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sp1derpr1ncess's review against another edition
2.0
this book was weird.
of course, it was supposed to be, and it did have good world building.
however, I wouldn’t read it again.
I didn’t feel compelled by the plot, as I couldn’t even pin it down (I had to stop halfway and reread the blurb).
of course, it was supposed to be, and it did have good world building.
however, I wouldn’t read it again.
I didn’t feel compelled by the plot, as I couldn’t even pin it down (I had to stop halfway and reread the blurb).
illumreads's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
even though my rating stands at a 3.75, i thoroughly enjoyed the story of billy and lydia, especially billy. within his story arc, as emotional as it was, i saw so much of my younger self within this character. i have never cried while reading a book but darn it, did i ever come close with this one. amy reed really pulled at the heartstrings with this character and for that i am truly thankful. the reasoning as to why i only gave this novel a 3.75 is because even though the story is character driven, the pacing was extremely slow for my liking. there were chapters where it truly felt as if the plot wasn't going anywhere. but i continued on and i am glad that i did.
rainy_reader03's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
4.5
jenlovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Partner NetGalley for the digital ARC of Amy Reed’s The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World in exchange for an honest review. The book releases July 9.
From the opening of Amy Reed’s The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World, we know that her story will be both firmly rooted in our reality and also slightly off from that reality. The epigraph comes from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and focuses on people’s preference for home, even if that home is “dreary and gray” (loc. 38). As the novel begins, we’re immersed in the world of Billy and Lydia, dual protagonists whose points of view alternate to tell the story. Billy is from Rome, and Lydia is from Carthage. These dueling sister towns in Washington hold a sort of joint claim to fame: Christie Romney’s Unicorns vs. Dragons YA teen fantasy series (which is set in Carthage) and Caleb Sloat’s band Rainy Day Knife Fight (Caleb, Billy’s uncle, grew up in—and escaped from—Rome).
The world here is gritty; both teenagers are familiar with poverty and hunger, and both are outcasts who are deeply lonely. Billy’s grandmother has raised him in a home of hoarding and neglect, while Lydia’s father Larry is a single dad. After her mother died in a car accident in the midst of abandoning them, Lydia has built emotional walls around herself, choosing loneliness over vulnerability. Billy, conversely, is constantly reaching out only to be turned away by everyone. When Billy approaches Lydia after the consolidation of their schools, Lydia responds with her typical bristly comeback . . . but she also leaves the door open to friendship.
We come to know Billy as someone who is constantly trying. He tries to be better, to learn more, to be kinder, more helpful. He relies on the “twenty-four-hour AA meeting channel” (loc. 284) and television therapists for advice because no one in his life cares enough to offer any. Lydia, meanwhile, has walled herself off from her father just as she has from everyone else. Her only hope seems to come in the dancing that serves as her emotional outlet and her inspiration.
The friendship between Billy and Lydia, which is absolutely my favorite part of the book, grows slowly as their world becomes stranger. The leader of the U.S. is the King, and his behavior becomes more outrageous as the plot unfolds (yes, there are some shadows of our real political situation here!). Billy’s house turns against him, disintegrating and seeming to hold something threatening in its walls. Lydia is followed by a shadowy figure of which she can’t quite get a clear view. And then there’s the fog, which grows thicker and smells and becomes more malicious as the story continues. Through all of this growing magic, Billy and Lydia nurture—sometimes grudgingly—their friendship, fighting through the easy urge to turn against each other when their lives go wrong. Watching them come to know each other and to understand the other’s weaknesses and strengths is a beautiful journey.
I really appreciated the gradual growth of the dark magic that surrounds Rome and Carthage: there’s much that’s sinister in this novel, but none of the fantasy evil overshadows the malevolence rooted firmly in reality, in the casual cruelty of the people who are supposed to care most for these teenagers or in the easy aggression of their peers. Amy Reed is brilliant at making us feel the loneliness and sadness against which Billy and Lydia fight, and because that depression is so vivid, I found the moments of hope and courage and earnestness to be so, so moving. The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World isn’t easily categorized into a single genre and should therefore appeal to a multitude of readers.
