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betweentheshelves's review against another edition
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Emotional abuse, and Death
Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
elliott_roi's review against another edition
4.0
Thrillers can be hit or miss for me, but I gave No One Left But You a shot because it has a trans MC. And I'm glad I did! It wasn't a new favourite, but I did enjoy my time with this book.
I liked the overlapping timelines of "before" and "after" the murder and how things came together. Although the synopsis made it sound like the "after" would involve a lot more sleuthing and trying to figure out who did it, when really not much happened except a police interrogation and mourning with friends. Regardless, the mystery was sufficiently suspenseful and I didn't figure it all out til the end.
Max was a great MC, with a lot of depth and growth throughout the story. Gloss was also an interesting character, although sometimes a bit unbelievable. I think I would have liked to see some of the side characters more developed. I didn't always get a sense of who they were besides some basic descriptions of their personality and home life.
Overall, I thought this was a great moody read and I will definitely be recommending it to others for its trans rep and readability.
Thank you to Soho Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC. All thoughts are my own.
I liked the overlapping timelines of "before" and "after" the murder and how things came together. Although the synopsis made it sound like the "after" would involve a lot more sleuthing and trying to figure out who did it, when really not much happened except a police interrogation and mourning with friends. Regardless, the mystery was sufficiently suspenseful and I didn't figure it all out til the end.
Max was a great MC, with a lot of depth and growth throughout the story. Gloss was also an interesting character, although sometimes a bit unbelievable. I think I would have liked to see some of the side characters more developed. I didn't always get a sense of who they were besides some basic descriptions of their personality and home life.
Overall, I thought this was a great moody read and I will definitely be recommending it to others for its trans rep and readability.
Thank you to Soho Press and NetGalley for providing an eARC. All thoughts are my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Violence, Blood, Death, Drug use, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Dysphoria, Sexual content, and Homophobia
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