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rileyswan's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
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
4.25
The Worst Perfect Moment was an absolute charm.
The humour was spot on from page one. It's rare for me to read a young adult book where the protagonist's voice is authentically that of... well, a young adult! But Shivaun Plozza pulled through with a consistently accurate depiction of the modern teenage mind: nihilistic and damn hilarious with it. Every comedic moment was timed perfectly, and it was a perfect contrast with the grief-stricken narrative.
Speaking of which, this book had a unique depiction of the afterlife, and dealing with being dead. The main character, Tegan, has been given a heaven in what is apparently her greatest memory, but was actually the location where she spent all her time as her life fell apart around her. Reading about her coming to terms with the complexity of her heaven, and picking apart the entangled feelings associated with the beloathed memory was enthralling.
It felt like reading an episode of The Good Place, but even better because gay people were in it! This book had the perfect combination of normalised LGBTQIA+ identity and explorations of our struggle. Tegan's lesbianism was simply there, inarguable and tasteful, and even more so was her romance with Zelda, the angel who created her imperfect heaven. But that didn't stop Plozza from using Tegan and Zelda's trips through memories and time to retrospectively navigate Tegan's journey through her first lesbian crush and date and heartbreak.
If you love grief narratives, complicated sapphic romances, and unique portrayals of the afterlife, heaven, angels, time travel, and God herself... pick up Plozza's The Worst Perfect Moment!
The humour was spot on from page one. It's rare for me to read a young adult book where the protagonist's voice is authentically that of... well, a young adult! But Shivaun Plozza pulled through with a consistently accurate depiction of the modern teenage mind: nihilistic and damn hilarious with it. Every comedic moment was timed perfectly, and it was a perfect contrast with the grief-stricken narrative.
Speaking of which, this book had a unique depiction of the afterlife, and dealing with being dead. The main character, Tegan, has been given a heaven in what is apparently her greatest memory, but was actually the location where she spent all her time as her life fell apart around her. Reading about her coming to terms with the complexity of her heaven, and picking apart the entangled feelings associated with the beloathed memory was enthralling.
It felt like reading an episode of The Good Place, but even better because gay people were in it! This book had the perfect combination of normalised LGBTQIA+ identity and explorations of our struggle. Tegan's lesbianism was simply there, inarguable and tasteful, and even more so was her romance with Zelda, the angel who created her imperfect heaven. But that didn't stop Plozza from using Tegan and Zelda's trips through memories and time to retrospectively navigate Tegan's journey through her first lesbian crush and date and heartbreak.
If you love grief narratives, complicated sapphic romances, and unique portrayals of the afterlife, heaven, angels, time travel, and God herself... pick up Plozza's The Worst Perfect Moment!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Abandonment, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, and Car accident
ashtheaudiomancer's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
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? Yes
4.75
Thanks to a coworker who passed along this ARC from a library conference. <3
I am very in my feelings this week for reasons I won't get into, but this really hit me where I live. Exactly what I wanted and needed. I have been frustrated with some LGBTQAI+ reads lately, particularly YA, but this hit the perfect pacing and character development to make me fall in love with it. I also thinks it succeeds in capturing the voice of a realistic modern teenager, as opposed to the overly pithy or clever phrasing I see so much of. FYI the content warnings I included are major themes of the book, but you can probably figure out the "death" part from the plot summary.
Definitely going to look for more of this author's work!
I am very in my feelings this week for reasons I won't get into, but this really hit me where I live. Exactly what I wanted and needed. I have been frustrated with some LGBTQAI+ reads lately, particularly YA, but this hit the perfect pacing and character development to make me fall in love with it. I also thinks it succeeds in capturing the voice of a realistic modern teenager, as opposed to the overly pithy or clever phrasing I see so much of. FYI the content warnings I included are major themes of the book, but you can probably figure out the "death" part from the plot summary.
