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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
Knew this book was not going to be my cup of tea, but decided to try it anyway. My best praise is that I appreciated the honesty within each character, as they encountered the many facets of a budding relationship, though Stanley sometimes felt a little too "Manic Pixie Dream Boy." I didn't hate it as much as I was expecting. 2.5 Stars.
Great for fans of John Green and Nicola Yoon.
Great for fans of John Green and Nicola Yoon.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Read for Librarian Book Group
Quirky romance with a main character who is on the autism spectrum, this book is also a good depiction of living in poverty. The lows are very harrowing and I had a lot of worry while reading.
Quirky romance with a main character who is on the autism spectrum, this book is also a good depiction of living in poverty. The lows are very harrowing and I had a lot of worry while reading.
adventurous
emotional
informative
mysterious
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:
Complicated
YA book, protagonist is an autistic teenager who has gained emancipation and who has a dark past--and a troubled present. She finds it hard to relate to others, until she starts talking to a boy online, and then meets him in person.
It's good to read about atypical people.
My 14 year old daughter read this before me and then I read it and thought--well! there is more sex in this than I expected!
It's good to read about atypical people.
My 14 year old daughter read this before me and then I read it and thought--well! there is more sex in this than I expected!
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Suicide
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content
Minor: Medical content, Injury/Injury detail
4.5 stars.
It was a beautiful gripping read. It made me care so much for the characters and I loved the connection to Watership Down.
It was a beautiful gripping read. It made me care so much for the characters and I loved the connection to Watership Down.
CW: ableism, ableism-motivated violence, homelessness, unemployment, poverty, PTSD, abuse, attempted murder, hospitals, foster care
I feel so weird for not liking this :(
First off: I am neither autistic nor do I have OI, I do have a physical disability (cerebral palsy) and PTSD.
I'm going to try to do this in a chronological order:
The portrait of Alvie as an autistic girl seemed realistic to me, there was no stereotypical stuff and I felt like it's been done respectfully.
When Alvie wonders about s*x, she says it's a human basic instinct and wonders if she, if she doesn't want to or can't have s*x, is still human. Which, idk, comes off a bit acephobic to me?
Stanley has a lot of internalised ableism. Like, how could Alvie choose "a boy like him", with her being "so attractive, kind etc"...
Alvie's mother is very focused on "fixing her", when the principal suggests Alvie would have a better experience at another school she says that she wants Alvie to have a "normal childhood" and asks her if she should send her to a "special school[?] To one of those places where half the children can't even talk?". She also says: "I want you to have a life [...] That will never happen if we don't fix this."
There's also some violence and several ableistic-motivated crimes, mention of the c-word.
The judge literally makes her deny her diagnosis, because "if you have a mental disability (...) it might necessitate placing you under permanent guardianship". Alvie challenges that, internally, "it's not that simple (..)", but to the judge says that her "diagnosis was a mistake" and gets emancipated. Which, yes, of course the system is inherently ableist but ooofff.
Then there's this interlude with the schizophrenia diagnosis which got dropped quite quickly? Unnecessary IMO
And there's the finale where Alvie's mother tries to kill herself and her daughter "out of love" and at that point I was just over it, I'm sorry. There's SO MUCH ABLEISM IN THIS BOOK. And some of it does get challenged but it's such an exhausting read as a disabled person. (Do you know how many disabled persons ARE murdered by their caregivers? If you do it as a plot point, please, give it more room and not to "pack another punch")
(And of course Alvie and Stanley DO have s*x in the end, because she is ~human~ and can do it and can feel connection (of course! But it could have been shown differently?)
Also Stanley being the nerdy disabled guy who never had a girlfriend? Stereotype much?
>/spoiler>
I mean yay for the "you don't need to get fixed and you're normal to me" message but ... all in all I don't like the way it was done.
I feel so weird for not liking this :(
First off: I am neither autistic nor do I have OI, I do have a physical disability (cerebral palsy) and PTSD.
I'm going to try to do this in a chronological order:
The portrait of Alvie as an autistic girl seemed realistic to me, there was no stereotypical stuff and I felt like it's been done respectfully.
Spoiler
When Alvie wonders about s*x, she says it's a human basic instinct and wonders if she, if she doesn't want to or can't have s*x, is still human. Which, idk, comes off a bit acephobic to me?
Stanley has a lot of internalised ableism. Like, how could Alvie choose "a boy like him", with her being "so attractive, kind etc"...
Alvie's mother is very focused on "fixing her", when the principal suggests Alvie would have a better experience at another school she says that she wants Alvie to have a "normal childhood" and asks her if she should send her to a "special school[?] To one of those places where half the children can't even talk?". She also says: "I want you to have a life [...] That will never happen if we don't fix this."
There's also some violence and several ableistic-motivated crimes, mention of the c-word.
The judge literally makes her deny her diagnosis, because "if you have a mental disability (...) it might necessitate placing you under permanent guardianship". Alvie challenges that, internally, "it's not that simple (..)", but to the judge says that her "diagnosis was a mistake" and gets emancipated. Which, yes, of course the system is inherently ableist but ooofff.
Then there's this interlude with the schizophrenia diagnosis which got dropped quite quickly? Unnecessary IMO
And there's the finale where Alvie's mother tries to kill herself and her daughter "out of love" and at that point I was just over it, I'm sorry. There's SO MUCH ABLEISM IN THIS BOOK. And some of it does get challenged but it's such an exhausting read as a disabled person. (Do you know how many disabled persons ARE murdered by their caregivers? If you do it as a plot point, please, give it more room and not to "pack another punch")
(And of course Alvie and Stanley DO have s*x in the end, because she is ~human~ and can do it and can feel connection (of course! But it could have been shown differently?)
Also Stanley being the nerdy disabled guy who never had a girlfriend? Stereotype much?
>/spoiler>
I mean yay for the "you don't need to get fixed and you're normal to me" message but ... all in all I don't like the way it was done.
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes