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yoyology's review against another edition
4.0
Brilliant beginning, but loses its momentum toward the end.
dtaylorbooks's review against another edition
5.0
This book is nine different level of FUCKING AWESOME! I don't know what's better; the total snark attack or the fact that the plot is so FUBAR that you have to read it again and again and again because it's twisted your brain into a knot and no matter how much you squint, you just can't untie it.
This is not a book you can just skim through because if you do, you'll be more lost than Hansel and Gretel. You have to pay attention. And if you do, you will be amply rewarded and quite possibly become a Sean Beadoin fangirl/boy by the end of it.
It starts off so linear. A little odd, but linear, normal. Your regular, slightly funky story. And then the weird shit gets weirder but running right along next to it, the fuzziness of all of the situations starts to get clearer. I'm sure that makes zero sense. Weirder and weirder but clearer and clearer. I'm not about to spoil and if I say anything about anything, it'll give it away. Just trust me on this.
I love the language of the characters. It's probably the most realistic I've read in any YA book (which is one big bucket of ironic considering the story, read it and you'll get me). It's not that faux trying-to-be-hip-and-current language that the likes of other YA books try to sound like. The dialogue, the jam, just read so naturally. The OS's upspeak is the shit. Because you know you know someone that sounds like they end all their sentences in questions. You know you do. But how often is that portrayed in YA despite the fact that it goes on all the time? Rarely. You get authors trying to bank on the dialogue but never on the actual patterns. Beaudoin does that. He doesn't rely on colloquialisms of the day to get through. It's all about sentence structure. You know "they" say that that good writers can portray accents not through phonetics but through structure. And it's true.
And this is quite possibly one of the most intricately written books I've ever read. And not just in YA. There is nothing simple in this book despite how simple it appears or how you think you've got it all figured out. You're wrong. The skill that a writer needs to write something so non-linear and so utterly fucked up but keep it this intact and understandable is phenomenal. It makes my writing so one dimensional and makes Beaudoin's look like a nine-sided Rubik's Cube. Sure, everything comes together in the end . . . except there's that one stupid red square in with all those yellows that just . . . won't . . . go . . . back . . .
I have nothing to complain about with this book. And you all know me. Even if I love it there's usually something I can point out. Nope. Not here. I wouldn't call it perfect but this is the kind of writing I'm jealous of. If you like books that really make you think while holding you on the edge of your seat while you flip page after page after page because it's your crack, read this. Read it now. Even the comic in the middle is wicked. A book with pictures! Yay! But seriously. Read it.
This is not a book you can just skim through because if you do, you'll be more lost than Hansel and Gretel. You have to pay attention. And if you do, you will be amply rewarded and quite possibly become a Sean Beadoin fangirl/boy by the end of it.
It starts off so linear. A little odd, but linear, normal. Your regular, slightly funky story. And then the weird shit gets weirder but running right along next to it, the fuzziness of all of the situations starts to get clearer. I'm sure that makes zero sense. Weirder and weirder but clearer and clearer. I'm not about to spoil and if I say anything about anything, it'll give it away. Just trust me on this.
I love the language of the characters. It's probably the most realistic I've read in any YA book (which is one big bucket of ironic considering the story, read it and you'll get me). It's not that faux trying-to-be-hip-and-current language that the likes of other YA books try to sound like. The dialogue, the jam, just read so naturally. The OS's upspeak is the shit. Because you know you know someone that sounds like they end all their sentences in questions. You know you do. But how often is that portrayed in YA despite the fact that it goes on all the time? Rarely. You get authors trying to bank on the dialogue but never on the actual patterns. Beaudoin does that. He doesn't rely on colloquialisms of the day to get through. It's all about sentence structure. You know "they" say that that good writers can portray accents not through phonetics but through structure. And it's true.
And this is quite possibly one of the most intricately written books I've ever read. And not just in YA. There is nothing simple in this book despite how simple it appears or how you think you've got it all figured out. You're wrong. The skill that a writer needs to write something so non-linear and so utterly fucked up but keep it this intact and understandable is phenomenal. It makes my writing so one dimensional and makes Beaudoin's look like a nine-sided Rubik's Cube. Sure, everything comes together in the end . . . except there's that one stupid red square in with all those yellows that just . . . won't . . . go . . . back . . .
I have nothing to complain about with this book. And you all know me. Even if I love it there's usually something I can point out. Nope. Not here. I wouldn't call it perfect but this is the kind of writing I'm jealous of. If you like books that really make you think while holding you on the edge of your seat while you flip page after page after page because it's your crack, read this. Read it now. Even the comic in the middle is wicked. A book with pictures! Yay! But seriously. Read it.
srousseau's review against another edition
3.0
This was the most confusing book I've ever read. And I read a book in which the 12 or so characters you were introduced to were really only 2 people with multiple personalities. In this book just about the time you thought you knew what was going on everything fell apart. Then there's a chapter written as a comic in the middle. I liked the characters. I just wasn't sure what was happening from one chapter to another.
There are a few narrators. Sophie Blue, aka Gothika, has a brother O.S. whose real name is Kenny. Her father disappeared and her mother is not dealing well with this. Kenny Fade (pronounced Fa - day) is the basketball hero of the school. Kenny Fade and Sophie have nothing in common and don't even interact much at school. But, you discover, they both think they are losing their minds. Most of the chapters are from one of their points of view. Each chapter makes sense by itself. I had trouble putting them together. If you read it, post what you thought.
There are a few narrators. Sophie Blue, aka Gothika, has a brother O.S. whose real name is Kenny. Her father disappeared and her mother is not dealing well with this. Kenny Fade (pronounced Fa - day) is the basketball hero of the school. Kenny Fade and Sophie have nothing in common and don't even interact much at school. But, you discover, they both think they are losing their minds. Most of the chapters are from one of their points of view. Each chapter makes sense by itself. I had trouble putting them together. If you read it, post what you thought.
readingbymyself's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the tone of this and how you are actually able to distinguish characters by the way they talk. Sean Beaudoin shows a talent that not many writers have.
I found the premise interesting (although it takes a while to get there) but thought that the book was a bit too short to fully explore the idea. The last minute plot twists felt a bit rushed and in my opinion "the world is shitty no matter what" isn't that hot of a take.
I did enjoy it and since I adored the writing I will check out more from this author.
I found the premise interesting (although it takes a while to get there) but thought that the book was a bit too short to fully explore the idea. The last minute plot twists felt a bit rushed and in my opinion "the world is shitty no matter what" isn't that hot of a take.
I did enjoy it and since I adored the writing I will check out more from this author.
cryforhelp's review against another edition
3.0
At first, with the therapist dialogue in the second chapter, I started worrying that I had gotten too old for YA. Then it got good, then it got weird. Too weird, tbh, I lost the plot about 40% of the way in. I have no idea what happened at the end there, but honestly at the point I was just reading for the vibes. 3/5 for nice energy. Had no clue what was going on but I liked the words.
everydayreading's review against another edition
1.0
This book was just TOO weird. I still have no real idea what happened.
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