Definitely going to look for more of this author's work!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Abandonment
fanboyriot's review
emotional
funny
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
5.0
♡ Afterlife
♡ Sapphic
♡ Chaotic Angel
This book was way better than I anticipated, definitely worth the hype I had for it. I really enjoyed the character development and how everything came together. The setting of this book was so good, all the details were amazing—from the tampon in the motel pool or the slimy mushrooms at breakfast, it was literally so well detailed!
The story was a good mix of humor and heartbreak, touching on more depressing moments as the main character coming to terms with being dead, that her heaven was a place she had some of the worst memories.
Also Zelda was amazing, I loved her so much.
This book talks about some heavy topics as well such as abandonment issues and neglect, failed friendships and childhood crushes, and of course death.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Spice Level: n/a
Angst Level: 💧💧💧 (5/5)
POV: First Person
Release Date: 14, May 2024
Rep: Lesbian (Main Character), Lesbian (Side Character), LGBTQIA+ (Main and Side Character)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Abandonment
Moderate: Grief and Car accident
Minor: Toxic friendship
chapterfern's review
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree / Holiday House for the eARC. Regardless, this review remains my personal opinion on this book.
The Worst Perfect Moment by Shivaun Plozza is a book about Tegan Masters, a 16-year-old girl who had just risen to heaven as a result of her untimely demise. Though when heaven greets her in the form of the Hotel Lodge she considers her worst memory, she doesn't chalk herself as amused. Worse, when it turns out her personal angel, Zelda, apparently designed her heaven based on her happiest memory, Tegan could not be more displeased. A coming-of-age book about life in the afterlife, Tegan ultimately realizes what it truly means for her to be happy.
I really enjoyed this book. I found myself empathizing a lot with Tegan and Zelda as the people (and angel) they are as opposed to characters in a book. I also liked how they interacted with each other, their dynamic, and their relationship. They are quite literally everything, and have really, really cute scenes together. I also really enjoyed how the plot developed and moved along; there were plenty of times where I picked up the book as soon as I had the free time to because I just had to know what happens next and where the story goes.
Not too much of a thorough review of this book because this was very much one of my "turn off your brain, read, and enjoy" books that I was reading in my rotation. Though as for recommendations on who this book is for, I would especially recommend it to sapphic teens looking for representation and to teens who are struggling with handling how heavy their emotions are and want a fictional character that they can relate to regarding such.
This isn't the best book in the world by any means, but this is definitely a book I would pick up and reread to get out of a reading slump or just to read a cutesy littlesapphic love story about two girls my age trying to get a grip on their emotions, face life experiences (and embarrassments!) that they'd rather forget, and slowly fall in love along the way .
I really enjoyed this book. I found myself empathizing a lot with Tegan and Zelda as the people (and angel) they are as opposed to characters in a book. I also liked how they interacted with each other, their dynamic, and their relationship. They are quite literally everything, and have really, really cute scenes together. I also really enjoyed how the plot developed and moved along; there were plenty of times where I picked up the book as soon as I had the free time to because I just had to know what happens next and where the story goes.
Not too much of a thorough review of this book because this was very much one of my "turn off your brain, read, and enjoy" books that I was reading in my rotation. Though as for recommendations on who this book is for, I would especially recommend it to sapphic teens looking for representation and to teens who are struggling with handling how heavy their emotions are and want a fictional character that they can relate to regarding such.
This isn't the best book in the world by any means, but this is definitely a book I would pick up and reread to get out of a reading slump or just to read a cutesy little
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Death and Car accident
jazzyjbox's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
If heaven was based on your happiest memory, would yours be a run- down hotel in New Jersey?
Tegan was 16 when she died and discovered heaven was not what she thought it'd be. A sassy angel named Zelda created Tegan's heaven, but she is sure Zelda got it wrong. Now Zelda has to prove she was right, and Tegan has to figure it out or get sent to Purgatory.
This book is brutal with the way it tackles Tegan's complicated emotions about happiness and feeling like she's always the one left behind. I do like a book that makes me feel things, and I felt a whole lot of things.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
Tegan was 16 when she died and discovered heaven was not what she thought it'd be. A sassy angel named Zelda created Tegan's heaven, but she is sure Zelda got it wrong. Now Zelda has to prove she was right, and Tegan has to figure it out or get sent to Purgatory.
