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sommer22's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Author is self-aware about the adult-minor relationships in the book. Some racially insensitive things are said as well. Those are my only two knocks on this book. The main character, Johanna, reminded me of myself a bit when I was a younger teen: confused, filled with wanderlust, and cringe. This is exactly the kind of book I needed at this point in my life as I'm getting over the identity-crisis hump of my high school years. It speaks greatly to the innate fluctuations of the human identity, and the impossibility of cynicism and staying in one niche for your entire life. Kids do be stupid, but society shouldn't shame them for it. That only engenders cynicism and disdain for others. They just want to have a sense of belonging, and as Moran points out, no one will be able to truly provide you your own identity but yourself. The greatest facet of self-love is the acceptance of change, which allows us to love and accept others when they change as well.
There's no way Johanna isn't a Leo, but she can't be, considering she's still 17 in October. Sagittarius?
There's no way Johanna isn't a Leo, but she can't be, considering she's still 17 in October. Sagittarius?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Body horror
Moderate: Mental illness, Pregnancy, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Drug abuse, and Fatphobia
Minor: Racial slurs
This book is British, so it uses their slang term for cigarettes, which in the U.S. is an LGBT slur (the f-slur.) I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone with trauma with that term, since it's used quite a bit.
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