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theespressoedition's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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
3.5
When I was writing my mini review for my Instagram stories, I said "imagine if Grease was gay. That would be this book." I'm sticking with that description because it feels the most accurate to me.
Only Mostly Devastated surprised me in a lot of good ways. It kept my interest much more than most young adult romances - and actually, I wouldn't even necessarily describe it as a romance. Yes, there was young love in it, but the focus was much more on the characters themselves and how they developed and grew together and individually.
There was a found family element to this that was so entertaining. It was the most chaotic, disruptive, and sometimes stressful family, but I enjoyed reading about each of them and seeing how they changed as the story went on. The support that was a running theme throughout the book was really pleasing. I like when characters encourage one another to be themselves. Sure, there was teen drama and plenty of it, but for the most part, the characters did grow and learn from the harm they sometimes caused.
What I did feel was a bit of a disconnect. This is primarily just because I'm an adult reading a young adult book and I recognize that's a very normal thing. I'm not reading this to feel connection to the characters. I liked them, but I don't think I'll be revisiting the book. However, I do plan to read some of the author's other works because I liked the style of writing and the story itself.
Only Mostly Devastated surprised me in a lot of good ways. It kept my interest much more than most young adult romances - and actually, I wouldn't even necessarily describe it as a romance. Yes, there was young love in it, but the focus was much more on the characters themselves and how they developed and grew together and individually.
There was a found family element to this that was so entertaining. It was the most chaotic, disruptive, and sometimes stressful family, but I enjoyed reading about each of them and seeing how they changed as the story went on. The support that was a running theme throughout the book was really pleasing. I like when characters encourage one another to be themselves. Sure, there was teen drama and plenty of it, but for the most part, the characters did grow and learn from the harm they sometimes caused.
What I did feel was a bit of a disconnect. This is primarily just because I'm an adult reading a young adult book and I recognize that's a very normal thing. I'm not reading this to feel connection to the characters. I liked them, but I don't think I'll be revisiting the book. However, I do plan to read some of the author's other works because I liked the style of writing and the story itself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Outing, Biphobia, Homophobia, and Fatphobia
Minor: Sexual content and Chronic illness
s_reads_s's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Terminal illness
Moderate: Homophobia and Bullying
Minor: Sexual content
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