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luxsona's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-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
4.0
Beautifully written. It sort of reminds me of the game, Omori, in that both novels tackle very similar themes about nostalgia and the past.
What I enjoyed most about this book:
What I enjoyed most about this book:
- The voice: This book is written in first person, and almost every single word reveals something about Marin's character.
- The pacing: Nina LaCour knows how to pace this book really well. There were moments where we see brief flits of emotion and description, but there were also incredibly tense moments that hooked me in throughout. I remembered standing up straighter throughout several moments.
- The characterization: This is a very character-centric book. The focus of this novel sits entirely within the characters and gets in their heads quite a fair bit, so life-like characters are vital. Fortunately, Marin, Mabel, and all of their friends and family feel incredibly life-like. You can understand what they go through throughout the entire novel.
Notes:
- (Spoilers for the ending of the novel!)
The one thing that confused me just slightly was the ending. It felt like the novel was trying to emphasize this idea of "moving forward", and accepting the past. However, the novel ends with Marin accepting the idea of returning to Mabel's family home. This plot-beat feels slightly off-kilter when compared to the rest of the novel and the theming that it was going for. This is just a minor nitpick, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism, Terminal illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
cats33's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Grief, Death of parent, Suicide, and Cancer
Moderate: Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Minor: Medical content
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
2.5
great to read during somber weather.
i wanted to take a little break from science-fiction, and this book seemed to call to me. i liked it—the vibes, the poetic language, the writing style. it was grounding, calming, like stormy weather (but without the lightning and the thunder).
it was nice, but (luckily, i suppose) not relatable for me, right now. i know this is probably a good depiction of grief in many people’s eyes though.
i liked the characters. marin was a little bland, but well, grief does that to a person, so i get it. the author did a good job of telling us about all the things marin used to be passionate about.
the ending was cute, too. it was just nothing special, and wasn’t able to invoke any sort of deep feeling in me, personally.
i wanted to take a little break from science-fiction, and this book seemed to call to me. i liked it—the vibes, the poetic language, the writing style. it was grounding, calming, like stormy weather (but without the lightning and the thunder).
it was nice, but (luckily, i suppose) not relatable for me, right now. i know this is probably a good depiction of grief in many people’s eyes though.
i liked the characters. marin was a little bland, but well, grief does that to a person, so i get it. the author did a good job of telling us about all the things marin used to be passionate about.
the ending was cute, too. it was just nothing special, and wasn’t able to invoke any sort of deep feeling in me, personally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Cancer, Suicide, and Alcohol
michaelanormand's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Blood, Mental illness, Alcohol, and Death
Moderate: Suicide and Suicidal thoughts
blankeechats's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-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? No
3.75
It is an amazing book about love, friendship, coming of age, and grief. I read this book in one sitting, and gladfully so. As I was reading, I felt as though this book was moving so fast yet so slow simultaneously (not bad). I would have loved loved loved, if this book was more than 236 pages, although, I've been saying that very often about books lately. The book could have been extended past where it ended, I would have loved to see Marin's choice for moving in with Mabel's family, more on Marin's love life, college life, and work at the pottery shop Having said all of that, this was the most touching and tear pulling book I have read in a long time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Child abuse
hazelisreading's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death, Mental illness, Death of parent, Cancer, Alcohol, Suicide, and Gaslighting
smleeth93's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Terminal illness, Alcohol, Death, and Grief
clementine9's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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
4.5
It's the sort of book that holds your heart in its hands and tells you it's okay to be sad, or lonely, or heartbroken, and that there is healing in friendship and love and found family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Suicide, Alcohol, and Mental illness
chelle22's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Cancer, Grief, Sexual content, and Alcohol
chronicloser's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
so, so beautiful. so poignant. it was everything I needed it to be and more. grief is entirely complicated, and instead of trying to untangle it, lacour let it be. she let it exist within marin - eat at her from the inside, kick her in the shins, erase the good, highlight the good, erase the good again. she let it do all of the things that grief does, no holding back, but had it coexist right next to the love we forget we have while going through such an inevitably difficult emotion. the love we don’t pick up until it’s finally right there, being rubbed in our faces, almost to a point where it simultaneously feels like too much and not enough. I feel for marin, I am marin, and I love this book beyond words
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Cancer, Death of parent, and Suicide
Minor: Alcohol