From the opening of Amy Reed’s The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World, we know that her story will be both firmly rooted in our reality and also slightly off from that reality. The epigraph comes from L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and focuses on people’s preference for home, even if that home is “dreary and gray” (loc. 38). As the novel begins, we’re immersed in the world of Billy and Lydia, dual protagonists whose points of view alternate to tell the story. Billy is from Rome, and Lydia is from Carthage. These dueling sister towns in Washington hold a sort of joint claim to fame: Christie Romney’s Unicorns vs. Dragons YA teen fantasy series (which is set in Carthage) and Caleb Sloat’s band Rainy Day Knife Fight (Caleb, Billy’s uncle, grew up in—and escaped from—Rome).
The world here is gritty; both teenagers are familiar with poverty and hunger, and both are outcasts who are deeply lonely. Billy’s grandmother has raised him in a home of hoarding and neglect, while Lydia’s father Larry is a single dad. After her mother died in a car accident in the midst of abandoning them, Lydia has built emotional walls around herself, choosing loneliness over vulnerability. Billy, conversely, is constantly reaching out only to be turned away by everyone. When Billy approaches Lydia after the consolidation of their schools, Lydia responds with her typical bristly comeback . . . but she also leaves the door open to friendship.
We come to know Billy as someone who is constantly trying. He tries to be better, to learn more, to be kinder, more helpful. He relies on the “twenty-four-hour AA meeting channel” (loc. 284) and television therapists for advice because no one in his life cares enough to offer any. Lydia, meanwhile, has walled herself off from her father just as she has from everyone else. Her only hope seems to come in the dancing that serves as her emotional outlet and her inspiration.
The friendship between Billy and Lydia, which is absolutely my favorite part of the book, grows slowly as their world becomes stranger. The leader of the U.S. is the King, and his behavior becomes more outrageous as the plot unfolds (yes, there are some shadows of our real political situation here!). Billy’s house turns against him, disintegrating and seeming to hold something threatening in its walls. Lydia is followed by a shadowy figure of which she can’t quite get a clear view. And then there’s the fog, which grows thicker and smells and becomes more malicious as the story continues. Through all of this growing magic, Billy and Lydia nurture—sometimes grudgingly—their friendship, fighting through the easy urge to turn against each other when their lives go wrong. Watching them come to know each other and to understand the other’s weaknesses and strengths is a beautiful journey.
I really appreciated the gradual growth of the dark magic that surrounds Rome and Carthage: there’s much that’s sinister in this novel, but none of the fantasy evil overshadows the malevolence rooted firmly in reality, in the casual cruelty of the people who are supposed to care most for these teenagers or in the easy aggression of their peers. Amy Reed is brilliant at making us feel the loneliness and sadness against which Billy and Lydia fight, and because that depression is so vivid, I found the moments of hope and courage and earnestness to be so, so moving. The Boy and Girl Who Broke the World isn’t easily categorized into a single genre and should therefore appeal to a multitude of readers.
itssomadison's review against another edition
3.0
i have many thoughts on this book first one is that the plot was all over the place and i didn’t really enjoy it... i feel like this book would have been a wonderful fiction book and the entire fantasy/dystopian aspects could have been done without.
but i rated this book because of how emotional it was!! the characters were all amazing and i loved each of them so much. watching them grow over the 500 pgs that was this book was great!!!
i thought billy and lydia would end up together but i LOVE LOVE LOVE that they didn’t because i loved lydia and natalie together so much i didn’t expect this book to be gay so when it was ahhhhh so happy
i also want to specifically say i loved caleb even though i feel like he would be easy to hate!!! i just loved him ahhhh
honestly i really just loved this book and if you are a character >>>> plot person please read this you will love it!!!!
but i rated this book because of how emotional it was!! the characters were all amazing and i loved each of them so much. watching them grow over the 500 pgs that was this book was great!!!
i thought billy and lydia would end up together but i LOVE LOVE LOVE that they didn’t because i loved lydia and natalie together so much i didn’t expect this book to be gay so when it was ahhhhh so happy
i also want to specifically say i loved caleb even though i feel like he would be easy to hate!!! i just loved him ahhhh
honestly i really just loved this book and if you are a character >>>> plot person please read this you will love it!!!!
lolarmoore's review against another edition
3.0
Does a poor job conveying the dystopia, otherwise pretty good.
alist777's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
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
inarar's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most riveting books I've ever read and it really hit home on a multitude of aspects. I really loved the main characters Billy and Lydia- two polar opposites who completed each other- who did their best in a reality which seemed to be at its worst.
hilary_v's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Child abuse, and Drug use