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nerfherder86's review against another edition
4.0
Realistic novel about the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome on a family, as well as a look at how social media can spread opinions, true or not. Also tackles divisive school elections, racism, the nature of patriotism, and the state of veterans' health care today; there's really quite a lot going on here. The main plotline is the friendship of two girls, one Caucasian and one an Iraqi American Muslim, and how it suffers when Stella, the white girl,'s brother is arrested for assault when he was coming to the defense of a Muslim teen boy getting bullied. Not everyone in town sees him as a rescuer, they accuse him of supporting terrorism. This sets off a chain of events, throws a wrench in Stella's campaign for class president, involves even local politicians, and brings up a lot of emotions in both families. Excellent book for middle school (7th grade and up)
applebutter_and_pickles's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, and War
audrey_a26's review against another edition
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Islamophobia, Racism, and Suicide
violet123's review against another edition
emotional
fast-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
4.0
eliasreads's review against another edition
2.0
I’ve had this book kind of sitting around so I wanted to try reading it. I think my main gripe with the book was the exposition and characters. Stella is a white girl with white privilege who doesn’t quite understand all her faults. While Ferida was a good character and did her best to tell Stella the problems with some of the things Stella thought, she just wasn’t my favorite character. I think this book handled ptsd and what veterans deal with in a good way especially since this book is targeted towards more middle grade. It was just the writing for me. The characters felt unnatural and the romance plot line felt stale and didn’t need to happen in my opinion. I feel there could have been better things in this book, but for what it is I do think it’s a good book for younger audiences, it just wasn’t for me.
popthebutterfly's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received this book via KidLitExchange. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: October 9th, 2018
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 14+ (PTSD, racism, violence, mature scenes)
Pages: 352
Author Website
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Stella and Farida have been best friends forever, but lately things have been tense. It all started when Stella's brother came home from his latest tour with the US Marines in Afghanistan paranoid and angry. But Stella won't talk about it, and Farida can tell she's keeping something from her.
Desperate to help Rob, Stella thinks she just needs to get him out of the house. She definitely didn't expect going to the movies to end with Rob in handcuffs for assaulting one of her classmates after his anger spiraled out of control.
When a video of the fight goes viral, everyone has an opinion of Stella and her "violent vet" brother.
The entire school takes sides, the media labels Rob a terrorist sympathizer, and even Farida is dragged into the mess despite not being there. As the story continues trending, Stella will have to decide just how far she's willing to go for the truth, even if it means admitting her own failures.
I thought this book did really good with showing PTSD, how vets are different when they come home, and racism, although I’m not a person who experiences either so please don’t take my statement as fact and seek out reviewers who do experience these things. I also thought the character development, plot, and writing were all really well done.
However, I do feel that the pacing was a bit slow at times and I felt a disconnection between the relationship of the two friends Stella and Farida. It didn’t really feel like two teen girls and their relationship just felt off to me.
Verdict: A great story with some tough topics.
Rating: 4/5
Publication Date: October 9th, 2018
Genre: YA Contemporary
Recommended Age: 14+ (PTSD, racism, violence, mature scenes)
Pages: 352
Author Website
Amazon Link
Synopsis: Stella and Farida have been best friends forever, but lately things have been tense. It all started when Stella's brother came home from his latest tour with the US Marines in Afghanistan paranoid and angry. But Stella won't talk about it, and Farida can tell she's keeping something from her.
Desperate to help Rob, Stella thinks she just needs to get him out of the house. She definitely didn't expect going to the movies to end with Rob in handcuffs for assaulting one of her classmates after his anger spiraled out of control.
When a video of the fight goes viral, everyone has an opinion of Stella and her "violent vet" brother.
The entire school takes sides, the media labels Rob a terrorist sympathizer, and even Farida is dragged into the mess despite not being there. As the story continues trending, Stella will have to decide just how far she's willing to go for the truth, even if it means admitting her own failures.
I thought this book did really good with showing PTSD, how vets are different when they come home, and racism, although I’m not a person who experiences either so please don’t take my statement as fact and seek out reviewers who do experience these things. I also thought the character development, plot, and writing were all really well done.
However, I do feel that the pacing was a bit slow at times and I felt a disconnection between the relationship of the two friends Stella and Farida. It didn’t really feel like two teen girls and their relationship just felt off to me.
Verdict: A great story with some tough topics.
missnewvillage's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book. I liked that it included discussions on veteran’s mental health and ignorance regarding race, ethnicity, and religion, and politics. I didn’t expect it to go where it did and I think for teen readers it’s good to see characters who grow and change in their beliefs. It’s also good for them to see characters who make mistakes when advocating for issues they care about because of their privilege and not let the call out get them defensive and stop them from trying anymore.
audreylee's review against another edition
4.0
Stella's brother suffering from PTSD has a violent interaction with her classmate who is being a racist jerk. Enter today's news and politics cycle. While this was a little heavy handed at times, it also had some great moments of friendship and romance.
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