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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
4.5 stars ✨ (give us the half stars goodreads!) This was one of the best older YA books I've ever read. I loved it so so much.
This is way too hard to review coherently so I'm going to just dot point it.
I loved:
- the topics covered, they were deep and really well covered
- its set mostly in college or the summer leading up to college
- female friendships were so so well done
- women in STEM rep and the issues associated with being a woman in STEM (even though I myself am absolutely a social sciences girl)
- great college professor / student relations
- zero slut shaming, women's rights and the importance of choice (even if its not what you would do)
- I actually felt everything with the characters, Youngdahl made me feel it all which is rare (I definitely cried a bit)
Why I didn't give it the extra half star:
- the ending was a little bit of a let down, I think I needed more closure? A more clear conclusion? It just felt a little rushed or like it was missing some stuff but I guess if it wasn't done the way it was the book would have had to be a fair bit longer
This is way too hard to review coherently so I'm going to just dot point it.
I loved:
- the topics covered, they were deep and really well covered
- its set mostly in college or the summer leading up to college
- female friendships were so so well done
- women in STEM rep and the issues associated with being a woman in STEM (even though I myself am absolutely a social sciences girl)
- great college professor / student relations
- zero slut shaming, women's rights and the importance of choice (even if its not what you would do)
- I actually felt everything with the characters, Youngdahl made me feel it all which is rare (I definitely cried a bit)
Why I didn't give it the extra half star:
- the ending was a little bit of a let down, I think I needed more closure? A more clear conclusion? It just felt a little rushed or like it was missing some stuff but I guess if it wasn't done the way it was the book would have had to be a fair bit longer
Thanks, Shana my eyes are swollen now.
To be honest I just bought this because of this BEAUTIFUL Cover and because I found it at a used books online shop.
From the first second, I started this book I fell in love with it, the writing style, the time jumps, and the realness. I thought this would be about a cute road trip but noup and the moment I found what it is really about I was so angry and sad but the heartbreak didn't start there it was just building up.
Get yourself a tissue box because you will need it!
I want to read anything ya what Shana is gonna write next <3
Edit: I started crying again after listening to the song
To be honest I just bought this because of this BEAUTIFUL Cover and because I found it at a used books online shop.
From the first second, I started this book I fell in love with it, the writing style, the time jumps, and the realness. I thought this would be about a cute road trip but noup and the moment I found what it is really about I was so angry and sad but the heartbreak didn't start there it was just building up.
Get yourself a tissue box because you will need it!
I want to read anything ya what Shana is gonna write next <3
Edit: I started crying again after listening to the song
3.5 stars
“Are those the forces that’ll consume us? Not living up to people’s expectations?”
“Or worse, our own.”
-----
1. this book is trying hard to be D E E P
2. cody's only personality trait is being insecure of his (ex) girlfriend's success. what a weakling.
3. i feel like this is the kind of book i would've loved when i was 17 and sad and dramatic
4. be like mina. she's the kind of friend who will force you to face your problems and stay by your side as you do it.
“Are those the forces that’ll consume us? Not living up to people’s expectations?”
“Or worse, our own.”
-----
1. this book is trying hard to be D E E P
2. cody's only personality trait is being insecure of his (ex) girlfriend's success. what a weakling.
3. i feel like this is the kind of book i would've loved when i was 17 and sad and dramatic
4. be like mina. she's the kind of friend who will force you to face your problems and stay by your side as you do it.
this book was a relatively quick read when i had the time to sit down and actually read lmao but this book was beautifully written and i definitely could not predict where the story was going next. every chapter was different and grasped my attention :)
i feel like this could've been a lot more if i cared more for these characters, but i just really, really didn't.
Upon rereading this I might bump this up to five stars, but oh my was this book absolutely wonderful! First of all the writing was gorgeous and it felt so ideal for the style this story was told in. The characters felt real and the story line felt realistic when thinking about the circumstances. The two mane characters felt like real humans, with flaws an all. Seeing them struggle with problems that many people their age struggle with was so refreshing and wonderful. I couldn't get enough.
The story was sweet, cliché at times, and rather predictable, but tackled some complicated subjects. The writing was rather forgettable. The thing that really bugged me about this book, which made me give it a low rating, was the main character. A "nerdy" physics major, Scarlett's (or at least the author's) knowledge of science didn't seem to extend further than tortured metaphors comparing black holes or the big bang to whatever difficult decision she was facing at the moment. I hoped I could relate to a character facing the pressures of college and growing up, but I found myself slowly becoming more and more annoyed with Scarlett's superiority complex and lack of self-awareness. I really wanted to like this book more than I did.
Beautiful cover, rough story.
What I liked - The cover was truly aesthetically pleasing for me. I love how the sensitive subjects are handled in this story as well.
what I didn't like - I felt like nothing memorable happened in this story. I never connected with Scarlett and felt like she was very unlikeable. Specifically when she was at college and was being snarky to the people that were literally on her team. I also felt all of the other characters were just as bad with maybe Mina being the outlier.
Overall this story just didn't work for me and I just felt so bored the whole time.
What I liked - The cover was truly aesthetically pleasing for me. I love how the sensitive subjects are handled in this story as well.
what I didn't like - I felt like nothing memorable happened in this story. I never connected with Scarlett and felt like she was very unlikeable.
Overall this story just didn't work for me and I just felt so bored the whole time.
fast-paced
Undisclosed by the blurb, this book deals heavily with two themes, one I was extremely interested to read about, the other one I personally find exhausting, and therefore flee at all costs. Respectively, (click at your own spoiling risk) the opioid crisis and pregnancy. Both those themes contributed to push the narrative lightyears away from the whirlwind romance promised by the description. Point is: don't trust the blurb. It has very little to do with the actual reading experience. Which was, in my case, a very positive one. This might have to do with the fact that said themes were approached in a way that fits really close to my own ideology but if I take a step backwards, I have to admit many scenes and dialogues felt a bit too educational at times, like the author was treading slightly too close to morality play-territory.
It's an easy, bittersweet read. I enjoyed the characters for being flawed, and the prose in spite of it. If, contrary to what the cover or blurb had me thinking, the relationship between Scarlett and David is far from being the sole focus of the book (there's something to be said for that beautiful, powerful friendship between Scar and Mina), it definitely stole the show and kept me hooked.
It's an easy, bittersweet read. I enjoyed the characters for being flawed, and the prose in spite of it. If, contrary to what the cover or blurb had me thinking, the relationship between Scarlett and David is far from being the sole focus of the book (there's something to be said for that beautiful, powerful friendship between Scar and Mina), it definitely stole the show and kept me hooked.