Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had envisioned a totally different type of “queer desire” from the summary and I was dissatisfied when the queer yearning wasn’t even explored into detail that much. I thought this was a slow burn, but it really wasn’t and there was no identity labels formed. Then the book was just very odd, but in a way I didn’t enjoy. This book was all about the obsessive behavior of the main character and it was very weird. I had to take a step back from reading a page and think that this is unhealthy. Then the ending was a major twist that was so unexpected and uncomfortable that it didn’t make a lot of sense and was dissatisfying. I was wary of reading this from the cover, and I regret not listening to my instincts. I think this is just a waste of time to read.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the digital galley of this book.
Laura Stearns can’t wait to attend the school where her favorite book is set. Sebastian Webster died at nineteen but not before penning an iconic book and running off to fight for Franco in the Spanish Civil War. Laura loves everything about the book, and now she gets to live in it, surrounded by smart people who also love the legacy Webster left behind, or so she thinks. When Laura meets Virginia Strauss, it’s clear who runs the school, or at least the choir, perhaps the best thing about St. Dunstan’s (at least Laura thinks so). St. Dunstan’s will change Laura in ways she cannot imagine.
It’s a fascination exploration of how intense it is to be a teenager, amplified more by being at a boarding school with primarily other teenagers, how that time and place can seem so all encompassing. Even though I didn’t love any of the characters, I appreciated them and wanted to know where they were going and how they’d end up. Even now, I’m thinking about the main character and wondering what happens to her next.
Visceral. Haunting. Intense. I definitely recommend this one. It’s out now wherever you get your books.
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Tara Burton’s prose is wonderful. She does a great job at carrying the reader through the story she wants to tell. Each character means something in the grand scheme. The author does not waste time but the story doesn’t seem rushed either.
Button certainly has something to say and I am glad I listened. If you are deciding wether or not to pick this one up, go ahead and try it out.
Button certainly has something to say and I am glad I listened. If you are deciding wether or not to pick this one up, go ahead and try it out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol
Minor: Bullying, Sexual assault, Sexual content
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Dark and gorgeous and obsessive, along the lines of "The Secret History", "The World Cannot Give" is about a small choir at a stodgy Maine prep school. The choir members swear blood oaths to one another and vow to follow in the World Historical path of their idol, an alum who died at 19 leaving behind a classic novel. The beauty and clarity of their music and bonds cannot hold.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In The World Cannot Give by Tara Isabella Burton, teenager Laura is obsessed with an author named Sebastian Webster. Laura decides to go to St. Dunstan’s prep school because that’s where Webster went. It is a religious school and not all the students are happy to be there. Laura’s roommate, Bonnie cracked me up with her Instagram posts and prep school clothing influencer status. During one of the opening ceremonies with beautiful choral music renegade Isobel Zhao pipes in the song Black Sabbath. It’s hilarious. Laura is a meek and mild girl who gets sucked in by power-hungry Virginia. It’s an interesting how others are trying to gain their own power which has disastrous consequences for all really. Tara Isabella Burton has written an insightful character study of a teen mind/soul progressing through self-doubt to self-awareness to self-assurance. As a Mom of teens, it really had me take a step back and remember how difficult the teen years can be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
I wasn't invested in the characters, and there was little to no sense of place and atmosphere to make up for that