Reviews

No One Left but You by Tash McAdam

steel_city_peach's review against another edition

emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Very Light on the Thrill

I started an ARC for this book a few months ago, but it didn’t grab me. I decided to revisit it because I really wanted to love it. I made it to the end this time, but it still didn’t wow me. The story felt so convoluted at times. I struggled to keep some of the characters straight. Much of the story just didn’t make sense to me. Most of the time I felt like this wasn’t meant for me to understand. I appreciated the education about the challenges a teen can face while transitioning. I feel like a lot of teens will find support in validation in that part of the story. Unfortunately the accompanying mystery was slow and not very entertaining. The big reveal at the end fell flat for me. I was expecting more of a thriller instead of long stretches of teenage angst. 

madelinehillier's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-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? No

3.5

no

eslinz's review against another edition

emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.0

booksnbeanies's review against another edition

4.0

I want to start off by saying that Tash McAdam did a wonderful job writing this book. The story was engaging and had me hooked from the very beginning. All of their characters were easily imagined and played their roles perfectly.

This book is about a trans teen who had a summer fling with a popular boy who turns into a bully once the new year of school starts - turning all of Maxs friends against him - making him feel alone.

In comes new girl - Gloss - who befriends max and helps him become more himself than he ever thought possible.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s lots of twists and wow moments and definitely some heartbreaking moments as well.

I throughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Thank you, NetGalley and SoHo Teen for the opportunity to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.

babysquidd's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

dylanreadss's review against another edition

5.0

What better week is there to read this than trans awareness week! Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Soho Press for graciously sending me this ARC.

Not only was this book amazingly written but it touched my heart. I didn’t expect to relate to Max so much in connection to the struggles he faces with his identity, but I did, and it made me feel seen. I feel that this book can play such a powerful role in society and I am so happy to see another book with a trans main character!

I loved how Tash McAdam was able to tie in the plot of a mystery into the book making it just even more interesting. This book will definitely be read again by me and recommended to every single person I know!

Thank you so much for this ARC again!

torgiepie's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I couldn't put this down. While it fell short for me in some areas, it was amazingly done in most and I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a good LGBTQ thriller. 

betweentheshelves's review

dark mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

No One Left but You is about trans teen Max, who is newly out and struggling a little bit with that at school. At least, until he meets Gloss. Gloss throws him into the sort of party scene, and eventually, they find themselves at a party that leaves someone dead. One of the comps for this is Euphoria, and though I've never watched the show, from what I know of it, this is a good read-a-like for that.

Alternating between Before and After definitely helps with building the suspense; it gives you small details throughout, trying to piece the different events together. At its core, this is a thriller, but it also gives you themes of friendship, coming of age, and just trying to find your place in the world.

The characters are really compelling; getting to see Max's thought process and glimpses of what life was like before he came out brought the whole thing full circle. If you're looking for a YA thriller to start your year off with, definitely pick this one up!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Death

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

somuchformedia's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.0

queerafictionado's review against another edition

5.0

“Now, looking in the mirror, I see that my wish has clawed its way out of my chest and into the world.”

This book!!