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thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.25
empathetic, youthful yet wise, like a love story celebrates love, queerness, and the life-saving and life-changing power of art, all while being grimly realistic w/ the context of the AIDS epidemic as well.
i could feel nazemian's passion and love for art - esp music - and its power thru this novel. there's music in many pivotal scenes, either as a new spark, comfort or celebration for the characters. an aspect of the book that i also rly like despite its grimness is the depiction of AIDS and queer life + activism: there's no romanticization of the former here, no mincing words w/ the ugliness and destruction of the disease, while the courage, rage, and sense of community of the latter are inspiring and serve as a reminder of what it took to get here. it's a revelation to see that, amid the staggering losses, many queer folks still soldier on thru sheer love and desire for a better future.
as for the characters, i like them all individually but have some issues when its comes to their relationships w/ one another. each makes sense in their own way despite - or bc of - their complexity, but tgt they make me frown in confusion sometimes. i actually rly like uncle stephen and the parents - the former and his wisdom make me tear up a few times - basically most of the side characters. however, imo the main trio is too far up their own asses a lot of the time, making their supposed friendship and dedication to one another a lil questionable.
and i dont get why art and reza start to like each other in the first place, aside from the fact that each is the first eligible gay dude of the same age that the other ever comes across. also whats up w/ that ending..art's decision seems to come outta nowhere and it's confusing bc he lets reza go way too easily despite being so in love w/ him; the whiplash is sth else. ig i wouldve liked there to be more explanation on important character decisions, instead of them just showing up in a new chapter when it's already been decided, for example w/ reza's decision to finally have sex w/ art after being afraid for months, and art's decision to go san francisco. i wanted to read their thought process on these things bc theyre such major decisions, and there just wasnt any or enough of that in the book esp towards the end.
despite the shortcomings of some of its narrative decisions, the novel's still an important one that not only sheds light on important topics like AIDS and queer activism, but also one that celebrates art and the queer community. in short, a book that embraces both the challenges and joy of being queer.
i could feel nazemian's passion and love for art - esp music - and its power thru this novel. there's music in many pivotal scenes, either as a new spark, comfort or celebration for the characters. an aspect of the book that i also rly like despite its grimness is the depiction of AIDS and queer life + activism: there's no romanticization of the former here, no mincing words w/ the ugliness and destruction of the disease, while the courage, rage, and sense of community of the latter are inspiring and serve as a reminder of what it took to get here. it's a revelation to see that, amid the staggering losses, many queer folks still soldier on thru sheer love and desire for a better future.
as for the characters, i like them all individually but have some issues when its comes to their relationships w/ one another. each makes sense in their own way despite - or bc of - their complexity, but tgt they make me frown in confusion sometimes. i actually rly like uncle stephen and the parents - the former and his wisdom make me tear up a few times - basically most of the side characters. however, imo the main trio is too far up their own asses a lot of the time, making their supposed friendship and dedication to one another a lil questionable.
and i dont get why art and reza start to like each other in the first place, aside from the fact that each is the first eligible gay dude of the same age that the other ever comes across. also whats up w/ that ending..art's decision seems to come outta nowhere and it's confusing bc he lets reza go way too easily despite being so in love w/ him; the whiplash is sth else. ig i wouldve liked there to be more explanation on important character decisions, instead of them just showing up in a new chapter when it's already been decided, for example w/ reza's decision to finally have sex w/ art after being afraid for months, and art's decision to go san francisco. i wanted to read their thought process on these things bc theyre such major decisions, and there just wasnt any or enough of that in the book esp towards the end.
despite the shortcomings of some of its narrative decisions, the novel's still an important one that not only sheds light on important topics like AIDS and queer activism, but also one that celebrates art and the queer community. in short, a book that embraces both the challenges and joy of being queer.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Death, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexual content
moiracoz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
i actually loved this so much the only reason it does not get 5 stars is some of the description were a little weird
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Homophobia
Moderate: Fatphobia
candaceallison's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Death
Moderate: Death of parent and Toxic relationship
kevub's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Death, and Bullying
Moderate: Racism and Fatphobia
menomica's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
medium-paced
- 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? It's complicated
I got to say this book would have been a whole lot better if it was more centered around Reza. The story literally wouldn’t exist without him. I love Judy but what do she and Art bring to the table? What does Art bring?
There are so many aspects of Reza’s life that were mentioned but never really developed. Hell, we could’ve talked about Saadi’s mommy issues that were sprung up at the end of the book. But we didn’t get to that bc we had to do the stupid love triangle that literally everyone involved in knew was a farse :(. It was very unnecessary. It would have been so much cooler to see Reza’s family more in depth, Reza at school, or his relationship with Abba, or really just more of Reza.
