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4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Unfortunately the long walk was the longest story because it was my least favorite. Tammy was extremely annoying to me. However I loved the interconnection through the stories. That was the best part.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
This was another read for work, and definitely not my preferred genre. However, I was surprised by what I was able to find to enjoy. I think if you're someone who enjoys short, sweet, YA love stories, this book would be perfect for you. I will caution that these aren't romances, as not every one ends in a happily-ever-after or happy-for-now. But I will say that the main character in each story winds up fulfilled, whatever that might mean in their situation, so there are no bad endings in this book.
Aside from the obvious not-my-genre situation, the other thing I didn't like about this book was how inconsistently well anxiety was portrayed. Contrasting Mask Off with The Long Walk, I found the depiction of Tremaine's claustrophobia very relatable, and while at first Tammi's anxiety over the impending bridge situation was also spot-on, at the end it evaporated in a puff of plot resolution. True love doesn't overcome crippling anxiety! That's like everybody cheering as the guy in the wheelchair gets up and starts walking at the end of the movie. It just…doesn't work like that. Sure would be nice if it did!
There's some LGB content in this book, for those who look for that. Mask Off is about two boys, and Made to Fit is sapphic(also ownvoices, or close enough — Ashley Woodfolk is bi). T+ content is limited to the background, however.
If rating just off my own opinion, I would probably give this a 3.5, based largely off of how much I (unexpectedly!) genuinely enjoyed No Sleep Till Brooklyn. However, because I have few constructive complaints and mostly just feel that it was Not For Me, I'm going to be generous and bump it up to a 4.
Aside from the obvious not-my-genre situation, the other thing I didn't like about this book was how inconsistently well anxiety was portrayed. Contrasting Mask Off with The Long Walk, I found the depiction of Tremaine's claustrophobia very relatable, and while at first Tammi's anxiety over the impending bridge situation was also spot-on, at the end it evaporated in a puff of plot resolution. True love doesn't overcome crippling anxiety! That's like everybody cheering as the guy in the wheelchair gets up and starts walking at the end of the movie. It just…doesn't work like that. Sure would be nice if it did!
There's some LGB content in this book, for those who look for that. Mask Off is about two boys, and Made to Fit is sapphic(also ownvoices, or close enough — Ashley Woodfolk is bi). T+ content is limited to the background, however.
If rating just off my own opinion, I would probably give this a 3.5, based largely off of how much I (unexpectedly!) genuinely enjoyed No Sleep Till Brooklyn. However, because I have few constructive complaints and mostly just feel that it was Not For Me, I'm going to be generous and bump it up to a 4.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Racism, Terminal illness, Dementia, Death of parent
Claustrophobia is depicted in Mask Off, and acrophobia in The Long Walk.
Cute short stories about young love. I love that’s they are all connected/over lap, not just on the same night. I enjoyed the several part story of the exes trying to get along and process their breakup, the mascaraed story, and the bus story. Those were my favorites.
I am so grateful I had an opportunity to read this novel filled with wonderful short stories. Each short story was very enjoyable in my opinion. I agree with some of the other reviews that many of the stories didn't leave a long-lasting mark, but they also felt extremely realistic like reliving memories, or watching an interaction between two people unfold before your eyes, which for me was a nice refresher from the more soap-opera-esque fiction (& YA Fic) novels I've read in recent years. These stories were also relatively quick reads which is nice for someone constantly on-the-go.
The only part of this novel I personally did not enjoy was the way they broke the short stories to be more time-line based (To better explain, they would cut a short story in half with another short story based on the time in which they were meant to occur). While this might be very enjoyable to others who read it; for me, it became slightly annoying to end on cliff-hangers and jump back and forth between characters. Ultimately, I took the time to separate the short stories and read them individually, after reading it in the intended format, and found this experience to be much more enjoyable.
The only part of this novel I personally did not enjoy was the way they broke the short stories to be more time-line based (To better explain, they would cut a short story in half with another short story based on the time in which they were meant to occur). While this might be very enjoyable to others who read it; for me, it became slightly annoying to end on cliff-hangers and jump back and forth between characters. Ultimately, I took the time to separate the short stories and read them individually, after reading it in the intended format, and found this experience to be much more enjoyable.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
"To Black kids everywhere: your stories, your joy, your love, and your lives matter. You are a light in the dark."
I cannot tell you how happy it made me reading about young Black love like this
I cannot tell you how happy it made me reading about young Black love like this
I loved this book. It's filled with joy and love all throughout. I really loved how all the different stories fit together so perfectly. These ladies weaved a beautiful story that so many teens are going to love. Worth every second to read this.
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated