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nyquillll's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
What I adored about this book:
- Elliott's love of words and even the way (specifically Macy) words are pronounced and how the sounds come to fruition in the mouth. His affinity for literature and the escape of reading was quite appreciated by me.
- The exploration of an abundance of themes: the sweet innocence and headiness of being a teenager and starting to enter into the adult world, how vibrant and electric life can be alongside a kindred soul, the ache of loving someone longer than they are physically alive in your life, the despair and pain of losing a parent at a young age, the relentlessness and sympathy of time passing, how people enter into relationships for a myriad of reasons
(wanting to find love, wanting to forget love, wanting a safe/predictable love, wanting a fiery love) , the beauty and ugliness that sometimes comes as a result of following our truest desires, the decision to not waste seconds more on flowery language - but rather saying things with our chest directly, a love that develops between friends and is born from an intimate familiarity and comfort, the importance of friends who call you on your bullshit and only want to see you happy, the companionship through life's transitions (friends having babies, getting married, buying a house, etc.), leaving the door to your heart open a crack, facing patterns of behavior that once protected you but now aren't needed, and something as simple as knowing with your whole soul that you're meant to exist at the same time and place as this one person. The space and respect that authors infused into the previous relationships Macy and Elliott were in. I like the care that was put in to developing real, real-life reasons for why the relationship began and ultimately why it would end - quietly or like a bang. I also liked the exploration of Macy and Elliott's feelings in processing the relationships they had with people other than each other.- The safe space within that closet library for these two friends to discuss everything under the sun - things that I normally don't see in books about kids growing up. The pacing of it felt natural, too.
How the end of the book felt like a big sigh of relief, the reminder to release the tension in your shoulders after a long day and fall into the arms of a loved one. Not just with the ending of the actual book, but also with the snippets we get of Elliott's pov - which was unexpected but greatly appreciated. - The juxtaposition of a family recently impacted by the loss of one parent and a family bursting at the seams with kids, parental love and joy, and a house full of laughter.
- All the warm fuzzies I got from the book - as well as the well-deserved tears that were shed. :')
Other things:
- I wasn't quite sure how I felt at the ultimate reveal of why there was a rift between Macy and Elliott and why all those years had passed. It wasn't until Elliott's pov was also shared (and one sentence in particular from him) where I was at once acutely reminded of how reality is ever experienced in an infinitely-dimensional space. How Macy experienced that night is fractured from how Elliott experienced it - it is futile to try and assert which one is more "real" when both are needed for a full picture. In that sense, though I was almost underwhelmed with how the (major spoiler)
alleged cheating/sexual assault was resolved, I got the impression that it was two people who had experienced an immense amount of confusion, loss, grief, and pain that the semantics no longer mattered more so than being together and healing together.- I think it would've helped the plot to explore or at least give more attention to the
sexual assault that Elliot experienced and the impact of that. It was very glossed over and I got the impression it was a blip overshadowed bythe death of Macy's dad , even though both are tragic and devastating, to different degrees.
- I think it would've helped the plot to explore or at least give more attention to the
- Some of the flashbacks felt like they slowed down the plot a little too much. I know it was meant to be a back and forth of revealing information being past and present, but at parts, it felt like it dragged on a little.
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Infidelity and Sexual assault
Quotes I highlighted:syazahaniss's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
Minor: Car accident and Death of parent
michaela_53's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Car accident, Sexual assault, Death of parent, Grief, Cursing, and Death
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, and Sexual content
Moderate: Sexual assault
ninebookishlives's review
4.5
Moderate: Infidelity, Car accident, and Death of parent
julia_jojo17's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Graphic: Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent and Sexual assault
lvidler's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I loved the authors use of suspense and foreshadowing but I tell you what I didn’t like.
Elliot was raped. His friend basically ruined his life on purpose. I could have used at least acknowledging what Emma did was not consensual and the effects of that on his life.
This could have used a separate book or a 1.5 showing them in college and the actual fallout from the night .
Elliott was also bloody awful to Macy after he talked about the night when she didn’t respond the exact way he wanted her to. Him being as cold as he was, was so off brand for him. How his brother didn’t say , uh , El maybe a minute to cool off ?
A man that wants forever ran off into the dark awful quick.
I wonder if we shouldn’t have explored a bit of Sabrina talking to Elliot at the picnic where it was alluded that there is far more to the story ? Put something in his mind that it wasn’t just about that ? The guy is smart and seemed to be really good picking up her cues all book and then when she broke down and counted to 10 he walks away? This part made me cry more than anything else in the book. This girl was alone. Really alone.
Aside from this , I loved the characters. It’s a great book but not exploring Elliot’s rape and Macy acknowledging the non consent missed the mark.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death, Sexual assault, and Car accident
readinglanes_07's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Death, Medical content, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Car accident, Cancer, and Terminal illness
chloeve's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Vomit
readers_sea's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Macy and Elliot meet when Macy and her father buy a "vacation home" in the small town where Elliot lives. They're still young, but immediately hit it off and become inseparable. Since Elliot lives there full time and Macy doesn't, their time together is sporadic and unpredictable sometimes, but they always make the most of it when they are together. Growing up together, they saw each other grow a lot, and of course that led to first loves and other firsts.
This book is told in dual timelines. One timeline is the past when Macy and Elliot were younger and still getting to know each other. Throughout the book, we get to see them slowly grow up throughout this timeline. In the other timeline, we are in the present. The present starts a decade after Macy and Elliot last talked/saw each other. Their departure was abrupt and left a lot of questions for some characters. As the story unfolds we are leading up to the night ten years ago when they stop talking. We get to see what happened and what led them to where they are today.
This story was so well done and layered. I loved how it was told in dual timelines because I felt like both stories were unfolding perfectly. I was rooting for them in both timelines, but also so curious as to what led them to not talk for a decade after seeing how they were growing up together. This story had a lot going on, and I loved watching it all unfold. There were a lot of themes and subjects that were brought up that I wasn't expecting, but overall I really enjoyed it and these characters.
Graphic: Death of parent, Car accident, and Sexual content
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Alcohol, and Sexual assault