Speaking of which; Art very much was the weakest link. As a character… I just don’t care for rich white men. As a boyfriend?? Very gross how he did not respect Reza’s not wanting to have sex. I know he said he was willing to wait, and for his part his did, but you do not need to bring it up all the time! He is clearly not ready, respect that! Yeah, his chapters were the weakest, queer activism aside.
I like that they broke up though, that was nice. It felt realistic.
All in all, this book was kind of meh. Definitely had potential but just kind of fumbled the ball
There are so many aspects of Reza’s life that were mentioned but never really developed.
Speaking of which; Art very much was the weakest link. As a character… I just don’t care for rich white men. As a boyfriend?? Very gross how he did not respect Reza’s not wanting to have sex. I know he said he was willing to wait, and for his part his did, but you do not need to bring it up all the time! He is clearly not ready, respect that! Yeah, his chapters were the weakest, queer activism aside.
All in all, this book was kind of meh. Definitely had potential but just kind of fumbled the ball
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Terminal illness
Minor: Fatphobia, Medical content, and Toxic friendship
maduzera's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Islamophobia, and Xenophobia
greenie_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
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
5.0
A very powerful story about queer life in the 80s-90s and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. I loved the character of Stephen and Art especially. However, the politics could come across a bit heavy handed at points, where it felt like more of a transcript of an activist speech than a felt/experienced reality for the characters. Mostly, it was very good.
Some of the storylines also felt overly cliche:
Spoiler 1. The "love triangle" between Judy, closeted Reza and Art was kinda overdone. I could see it coming from a mile away and was dreading it. It wasn't satisfying. I'm frankly tired of people blowing up friendships over love triangles in every single story and Iwish there'd been more nuance and creativity to it.
2. Stephen's death. We all knew it was coming, but it was such a typical "death of the mentor father figure" situation. Why not have the nice person with a horrible disease live for once?
3. Art leaving Reza. Not only was this disappointing from an "obligatory tragic layering to YA novel ending" sense but it was also a really unsatisfying way to end Art's development. Judy and Reza significantly changed as people, but Art never does. He begins angry and impulsive and ends in a similar way. We never know what becomes of him except for vague hints. He ends up feeling like more of a means for Reza to change than as a person on his own. Perhaps his idealism could've been tempered by cynical realism, and he'd have been willing to take advantage of his parents' college money to enact change from within the system. As much as I loved this story I was disappointed by Art's lack of development in the end, because he was my favorite character.
I'm sorry if this slight bit of ranting makes it seem like I didn't enjoy the book, or had serious issues with it. I only complain about it so passionately because I love it so much. It's certainly one of my favorite books that I have ever read, one of the most powerful.
Some of the storylines also felt overly cliche:
Spoiler 1. The "love triangle" between Judy, closeted Reza and Art was kinda overdone. I could see it coming from a mile away and was dreading it. It wasn't satisfying. I'm frankly tired of people blowing up friendships over love triangles in every single story and Iwish there'd been more nuance and creativity to it.
2. Stephen's death. We all knew it was coming, but it was such a typical "death of the mentor father figure" situation. Why not have the nice person with a horrible disease live for once?
3. Art leaving Reza. Not only was this disappointing from an "obligatory tragic layering to YA novel ending" sense but it was also a really unsatisfying way to end Art's development. Judy and Reza significantly changed as people, but Art never does. He begins angry and impulsive and ends in a similar way. We never know what becomes of him except for vague hints. He ends up feeling like more of a means for Reza to change than as a person on his own. Perhaps his idealism could've been tempered by cynical realism, and he'd have been willing to take advantage of his parents' college money to enact change from within the system. As much as I loved this story I was disappointed by Art's lack of development in the end, because he was my favorite character.
I'm sorry if this slight bit of ranting makes it seem like I didn't enjoy the book, or had serious issues with it. I only complain about it so passionately because I love it so much. It's certainly one of my favorite books that I have ever read, one of the most powerful.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Homophobia, and Terminal illness
Minor: Fatphobia and Death of parent
19becky97's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, and Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer
brynngaybee's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.75
I really enjoyed this book. Historical young adult is a super interesting niche genre and this book is a great example. The characters were very strong and well defined if annoying at times. Characters personal flaws were well countered by others and they were given great opportunities to grow. Some conflicts were fairly contrived, but lots of teen conflicts in real life are terribly contrived as well, so fair enough. The diversity was great and this book is great to introduce teenagers to the time period of the aids crisis as it depicts activism fairly well and helps explain the cultural context surrounding the book. I loved the ending and how it subverted a lot of teen tropes and gave us a glimpse into the future of these characters. I was deeply engaged for the entire book and would recommend it to anyway interested in queer ya fiction.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Grief, Terminal illness, Sexual content, and Homophobia
Minor: Alcohol, Fatphobia, Islamophobia, and Police brutality
postal_kat's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Fatphobia and Bullying
Minor: Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, and Sexual content