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thepaperreels's review against another edition
4.0
I'm giving away a copy of this book HERE and its OPEN INTERNATIONALLY!
[trigger warning: gun violence]
"Not anymore, though. Hell, no. This is about me. It is my story. Because of my past, I will make sure my future is different."
Accidental is such a refreshing read, a book that I can confidently say we don't encounter much. Don't you just admire authors that are brave enough to weave a story that includes heavy and tough subjects about today’s society? I think we should stop shying away from books that are considered "political".
In Accidental, Johanna, our main character, is dealing with a secret that her absentee father brought with him when he showed up after missing from her life for so many years. We get to see why the huge secret was kept hidden in the first place, how it affected Johanna’s relationships, and most importantly, we get to witness how Johanna will handle all of it. I didn't like our main character at first and it took a chapter or two before I warmed up to her. Johanna is authentic with a real voice of a teen who got her life turned upside down. You can feel how betrayed she was as it was written in a very effective way by the author. Johanna as a person isn't perfect, she's angsty, she can be self-involved and mean to her friends and even to her own family but what's great about Johanna is that Richards took us with her on her journey to emotional maturity. She became self-aware and owned up to her mistakes and everything was penned in a very realistic and interesting way. (and side note: I LOVE ALL THE STAR WARS reference) l commend how the relationships are written especially the one with Johanna and her grandparents. It was moving and one of the main drives of this story.
I enjoyed the plot and the pacing of Accidental which makes it difficult to put down. I was fooled by the first two to three chapters thinking it will just be another YA realistic fiction, but I was so wrong. Every chapter is striking and written in a gorgeous way which makes it very readable. The story is executed in a very brave and yet delicate manner. And what I find great is how everyone got their character development and that everyone’s underlying subplot was addressed. Each subplot has a purpose as well that makes the story as a whole. There was a light touch of romance that I like!! I fell for our love interest, Milo. He's an amazing and realistic teenage boy. The romance isn't that heavy but necessary as it showed how Johanna managed to use this relationship for her betterment. Truly admiring!
If you think Accidental is just another YA Realistic Fiction, think again. Accidental has something new to offer at the YA table and it's something that every reader should read at least once. Accidental is brave and necessary, a story with a punch!
[trigger warning: gun violence]
"Not anymore, though. Hell, no. This is about me. It is my story. Because of my past, I will make sure my future is different."
Accidental is such a refreshing read, a book that I can confidently say we don't encounter much. Don't you just admire authors that are brave enough to weave a story that includes heavy and tough subjects about today’s society? I think we should stop shying away from books that are considered "political".
In Accidental, Johanna, our main character, is dealing with a secret that her absentee father brought with him when he showed up after missing from her life for so many years. We get to see why the huge secret was kept hidden in the first place, how it affected Johanna’s relationships, and most importantly, we get to witness how Johanna will handle all of it. I didn't like our main character at first and it took a chapter or two before I warmed up to her. Johanna is authentic with a real voice of a teen who got her life turned upside down. You can feel how betrayed she was as it was written in a very effective way by the author. Johanna as a person isn't perfect, she's angsty, she can be self-involved and mean to her friends and even to her own family but what's great about Johanna is that Richards took us with her on her journey to emotional maturity. She became self-aware and owned up to her mistakes and everything was penned in a very realistic and interesting way. (and side note: I LOVE ALL THE STAR WARS reference) l commend how the relationships are written especially the one with Johanna and her grandparents. It was moving and one of the main drives of this story.
I enjoyed the plot and the pacing of Accidental which makes it difficult to put down. I was fooled by the first two to three chapters thinking it will just be another YA realistic fiction, but I was so wrong. Every chapter is striking and written in a gorgeous way which makes it very readable. The story is executed in a very brave and yet delicate manner. And what I find great is how everyone got their character development and that everyone’s underlying subplot was addressed. Each subplot has a purpose as well that makes the story as a whole. There was a light touch of romance that I like!! I fell for our love interest, Milo. He's an amazing and realistic teenage boy. The romance isn't that heavy but necessary as it showed how Johanna managed to use this relationship for her betterment. Truly admiring!
If you think Accidental is just another YA Realistic Fiction, think again. Accidental has something new to offer at the YA table and it's something that every reader should read at least once. Accidental is brave and necessary, a story with a punch!
courtneyreadsitall's review against another edition
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
the_argumentative_bong's review against another edition
3.0
3.25⭐ (rounded off)
I didn't really feel too attached to either the protagonist or the story. It took me more than 4 months to read this one.
