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siliconedrones's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
sparklycowboy's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I really enjoyed the way Aza’s thought patterns were explained. This book really resonated with me, especially her “invasive” thoughts and attempts to control or eradicate them. I love the aspects of mental health this novel explores. 10/10 will read again.
kenzie_witt's review against another edition
3.0
As per usual, I have a pros/cons list for this book.
Pros:
- I love John Green’s imagery and descriptions. He has such a way with them, and I appreciate how… artistically different they are.
- I liked being in Aza’s head the whole time. Because that’s the goddamn point. I love books with deep-dives into a character’s thought process/emotions/psyche.
- (This leans heavily into showing and not telling. Yes, we have the usual physical signs of anxiety (sweating, the blood draining from your face, your stomach twisting, etc), but I like the added window into Aza’s mind so we can experience things with her, rather than just as an audience member.)
- Art!! Astrology!! Imagery and symbolism!!!!! I had to smile at “turtles all the way down,” because it didn’t feel forced at all.
- Mr. Green knows how to write complex characters and I have to give him credit for that. Nobody is perfect; each character is flawed, but still likable. A fine line to tread, indeed.
Cons:
- Mychal took a back seat in this story. I was anticipating more of a “golden trio” vibe with Aza, Daisy, AND Mychal. I wanted more art boy!!!!
- I was also anticipating more of the “missing millionaire.” I feel like that ALSO took a back seat and it was “resolved” a quarter of the way through the book and brought it up *gently* throughout the book and at the end. Perhaps that’s my own fault for anticipating a mystery vibe from Mr. Green, who often writes about complicated people and their complicated emotions.
- I wish we had a bit more tension. Just a smidge. A dash. A sprinkling.
- I feel like this was missing something but I don’t know what. I’ll come back and add thoughts later.
Overall: 3.5/5. Definitely didn’t hate it! Just… weird, reading a book by an author whose content I avidly consumed as a teen. Now, at 24, it feels a little weird. Kind of like… visiting extended family on the holidays. It was a good read, yes.
Did it blow me away and change my life? Not necessarily, no. Was it a snooze fest? Also no. Did I catch myself zoning out a little at times? Also yes.
A perfectly proficient experience, I think.
Pros:
- I love John Green’s imagery and descriptions. He has such a way with them, and I appreciate how… artistically different they are.
- I liked being in Aza’s head the whole time. Because that’s the goddamn point. I love books with deep-dives into a character’s thought process/emotions/psyche.
- (This leans heavily into showing and not telling. Yes, we have the usual physical signs of anxiety (sweating, the blood draining from your face, your stomach twisting, etc), but I like the added window into Aza’s mind so we can experience things with her, rather than just as an audience member.)
- Art!! Astrology!! Imagery and symbolism!!!!! I had to smile at “turtles all the way down,” because it didn’t feel forced at all.
- Mr. Green knows how to write complex characters and I have to give him credit for that. Nobody is perfect; each character is flawed, but still likable. A fine line to tread, indeed.
Cons:
- Mychal took a back seat in this story. I was anticipating more of a “golden trio” vibe with Aza, Daisy, AND Mychal. I wanted more art boy!!!!
- I was also anticipating more of the “missing millionaire.” I feel like that ALSO took a back seat and it was “resolved” a quarter of the way through the book and brought it up *gently* throughout the book and at the end. Perhaps that’s my own fault for anticipating a mystery vibe from Mr. Green, who often writes about complicated people and their complicated emotions.
- I wish we had a bit more tension. Just a smidge. A dash. A sprinkling.
- I feel like this was missing something but I don’t know what. I’ll come back and add thoughts later.
Overall: 3.5/5. Definitely didn’t hate it! Just… weird, reading a book by an author whose content I avidly consumed as a teen. Now, at 24, it feels a little weird. Kind of like… visiting extended family on the holidays. It was a good read, yes.
Did it blow me away and change my life? Not necessarily, no. Was it a snooze fest? Also no. Did I catch myself zoning out a little at times? Also yes.
A perfectly proficient experience, I think.
madiganinwonderland's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 maybe 3.75 if I'm generous...
I finished this book a couple days ago and I'm not really sure what to think about it.
On the one hand, I think I had my expectations way too high for this book. I had no intentions of reading it (not Green's biggest fan), until I heard one of my favorite booktubers talk about it and how much she related to it because of the OCD and anxiety aspect, which I have been diagnosed with both. And while I can totally see how this would be comforting to some people because of that, I personally couldn't relate to Aza's type of either mental illness.
