurting so much for most of the book.
However, despite the heaviness, there are so many moments of hope. Nathaniel finds some great friends, and they put in the effort to help Nathaniel. Is he the most likable character, for a lot of the book? Not necessarily, but so much of it is a facade that he puts up to hide his real emotions. Honestly, I don’t cry a lot in books, but I’m not going to lie, this one got to me a couple of times. It’s probably partly why it took me longer to read this book than it normally does.
Definitely make sure you’re in the right headspace before picking this book up. But if you do, it’s absolutely worth the read. And shows how messy recovering from trauma can actually be. This is a book I’ll probably be thinking about for a while.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Child abuse, Self harm, and Sexual assault
Minor: Suicide
aspring's review
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
made me cry, hit the trauma right where it hurts
some of the mc’s internal monologue did come off a little cringey and difficult to read though but this story and his journey did hit me, and i did overall enjoy it
some of the mc’s internal monologue did come off a little cringey and difficult to read though but this story and his journey did hit me, and i did overall enjoy it
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Self harm, and Child abuse
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