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jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
3.0
Although the vibrant cover and intriguing description initially drew me to this book, I'm afraid that the story doesn't quite live up to either. Jasper is a curious choice as protagonist; framing the events from his point of view in order to get the full effect of his synesthesia provides a unique experience, but at times the thoughts within his perspective are borderline annoying and it is difficult to get a complete grasp on any of the other characters. The mystery was a nonstarter for me until over halfway through when several twists are revealed and thus I finally wanted to know the details of what happened to Bee. The back cover comparison to [b:The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|1618|The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time|Mark Haddon|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1479863624s/1618.jpg|4259809] and recommendation of this novel for Graeme Simsion fans are both apt, yet I'm baffled as to why readers of Fredrik Backman in particular would enjoy this tale.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for providing me with a copy of this title.
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for providing me with a copy of this title.
nika_nix's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written and unique thriller about one very special boy. This is the most colorful book I've ever read and even though reading about Jasper was sometimes really hard, I really enjoyed the experience of reading this. I was not the biggest fan of the ending but I liked the story so much that I'm willing to overlook the lacking logic. I hated Bee so much that I'm actually very glad she died, she was just a manipulative bitch who took advantage of everyone and sad past is not an excuse. Jasper is a sweetheart and I loved seeing the world through his eyes, he's definitely the most unique main character I've ever read about.
bug_lightyear's review against another edition
2.0
An awful book. Why did an author who has no first hand experience in autism choose to write such a story? The main character is an autistic kid who sees colours for sounds and is face blind, and is framing himself as a murderer but nobody believes him. This book has bullying, r-word insults, child abuse and more awful themes, and the autistic kid is mostly a stereotype of being a genius at painting and doing quite bad with social cues, with a dad who doesn't understand his stimming (flapping and rocking to keep up with the stereotypes). He loves parakeets and despite other reviewers hating them I actually missed more heavy infodumping because he clearly has a deep interest in them and knows more than we're told.
The intrigue peaks with more child abuse and a very distressed main character. I got this book for free because the library was giving it away and I was wondering why, well now I understand, it's not a good book especially taken as a book to understand autism or synaesthesia. I was looking forward to reading a possibly relatable book from an autistic point of view, but it's written by someone who did research, and that research falls short from portraying a genuine autistic character.
I usually avoid these kind of books and themes and should have looked at content warnings before.
The intrigue peaks with more child abuse and a very distressed main character. I got this book for free because the library was giving it away and I was wondering why, well now I understand, it's not a good book especially taken as a book to understand autism or synaesthesia. I was looking forward to reading a possibly relatable book from an autistic point of view, but it's written by someone who did research, and that research falls short from portraying a genuine autistic character.
I usually avoid these kind of books and themes and should have looked at content warnings before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Gun violence
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Self harm, Physical abuse, Pedophilia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Murder, Medical trauma, Gun violence, Grief, Death of parent, Vomit, Mental illness, Adult/minor relationship, and Ableism
christyc's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this book isnt for everyone but it got me back into reading and i will forever thank it for that
isamulti's review against another edition
3.0
Roman surprenant rempli de sensibilité. Certains passages m'ont parus très longs d'où le 3 étoiles mais le récit comme tel et le personnage de Jasper m'ont charmé.
phoenixspring03's review against another edition
5.0
Really quirky and interesting writing. Not a predictable plot. Has a lovely feel good feel (even with the sad parts) and lots of moments that make you smile or outright laugh at how Jasper interprets what people say.
Wasn't sure for the first couple of chapters, it's written so differently to other books, all the colours and shapes to describe things, but it's part of the charm of the book if you can give it a chance, it soon grows on you and is what makes it so beautiful.
Wasn't sure for the first couple of chapters, it's written so differently to other books, all the colours and shapes to describe things, but it's part of the charm of the book if you can give it a chance, it soon grows on you and is what makes it so beautiful.
wthzmar's review against another edition
3.0
descobri o assassino em menos de 100 páginas @ fbi contrata-me
loudbookstore's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audiobook and thought it was absolutely brilliant. Loved every second of it!
septimusmith's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most original novels I’ve read lately. It's a colorful, funny, and sad story. Jasper, the main character, is one unusual boy who made me empathize with. Every neighborhood should have its own Jasper in it!