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catet15's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
When I started this book I was really skeptical about the writing format as it is all done in the letters going back and forth between Kurl and Jo. The more I read, the more the more I enjoyed the writing because it was different from anything I've ever read. It not only lets you into the character's inner thoughts but also depicts the actual sequence of events. The more I read this novel the more I enjoyed and when s**t hit the fan it was extremely captivating. However, the reason this book doesn't get a 4-star rating is because the ending is so disappointing! There is so much more than could've been to wrap things up and get a full closer for the characters on that chapter of their lives (that chapter of their lives being high school). Also, another thing I found a little weird and slightly off-putting was the age difference between the characters Jo is 15 when the book starts and Kurl is 18. Even though Jo is mature for his age I find that age gap in high school to be a little too much.
silvern0va's review against another edition
I wanted to love this book and at first I did but halfway through the letter format got really, really old. It might switch out of that later on but it went on too long for me to enjoy it.
ciuli's review against another edition
3.0
3,5/5
CW: Homophobia, homophobic slurs, bullying, domestic violence, cheating, internalized homophobia.
I think I may have been a bit too generous with my initial rating and in the end I settled for 3,5/5
______
I stumbled onto this book because it was one of the most hyped releases of 2019 and it claimed to be perfect for fans of Simon VS and Ari&Dante so I taught it'd be the perfect book to take me out of my reading slump, and I was very excited to read it since I had heard good things about it.
Weeeell, I was wrong. Not entirely wrong, because some parts were good, but it didn't sweep me off my feet as I wished it would.
The writing style was very good and the book being written through letters was a very interesting idea, though sometimes a bit surreal. I understand that the author had to put in some dialogues so that we could enjoy the story evolving outside the letters , but Jo and Adam recounting every single word they said to each other in the letters felt fake. No one would write down an entire dialogue they had with that same person in a letter. Maybe, for that kind of intermissions, she could have opted for a diary entry if she didn't want to stray too far from the original style.
I can also understand why people might compare it to Simon VS or Ari&Dante, but while it touched some of the same themes (such as bullying, homophobia and violence), this book was way more harsher than the other two and it might be hard to read for some people. While Simon VS was a nice and easy coming-of-age story, this book deals with pretty heavy topics alongside the coming-of-age aspect: homophobia, domestic violence and physical abuse, night terrors, PTSD and veterans with PTSD, panic attacks. Actually, after finishing it I would say that rather Than Simon VS, this book is more similar to We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson. It touches the same topics, such as homophobia and bullying, and they both share that crude and real way of reporting this issues. So, if you've already read We Are The Ants and found it hard to deal with it, maybe you might want to skip this one.
What really changed my mind about this book was the cheating part. It was something so low and disgusting and unnecessary that had me go "okay, nope nope nope unacceptable".
What they did to Jo was despicable. What's even worse is that Jo's sister didn't even have the courage to apologize to him. She had sex with his boyfriend and in the end she didn't even apologize. (And I'm actually happy that she's not friend with Bron anymore because, honestly, she didn't deserve her. All Bron tried to do was being a good friend, and when she understood that things were getting out of hand and she couldn't deal with the situation alone anymore, she asked for help and that took balls. Because she knew that her best friend was going to be mad at her, but she still had her best interest at heart.)
One of the things I do not condone, either in fiction or in real life, is cheating. I think it's the worst kind of betrayal and something that I could never get over. Cheating means breaking that special trust built between two people in a relationship, and I don't think that things could ever be the same after. That's why, yes, even though I would have loved to see them together in a happily ever after, when Jo told Adam 'no' I was relieved, because I thought "you did good boy, you need to think about yourself and your happiness, once you've done that you can think about forgiving Adam if you want to". And as I was saying, even if we would have been left with a bittersweet ending, it would have been more real and better for Jo's wellbeing.
CW: Homophobia, homophobic slurs, bullying, domestic violence, cheating, internalized homophobia.
I think I may have been a bit too generous with my initial rating and in the end I settled for 3,5/5
______
I stumbled onto this book because it was one of the most hyped releases of 2019 and it claimed to be perfect for fans of Simon VS and Ari&Dante so I taught it'd be the perfect book to take me out of my reading slump, and I was very excited to read it since I had heard good things about it.
