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adrielle96's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Outing
discountrl's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
allyhoo811's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Overall, I found this to an engaging YA mystery. The characters and their secrets/motives were pretty cliche and easily guessed, but the overall character development (especially with Addy) was wonderful and I would definitely recommend this one to most people. It gave me huge Breakfast Club vibes and I think fans of 80s/90s teen movies would especially enjoy the nostalgia factor even though it has a contemporary setting.
I did not love the ending/epilogue,
My 2 Big Issues (contain major spoilers):
1. Simon killing himself was a really interesting (if somewhat predictable) twist, but the portrayal of Simon as someone suffering from depression was unfortunate. Many people (teens included) suffer from depression, but they don't create elaborate, evil revenge plots to take out everyone who ever looked at them funny. Most people with depression have a hard time getting out of bed. And Simon had been destroying people's lives for years, portraying him as someone who was depressed and felt like an outsider when he was actually probably suffering from some severe personality disorders puts a bad light on depression, especially in a YA book.
2. Jake's character arc. This is a thriller trope I hate, and I hate it even more in a YA mystery. Jake the "perfect" boyfriend with some controlling tendances turns into a psycho killer at the end of the novel. This is just so overdone and not logical. Yes, people who attempt to control their partners are more likely to engage in emotional and physical abuse. But Jake had gone months without the slightest indication that he was escalating after he found out about the cheating (and kept it to himself). His mask didn't even slip once. And by the end we have a crazy action sequence where he is trying to kill two people without any hesitation. It felt forced, and I think Addy's character arc would have been better served without the killer boyfriend trope.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Murder, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Transphobia, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, and Stalking
andie_jk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Self harm, and Suicide
Minor: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Outing
maggieed's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Car accident
miaaa_lenaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Enjoyable but like incredibly predictable
Literally nothing was a surprise
<SPOILERS>
Also it does feel like cheating that none of them were lying about that but ok
Also fuck u simon
Also really? Everyone is that pressed that she cheated on some tests? Im sorry did her teacher rly not notice that she went from a d to getting 100%?? Thats on him
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Death of parent, Murder, Outing, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
pennycurt's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, and Murder
readastorywithtory's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicide, and Murder
sharlapeggy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
mackennary1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail