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kyking0117's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Self harm
Minor: Transphobia
maltedshake500's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
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
4.5
I just felt unsatisfied with the ending as good as this book was. I thought it was building up to Marcus and Liam getting together, and felt sad for Liam when discovering he was <in love with his brother.> All in all, it was a good book that made me a little teary eyed and left a heavy feeling in my chest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
candearangotobon's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dysphoria, Self harm, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, Death, Child death, and Homophobia
Minor: Toxic relationship and Toxic friendship
edenreadsabook's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
lim's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Grief
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Self harm
piperclover's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Devastating. I cried so hard. Its so hard to listen to but worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Self harm and Blood
giou's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Death, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Transphobia
rynstagram's review against another edition
3.5
**review based on an ARC
Incredibly emotional, but one of those books where the "reveal" is so obvious that it's frustrating that the main character doesn't figure it out on their own. And, of course, I love how Mason Deaver's books involve queer characters but don't make their queerness the main plot. It's discussed, sure, but more casually, like it should be.
Incredibly emotional, but one of those books where the "reveal" is so obvious that it's frustrating that the main character doesn't figure it out on their own. And, of course, I love how Mason Deaver's books involve queer characters but don't make their queerness the main plot. It's discussed, sure, but more casually, like it should be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Car accident
jennyoli96's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Self harm
atmreads's review
5.0
I just… fuck- that was a hard book. I cried, no, I sobbed reading it. Part of that is definitely because of when I read it. It took me 2 days to finish the audiobook. I started it in the morning on my way to school, and that evening my family found out that some family members had died in a car accident. So yeah, this book hit really close to home with the whole pivotal moment being Lee’s brother dying in a car accident.
This is a story about grief and loss and pain and just being so fucked up because of all of it. It was so hard to read, I had to pause the audiobook and just sit multiple times.
I felt so deeply connected to Lee, I felt their pain. It was so… raw. I’ve never lost someone as close as a brother or a parent, but the pain they felt, the things he experienced. It resonated with me so much.
When Lee starts losing his friends and starts feeling like they will always be third wheeling, second best, I felt that pain. The pain that comes with losing people you thought cared about you, people you love and you assumed loved you back. Friendships falling apart because you just don’t see each other, friendships falling apart because shit hit the fan for you and they couldn’t handle it. It sucks, it really does, and even if it wasn’t necessarily about them being a “bad” person or you being a “bad” friend. It sucks, it /hurts/.
The anxiety it sent him into, where they were worried constantly about what V and Joel thought of him. The depression it sent Lee into where they couldn’t /do/. I felt that in the deepest parts of my soul. I remembered the younger me who was heavily depressed for those same reasons in middle school. Who had friends abandoning them left and right, who couldn’t handle those feelings but couldn’t tell anyone. The younger me who thought friendship was forever, until suddenly it wasn’t. That pain and loss and sorrow is so real and somehow so fresh? Even though it was years ago for me, reading about it in a book made it feel new again. It reopened those wounds, but not in a bad way. It allowed me to process it, and understand it more. I know we all joke about books being a coping mechanism, but this story truly helped me. It helped me get through the fresh trauma of loss without completely spiraling. It helped me to heal some of that trauma I never truly recovered from.
And the fact that Lee is non binary, it made me feel like me and my grief had a place in this story. It made it feel like this story was a safe space for me to explore my feelings. Lee is non-binary and he’s gay and they use two sets of pronouns. And they have to remind people that they aren’t a boy the same way I try to remind people that I’m not a girl. God, Mason Deaver truly writes the best non-binary characters. I don’t think my gender has ever been so perfectly represented until I read their books.
This book is challenging, sad, and painful. It’s intense and very triggering for many. But for me it was worth it, I came out of it with such a sense of, not happiness, but relief. Relief that joy can be found in those hard times and complicated feels. Relief that I can make it through those hard times and difficult feelings.
This book will forever hold a place in my heart, it will forever be a favorite, I will forever come back to it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Child death, Death, Grief, Self harm, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Car accident and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Transphobia