This book is brutal with the way it tackles Tegan's complicated emotions about happiness and feeling like she's always the one left behind. I do like a book that makes me feel things, and I felt a whole lot of things.
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
dlrosebyh's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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? It's complicated
2.5
First of all, I would like to thank Holiday House and NetGalley for providing me with a free e-ARC of The Worst Perfect Moment.
Okay, so… let’s start this by requesting an ARC right after I watched Hazbin Hotel. So, I was already familiar with the whole concept of ‘bad people in heaven and good people in hell’ or something like that. Obviously, for this book, it’s different. Tegan isn’t necessarily bad… she just goes through an angsty teenage phase…in heaven!
I love YA. It’s one of my favorite genres. Usually, I don’t mind if the book gets too childish. However, this book just straight-up pissed me off. And it’s not just because it was YA. Tegan and Zelda— they were both frustrating. And their banters were so annoying. High schoolers don’t banter like that. What even is a ‘dickcheese’???
It’s safe to say that I didn’t really like this book, and that’s just because of my preference. I did enjoy the atmosphere and the world-building, but that’s about it. There were more religious references than I thought as well. Which kind of shocked me, but I didn’t really mind. Overall, I think it’s just a book that has a superb plot but just lacks in the execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death
Moderate: Car accident
bekkah_co's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink, and Shivaun Plozza for the eARC! This book releases May 14, 2024.
Synopsis: Following her death, Tegan Master's finds herself at a run-down New Jersey motel from your worst nightmare. For Tegan, according to the stunning (but snarky) angel Zelda, this is Tegan's heaven and is the site of her happiest memory. If dying wasn't traumatic enough, staying in dingy motel for the rest of eternity is. Tegan, convinced Zelda's mathematical equations are wrong, raises some complaints to Management and implicates herself and Zelda in a deadline to understand how this is her eternity. If Zelda fails to convince Tegan this is her eternity, and if Tegan fails to understand how the Marybelle is the place of her happiest memory, they both face dire consequences.
Brief Review Summary:
- Overall Rating: 5/5
- Will I cry?: 100% (Keep the tissues close for this one!)
Review: I'll be honest, the book broke me. I cried several times and was moved to tears more times than I care to admit. This was the first book in almost a month I was able to complete in one sitting. I was not able to put this book down. "The Worst Perfect Moment" by Shivaun Plozza is masterfully crafted and offers a unique insight to growing up, even in death. With the topic matter, I do believe that this is meant for a bit of an older Young Adult reader audience. The topics in this novel are heavy and heart-wrenching, particularly when reading this as a 23-year-old thinking back to my own youth. There are many lessons to be gleamed from this book, even for younger and older YA readers.
Plozza does an excellent job of playing with the concept of Heaven. This seems to be a trend within recent media, but each take is very refreshing. By portraying heaven and death as a place where flaws and emotions beyond happiness and bliss are present, makes death more familiar. Heaven and death is something characterized like our mortal world and it is refreshing. There is space for growth after death and Plozza does a stellar job representing that, particularly capturing the youth that both Tegan and Zelda possess.
This book is heart wrenching as Tegan is forced to explore moments in her life to discover why the Marybelle Motel is considered her happiest moment. This exploration into Tegan's memories and Zelda's urging for her to think about what the lesson or message could be is fascinating. Plozza excellently keeps the reader within Tegan's own frustrations through intrusive and angry exposition. While this angry exposition is bubbling over, you have Zelda's quirky fascination with all thing Earth, even the gross and morbid. Watching this two grow together throughout the book was a treat. I wish there was a bit more time together without the deadline of understanding looming over them.
I think the biggest critique I have with the book is the dialogue and somewhat cringey phrasing, The conversations between Zelda and Tegan, in particular, felt very young even for a permanently 16-year-old. As someone who often spends time in high school classrooms as an educator, I've never heard a teenager use "dickcheese" or "butt-face" when they could opt for just swearing or more crass, creative options.
