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itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Man, this was a huge disappointment. I went into this thinking it was going to be a new favorite based on just the description alone, but sadly I was wrong. :(
The plot was pretty unmemorable to me if I'm being completely honest. It wasn't bad by any means, but I just didn't feel invested in it at all. I didn't really buy into the romance between Ollie and Will and I also didn't really connect with any of the subplots (i.e. Ollie's aunt being sick, Lara's unrequited love, etc.) I left this book feeling very "meh." I have to say though, I REALLY DID NOT LIKE THE ENDING (and I'm still shaking my head at it).
The characters were also... meh. I LOVE how Sophie Gonzales did a bit of a "Grease" re-imagining and you could definitely tell who was supposed to represent who in terms of the main characters, but ultimately that's what it felt like. I didn't think any of these characters brought anything "new" to the table. I loved how this cast of characters was WAY more diverse, but I couldn't really tell you anything about them beyond that. I know Will was a jock and Ollie was a musician but that's about it. It all felt very surface-level.
Maybe my expectations were just too high? If this book is on your radar I would still give it a shot, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it over others in the genre.
The plot was pretty unmemorable to me if I'm being completely honest. It wasn't bad by any means, but I just didn't feel invested in it at all. I didn't really buy into the romance between Ollie and Will and I also didn't really connect with any of the subplots (i.e. Ollie's aunt being sick, Lara's unrequited love, etc.) I left this book feeling very "meh." I have to say though, I REALLY DID NOT LIKE THE ENDING (and I'm still shaking my head at it).
The characters were also... meh. I LOVE how Sophie Gonzales did a bit of a "Grease" re-imagining and you could definitely tell who was supposed to represent who in terms of the main characters, but ultimately that's what it felt like. I didn't think any of these characters brought anything "new" to the table. I loved how this cast of characters was WAY more diverse, but I couldn't really tell you anything about them beyond that. I know Will was a jock and Ollie was a musician but that's about it. It all felt very surface-level.
Maybe my expectations were just too high? If this book is on your radar I would still give it a shot, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it over others in the genre.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Terminal illness
paperbrownies's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
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
- lgbtqiap+, ya, contemporary, romance, boys in love (, pining, i love this book more than you know, sarcastic mc, bff i'd like to steal (definitely talking about lara here), favourite protagonist
- m|m
- gay mc, bi love interest, bi sc
this is my second sophie gonzales book and am happy to share that she does not disappoint
(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ bc i enjoyed every moment i spent reading this book!!
ollie is such a fun protagonist, he is snarky, making the pun-fect jokes that made me cackle at the most inappropriate times. he easily became one of my favourite characters the moment we met!!!
what can i say, am a simple person who loves a 'self-deprecating' mc with 'deadpan humour' 😂 i love ollie, can you tell? also the asshole with a heart of gold? yep, she grew on me as well!! 😌
i thought the characters were enjoyable and am glad that sophie did not let that shy her away from calling them out on their biases, it's honestly amazing to see characters realise their mistakes and learn to do better; the author talked about many serious topics with much care and sensitivity without letting things get too heavy. all in all, i would 110% recommend this book!! (っ´ω`)ﾉ
omd was such a fun and might i add adorable book to read that definitely gets full points for making me go blurry eyed, am very sad now that it's over but please let this be my official plea to sophie to write a novella one day where future will and ollie get married!!! (ﾉT_T )ノ
cw: homophobia (called out), biphobia (called out), fatphobia (called out), family member with terminal illness, cancer, death of loved one, body shaming.
- m|m
- gay mc, bi love interest, bi sc
this is my second sophie gonzales book and am happy to share that she does not disappoint
(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ bc i enjoyed every moment i spent reading this book!!
ollie is such a fun protagonist, he is snarky, making the pun-fect jokes that made me cackle at the most inappropriate times. he easily became one of my favourite characters the moment we met!!!
what can i say, am a simple person who loves a 'self-deprecating' mc with 'deadpan humour' 😂 i love ollie, can you tell? also the asshole with a heart of gold? yep, she grew on me as well!! 😌
i thought the characters were enjoyable and am glad that sophie did not let that shy her away from calling them out on their biases, it's honestly amazing to see characters realise their mistakes and learn to do better; the author talked about many serious topics with much care and sensitivity without letting things get too heavy. all in all, i would 110% recommend this book!! (っ´ω`)ﾉ
omd was such a fun and might i add adorable book to read that definitely gets full points for making me go blurry eyed, am very sad now that it's over but please let this be my official plea to sophie to write a novella one day where future will and ollie get married!!! (ﾉT_T )ノ
cw: homophobia (called out), biphobia (called out), fatphobia (called out), family member with terminal illness, cancer, death of loved one, body shaming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Fatphobia, Homophobia, and Terminal illness
toberomanced's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
I love this author. Another great book about how we can grow and mature and not another example of the toxicity currently present in YA. So sweet. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Homophobia, and Outing
Minor: Biphobia, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
beca_reads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-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
3.75
This dealt with some really difficult themes, especially the grief of losing someone close to you. I really loved Ollie as a character, and it was nice to see his complex emotions explored throughout the book. On the other hand I have a complex relationship with Will I love and hate him at the same time. He did grow on me slightly by the end of the book as he worked through his own emotions and came to accept himself.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Body shaming, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Lesbophobia, and Gaslighting
kayle39's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Terminal illness, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Biphobia and Homophobia
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: Bullying and Homophobia
Minor: Sexual content
lanawils's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Grief, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, and Medical content
Minor: Cursing, Blood, Outing, and Alcohol
alouette'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
4.5
a realistic amount of angst with a gay and happy ending! wasn't too into it at the beginning, but will and ollie made it a fun ride!! hit me right in the heart with some of the themes, so three cheers for an emotional rollarcoaster
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, and Outing
k_kris's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Terminal illness
Moderate: Biphobia and Fatphobia
nothingrhymeswithrachel's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-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
4.75
Obviously the romance of this story is beautiful, and I am obsessed with Will and Ollie. But, Aunt Linda’s story line in this book is what really brought this book together for me. So often romance books forget about the rest of the family involved in someone’s life, but family was a major part of the plot in this book. I cried several times during this book and I have never even been closely affected by cancer, I cannot imagine what it would do to those who have. Absolutely beautifully written, I loved that story line. The only gripe I have is that Lara’s character development seems fake. She never apologizes for her actions, she doesn’t even seem to change. She just suddenly has an excuse for why she was so mean to everyone around her. We’re supposed to like her by the end but I just could not do it, she needed to be held accountable instead of consistently coddled by her friends. Anyway, this book is very good. It turns out I am a big fan of Sophie Gonzales.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Homophobia, Medical content, and Grief
Minor: Biphobia, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting