Reviews with content warning for Death - Un si joli désastre

I have read this book twice now and both times it has emotionally wrecked me, partially because I relate slightly to the secondary storyline. However, this book was just as great as the frist time I read it in 2021.
The characters are so well written in their messiness. Both Ollie and Will are such interesting characters because they're both so flawed in a believable way. The side character, Lara, is also so well written, as she could've ended up as just a bitchy friend but she has so much more depth which I love.
This book also handles the out x in the closet trope so much better than other books I have read, with the conflict not actually being the fact that Will is in the closet but actually the ways he treats Ollie in trying to hide his queerness.
This book is another masterpiece by Sophie Gonzales and I can't wait for her next release.

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rose_88's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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? Yes

4.0

I love Grease, so I really enjoyed this book. I always felt that Danny pretending he didn’t know Sandy was stupid, as the only reason he hide it was because he was trying to be cool, but it actually makes more sense in this context, as some people aren’t ready to come out.

I really liked how Ollie’s family was incorporated, in the original theres literally nothing from any of the tees’ families, and I liked how Will supported him and gave him a space to process his emotions.

I also really liked how the Rizzo character was handled, and it was less that she was just being a bitch and more that she was dealing with her own stuff. That’s something i really enjoyed, that each of the girls had their own things and relationships going on and so did each of the guys. I liked how each one of them had their time to shine, while still focusing on the main couple.

I loved it when Will finally realised he didn’t care about being out, he just wanted to show the whole world how much he loved Ollie, and I liked how in the end he kissed him at his basketball game and THEN went to Ollie’s show. It was so cute.

One thing I think was done well was how Ollie felt about leaving his home and moving to a whole new town. I liked how the author kind of made it clear that he felt so upset and left out by his friends back home, but then how he made new ones in his new town and even joined a new band. I just felt that it was really well done and written.

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readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

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jule5's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted relaxing 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

4.0

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theespressoedition's review against another edition

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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.

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