Overall, Shivaun Plozza does a fantastic job capturing humanity in death and the divine. There are some frustrating moments in the book, but I assure you, for every moment you get frustrated at Barb or Kelvin, or even Zelda and Tegan, the end is worth it. The realizations the characters all come to is rewarding and satisfying and, if you're like me, you will probably cry two or three separate times.
Synopsis: Following her death, Tegan Master's finds herself at a run-down New Jersey motel from your worst nightmare. For Tegan, according to the stunning (but snarky) angel Zelda, this is Tegan's heaven and is the site of her happiest memory. If dying wasn't traumatic enough, staying in dingy motel for the rest of eternity is. Tegan, convinced Zelda's mathematical equations are wrong, raises some complaints to Management and implicates herself and Zelda in a deadline to understand how this is her eternity. If Zelda fails to convince Tegan this is her eternity, and if Tegan fails to understand how the Marybelle is the place of her happiest memory, they both face dire consequences.
Brief Review Summary:
- Overall Rating: 5/5
- Will I cry?: 100% (Keep the tissues close for this one!)
Review: I'll be honest, the book broke me. I cried several times and was moved to tears more times than I care to admit. This was the first book in almost a month I was able to complete in one sitting. I was not able to put this book down. "The Worst Perfect Moment" by Shivaun Plozza is masterfully crafted and offers a unique insight to growing up, even in death. With the topic matter, I do believe that this is meant for a bit of an older Young Adult reader audience. The topics in this novel are heavy and heart-wrenching, particularly when reading this as a 23-year-old thinking back to my own youth. There are many lessons to be gleamed from this book, even for younger and older YA readers.
Plozza does an excellent job of playing with the concept of Heaven. This seems to be a trend within recent media, but each take is very refreshing. By portraying heaven and death as a place where flaws and emotions beyond happiness and bliss are present, makes death more familiar. Heaven and death is something characterized like our mortal world and it is refreshing. There is space for growth after death and Plozza does a stellar job representing that, particularly capturing the youth that both Tegan and Zelda possess.
This book is heart wrenching as Tegan is forced to explore moments in her life to discover why the Marybelle Motel is considered her happiest moment. This exploration into Tegan's memories and Zelda's urging for her to think about what the lesson or message could be is fascinating. Plozza excellently keeps the reader within Tegan's own frustrations through intrusive and angry exposition. While this angry exposition is bubbling over, you have Zelda's quirky fascination with all thing Earth, even the gross and morbid. Watching this two grow together throughout the book was a treat. I wish there was a bit more time together without the deadline of understanding looming over them.
I think the biggest critique I have with the book is the dialogue and somewhat cringey phrasing, The conversations between Zelda and Tegan, in particular, felt very young even for a permanently 16-year-old. As someone who often spends time in high school classrooms as an educator, I've never heard a teenager use "dickcheese" or "butt-face" when they could opt for just swearing or more crass, creative options.
Overall, Shivaun Plozza does a fantastic job capturing humanity in death and the divine. There are some frustrating moments in the book, but I assure you, for every moment you get frustrated at Barb or Kelvin, or even Zelda and Tegan, the end is worth it. The realizations the characters all come to is rewarding and satisfying and, if you're like me, you will probably cry two or three separate times.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Death
Moderate: Car accident
brooklynjane's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
3.75
As an adult, this story isn't aimed at me so I hesitate to review it. I think if I were a teenager I would've rated it higher, so keep that in mind. I think the story is incredibly original, and I love the queer aspects of it as it's great to see queer - especially lesbian - representation. I felt like the intended message was incorporated well, but the ending was a little flat for me. I think too many things were left up in the air (or maybe it just went over my head). I would recommend this for anyone interested in death and the afterlife because it creates a unique look at what might be waiting for us after we die, and how we can live life while we have it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Abandonment
Minor: Child death and Car accident
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