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thepetitepunk's review against another edition
4.0
i'll be honest, i only read this because sometimes i realize i'm living this wattpad romance where my partner was the 6'5" guy on the high school basketball/football teams and i was the semi-cringey edge lord who ate lunch alone while listening to the misfits but(!!!!) apparently we were both reading silly little YA books of our own volition at that time! and here's one he read and i didn't!
i saw this marked on goodreads as "romance" so i was fully prepared to tease my partner for reading YA romances while being a #dudebro but instead i got a tense story about poverty and abuse and hardship. ouch, but well written.
i saw this marked on goodreads as "romance" so i was fully prepared to tease my partner for reading YA romances while being a #dudebro but instead i got a tense story about poverty and abuse and hardship. ouch, but well written.
sincerelyhadley's review against another edition
3.0
So many feelings with this book! It started off slow for me. I didn't really get into it until 3/4 of the way through. It captured me and broke me and then the ending was just kind of...meh. I like the message the book tries to convey, and it has a few noteworthy quotes but in the end it fell just short of favorite status. Still an enjoyable read!
tishywishy's review against another edition
4.0
This was a tough read
Not because of the writing style but because I related to a lot of the incidents and emotions laid out. I felt like I got dragged back to my YA years and had to relive them one by one. It's not often I cry while reading a book but I cried until the end.
Not because of the writing style but because I related to a lot of the incidents and emotions laid out. I felt like I got dragged back to my YA years and had to relive them one by one. It's not often I cry while reading a book but I cried until the end.
katykelly's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars
A moving and deep tale of final-year high school students, a threesome you grow to care for.
It's a setting that feels alien to me - a small Southern town, very religious, the student who is in any way 'different' taunted and ridiculed. But that's the home of Dill, Lydia and Travis. Dill lives in poverty with his mother, after his preacher father (one who used the serpents of the title in his work) is jailed for crimes his mother blames him for. Travis has lost a treasured older brother, his drunkard father comparing them regularly, mocking the fantasy books and world Travis wraos himself up in to escape. And Lydia pushes both of them to get away, apply to college as she has done, using her fashion blog as a way to better her own future. One which Dill sees will not have him in it.
In the midst of their close friendship, they face the usual school bullies, each has family issues, they must make it through their final year of high school - and will it be their last together?
I felt the storyline snaking round to Dill's father and the 'serpents' didn't add much to the plot, the story of the three's friendship and concerns for the future was enough to make this an interesting YA novel. The plot of Dill's dad didn't really come off either for me, it petered out and the metaphor didn't seem to go anywhere.
Just loved Lydia of course, she has the best lines. Travis grew on me, his plot takes off late in the day, and Dill's is rather heart-breaking, scenes with his religious mother frustrating. The friendship between the three adolescents is moving and feels true, with hidden feelings bubbling away.
I unexpectedly had my heart broken somewhat by this book, Zentner rips the rug out from under you and reminds you just how unfair life can be sometimes. And how we have to move on despite these setbacks. He writes the last pages well, it had me in tears.
Definitely a good one to recommend to teenagers. For a UK-born reader, the setting is different, the mindset of the characters something I am not used to, the story one about growing up and moving on one that every teenager needs to get to grips with.
A moving and deep tale of final-year high school students, a threesome you grow to care for.
It's a setting that feels alien to me - a small Southern town, very religious, the student who is in any way 'different' taunted and ridiculed. But that's the home of Dill, Lydia and Travis. Dill lives in poverty with his mother, after his preacher father (one who used the serpents of the title in his work) is jailed for crimes his mother blames him for. Travis has lost a treasured older brother, his drunkard father comparing them regularly, mocking the fantasy books and world Travis wraos himself up in to escape. And Lydia pushes both of them to get away, apply to college as she has done, using her fashion blog as a way to better her own future. One which Dill sees will not have him in it.
In the midst of their close friendship, they face the usual school bullies, each has family issues, they must make it through their final year of high school - and will it be their last together?
I felt the storyline snaking round to Dill's father and the 'serpents' didn't add much to the plot, the story of the three's friendship and concerns for the future was enough to make this an interesting YA novel. The plot of Dill's dad didn't really come off either for me, it petered out and the metaphor didn't seem to go anywhere.
Just loved Lydia of course, she has the best lines. Travis grew on me, his plot takes off late in the day, and Dill's is rather heart-breaking, scenes with his religious mother frustrating. The friendship between the three adolescents is moving and feels true, with hidden feelings bubbling away.
I unexpectedly had my heart broken somewhat by this book, Zentner rips the rug out from under you and reminds you just how unfair life can be sometimes. And how we have to move on despite these setbacks. He writes the last pages well, it had me in tears.
Definitely a good one to recommend to teenagers. For a UK-born reader, the setting is different, the mindset of the characters something I am not used to, the story one about growing up and moving on one that every teenager needs to get to grips with.
firedew's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Physical abuse, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Bullying
librarydosebykristy's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this on audio and it was really exceptionally well done. Three narrators really brought the three distinct characters to life and added an extra layer of emotion for me. I loved this from start to finish-- three high school outcasts who are not really that tortured by school, rather they struggle with their families and their expected fates and look for a way out of the well trodden paths of their peers. A cathartic, emotional wallop of a book that I highly recommend on audio of you can.
kvreadsandrecs's review against another edition
3.0
Meh. That's all I give it. It wasn't bad. It had some great one-liners. Didn't have a happily ever after which I enjoyed. But overall? Just okay.
Don't judge Goodbye Days by this one though.
Don't judge Goodbye Days by this one though.
kaylarage's review against another edition
4.0
This book is not about snake-handling. Well, it is. A little bit. But not really. It is about kids becoming adults in shitty situations and with shitty families and how growing up sometimes sucks even without those things.
I laughed. I cried. I felt too much. I did all of those things you should do when you read a really good book.
Everyone read this. Jeff Zenter deserves your time.
I laughed. I cried. I felt too much. I did all of those things you should do when you read a really good book.
Everyone read this. Jeff Zenter deserves your time.
talip22's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75