Weeeell, I was wrong. Not entirely wrong, because some parts were good, but it didn't sweep me off my feet as I wished it would.
The writing style was very good and the book being written through letters was a very interesting idea, though sometimes a bit surreal. I understand that the author had to put in some dialogues so that we could enjoy the story evolving outside the letters , but Jo and Adam recounting every single word they said to each other in the letters felt fake. No one would write down an entire dialogue they had with that same person in a letter. Maybe, for that kind of intermissions, she could have opted for a diary entry if she didn't want to stray too far from the original style.
I can also understand why people might compare it to Simon VS or Ari&Dante, but while it touched some of the same themes (such as bullying, homophobia and violence), this book was way more harsher than the other two and it might be hard to read for some people. While Simon VS was a nice and easy coming-of-age story, this book deals with pretty heavy topics alongside the coming-of-age aspect: homophobia, domestic violence and physical abuse, night terrors, PTSD and veterans with PTSD, panic attacks. Actually, after finishing it I would say that rather Than Simon VS, this book is more similar to We Are The Ants by Shaun David Hutchinson. It touches the same topics, such as homophobia and bullying, and they both share that crude and real way of reporting this issues. So, if you've already read We Are The Ants and found it hard to deal with it, maybe you might want to skip this one.
What really changed my mind about this book was the cheating part. It was something so low and disgusting and unnecessary that had me go "okay, nope nope nope unacceptable".
What they did to Jo was despicable. What's even worse is that Jo's sister didn't even have the courage to apologize to him. She had sex with his boyfriend and in the end she didn't even apologize. (And I'm actually happy that she's not friend with Bron anymore because, honestly, she didn't deserve her. All Bron tried to do was being a good friend, and when she understood that things were getting out of hand and she couldn't deal with the situation alone anymore, she asked for help and that took balls. Because she knew that her best friend was going to be mad at her, but she still had her best interest at heart.)
One of the things I do not condone, either in fiction or in real life, is cheating. I think it's the worst kind of betrayal and something that I could never get over. Cheating means breaking that special trust built between two people in a relationship, and I don't think that things could ever be the same after. That's why, yes, even though I would have loved to see them together in a happily ever after, when Jo told Adam 'no' I was relieved, because I thought "you did good boy, you need to think about yourself and your happiness, once you've done that you can think about forgiving Adam if you want to". And as I was saying, even if we would have been left with a bittersweet ending, it would have been more real and better for Jo's wellbeing.
blurrypetals's review against another edition
4.0
This was what I was searching for when I read Bill Konigsberg's The Music of What Happens.
I really enjoyed quite a lot of this book. It was very nearly a five star read, but the final quarter of the book truly became a slog. Prior to that, however, this actually reminded me quite a lot of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is incredibly high praise 'round these parts.
But, as I said, the ending was really tough to get through. I kept finding my attention drawn away and I was restless, ready for things to wrap up already.
That said, this was a really sweet read with a lot of heart and character and I really enjoyed it. A solid thumbs up.
I really enjoyed quite a lot of this book. It was very nearly a five star read, but the final quarter of the book truly became a slog. Prior to that, however, this actually reminded me quite a lot of The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which is incredibly high praise 'round these parts.
But, as I said, the ending was really tough to get through. I kept finding my attention drawn away and I was restless, ready for things to wrap up already.
That said, this was a really sweet read with a lot of heart and character and I really enjoyed it. A solid thumbs up.
smateer73's review against another edition
3.0
This book was really emotionally intense but also good. The concept is unique and the plot is developed well. It’s nice to read about flawed characters
kater07's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
bettielovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
So many emotions, I really loved it, the characters were complex, as well as the things they went through. It was heartbreaking how adults won’t see what’s happening around them or won’t do anything to protect these teenagers under their wings.
jowithtwoiis's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so beautiful to me! I really enjoyed watching the correspondence between these two seemingly polar opposite people unfold. It was a lovely journey to learn about each of them as they learn about each other and how they affect each other's lives. I totally recommend it. I think if you like What If It's Us? and want something even more heart stirring and intimate then this is a logical next read.
adylynn15's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? Yes
4.5