I didn't really feel too attached to either the protagonist or the story. It took me more than 4 months to read this one.
wildflowerz76's review
4.0
Johanna's life is a bit stifling. Her mom does in a car accident when she was a toddler and her dad left her, so she's being raised by her maternal grandparents. They're perfectly nice, but they don't mention Johanna's mom. Ever. So when her dad contacts her after over a decade of silence, she decides to meet him. But when he tells her that her mom did not die in a car crash, but was actually killed by an unsecured gun in their home by Johanna herself, she's at a loss on how to deal with that.
Johanna is a character that's very easy to empathize with. The author does a fantastic job showing her distress at everything she's being asked to deal with, as well as giving us a romance that doesn't overshadow the main plot and supportive friends who will do anything for her.
This is being touted line a YA story on gun violence in schools, but that feels like a vast exaggeration to me. The actual gun violence here wasn't in a school and even when they talked about it in school in the story, it had nothing to do with school shootings. In fact, there wasn't even really an opinion on gun violence other than: Gun violence is bad. Even the disagreement with Johanna's classmates didn't seem to have anything to do with guns, but rather graphetti. This was a good read, bit it could have done a lot more to talk about the gun problem.
Johanna is a character that's very easy to empathize with. The author does a fantastic job showing her distress at everything she's being asked to deal with, as well as giving us a romance that doesn't overshadow the main plot and supportive friends who will do anything for her.
This is being touted line a YA story on gun violence in schools, but that feels like a vast exaggeration to me. The actual gun violence here wasn't in a school and even when they talked about it in school in the story, it had nothing to do with school shootings. In fact, there wasn't even really an opinion on gun violence other than: Gun violence is bad. Even the disagreement with Johanna's classmates didn't seem to have anything to do with guns, but rather graphetti. This was a good read, bit it could have done a lot more to talk about the gun problem.
f3rn_'s review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kh530's review
I saw the premise and thought it was interesting but the writing was just… oh boy. I didn’t get past the first few chapter because it and I just did not vibe together. Also I could tell right away the author probably wasn’t raised by her grandparents because of how she described the MC feeling about it.
cc_shelflove's review
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Children’s for providing a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This was an extremely powerful debut. Joanna’s grandparents have a secret. When that secret is brought to light by the father who abandoned her, Joanna’s entire world is turned upside down. I have seen mentions that this book will promote conversations about gun control, but I think it deals with a more important topic: gun safety. Who should have access to guns, and how do we properly store our guns? The book also brings to light that in times of crisis, it is okay to ask for help. An outstanding YA read.
This was an extremely powerful debut. Joanna’s grandparents have a secret. When that secret is brought to light by the father who abandoned her, Joanna’s entire world is turned upside down. I have seen mentions that this book will promote conversations about gun control, but I think it deals with a more important topic: gun safety. Who should have access to guns, and how do we properly store our guns? The book also brings to light that in times of crisis, it is okay to ask for help. An outstanding YA read.
rashmi's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hawthornejourney's review
5.0
I don't know where I heard about this one, or what prompted me to pick it up. Was it in one of the many issues of BookList or Kirkus that I pore over every month? I tend to avoid dark reads because my own mental health practically demands it, but morbid curiosity sometimes gets the best of me, and that was definitely the case here. It's treated as a psuedo-twist -- the book cover gives away what really happened that was "accidental," so I knew what I was getting into.
The book is dark, but it's also cute at times and plain frustrating at others (in that "ugh, this is so how people would have behaved when I was in high school" kind of way). I'm not sure who I might recommend this to, because it's one of those books that might be 'too real' for teens who've endured trauma, but it was very well written and there is hope for the main character by the end of the story.
(As an aside, I wish my high school relationship had been as healthy as Milo and Johanna's. Boundaries! Mutual respect! Apologizing when you did something wrong! All great aspects of a functional and healthy relationship.)
The book is dark, but it's also cute at times and plain frustrating at others (in that "ugh, this is so how people would have behaved when I was in high school" kind of way). I'm not sure who I might recommend this to, because it's one of those books that might be 'too real' for teens who've endured trauma, but it was very well written and there is hope for the main character by the end of the story.
(As an aside, I wish my high school relationship had been as healthy as Milo and Johanna's. Boundaries! Mutual respect! Apologizing when you did something wrong! All great aspects of a functional and healthy relationship.)
liachipps_13's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0