The being said, that's completely personal reasoning and had nothing to do with the book itself.
I do see how people could be "triggered" by this book, because we get to hear Aza and her intrusive thoughts first hand, which can be jarring. But for me personally, it wasn't triggering. It was more that I felt like I couldn't connect to our main character. Actually I didn't connect to any of the characters. They felt dull to me, despite Green's attempts to flesh them out.
The plot is intriguing once you hear about it, but I was wanting more out of it instead of all of the budding love between different people.
Also, I've heard this critiqued for its absent parent syndrome, but I didn't think that was very apparent. Her mom is there for her quite a bit in the story, I found it rather sweet.
The thing with Daisy. Ok. First of all, I haven't heard anything about this book without it being accompanied by "I can't stand her best friend, Daisy. She's such a (some kind of profanity)." so I went into this waiting for the thing that she does to piss people off. Second, I can't believe I'm actually about to defend a moody teenager. So then it happened. And honestly....... People are way overreacting. This is coming from someone who has suffered severe mental illness for almost half my 23 years. Listen. She's a fucking teenager. Who has a best friend with serious mental illness. She doesn't know what the fuck she's doing or what's really happening. She doesn't understand it the way people with mental illness do and I would argue Green was very aware of that and that's why he made her this way. Sometimes your friends aren't going to get it. And sometimes kids do things that are incredibly cruel without them even realizing it is because of the implications it can have. People sit here and get pissy that John Greena's characters are too mature for their age, then Daisy isn't and she's literally hated for it. And what's worse, SHE FUCKING APOLOGIZES FOR IT TO AZA MORE THAN ONCE. That's the other thing I don't get. She's one of the few YA characters to fuck up like this and actually try to rectify it in more than just words and yet literally NO ONE says DITTLY SQUAT about it. They just see her hurt our poor main character (who, if I'm honest, is rather selfish. The girl doesn't even know her best friends parents names, and admits to not always listening to her talk {yes I'm aware mental illness can do that to you. It does it to me as well}) and then Daisy is banished to the most hated characters list. Weak.
Overall, idk. I'm just very underwhelmed by this. I thought it would make me like John Green but I still just see him as rather mediocre now that I've read and critiqued soooo many other, and better books.
I finished this book a couple days ago and I'm not really sure what to think about it.
On the one hand, I think I had my expectations way too high for this book. I had no intentions of reading it (not Green's biggest fan), until I heard one of my favorite booktubers talk about it and how much she related to it because of the OCD and anxiety aspect, which I have been diagnosed with both. And while I can totally see how this would be comforting to some people because of that, I personally couldn't relate to Aza's type of either mental illness.
The being said, that's completely personal reasoning and had nothing to do with the book itself.
I do see how people could be "triggered" by this book, because we get to hear Aza and her intrusive thoughts first hand, which can be jarring. But for me personally, it wasn't triggering. It was more that I felt like I couldn't connect to our main character. Actually I didn't connect to any of the characters. They felt dull to me, despite Green's attempts to flesh them out.
The plot is intriguing once you hear about it, but I was wanting more out of it instead of all of the budding love between different people.
Also, I've heard this critiqued for its absent parent syndrome, but I didn't think that was very apparent. Her mom is there for her quite a bit in the story, I found it rather sweet.
The thing with Daisy. Ok. First of all, I haven't heard anything about this book without it being accompanied by "I can't stand her best friend, Daisy. She's such a (some kind of profanity)." so I went into this waiting for the thing that she does to piss people off. Second, I can't believe I'm actually about to defend a moody teenager. So then it happened. And honestly....... People are way overreacting. This is coming from someone who has suffered severe mental illness for almost half my 23 years. Listen. She's a fucking teenager. Who has a best friend with serious mental illness. She doesn't know what the fuck she's doing or what's really happening. She doesn't understand it the way people with mental illness do and I would argue Green was very aware of that and that's why he made her this way. Sometimes your friends aren't going to get it. And sometimes kids do things that are incredibly cruel without them even realizing it is because of the implications it can have. People sit here and get pissy that John Greena's characters are too mature for their age, then Daisy isn't and she's literally hated for it. And what's worse, SHE FUCKING APOLOGIZES FOR IT TO AZA MORE THAN ONCE. That's the other thing I don't get. She's one of the few YA characters to fuck up like this and actually try to rectify it in more than just words and yet literally NO ONE says DITTLY SQUAT about it. They just see her hurt our poor main character (who, if I'm honest, is rather selfish. The girl doesn't even know her best friends parents names, and admits to not always listening to her talk {yes I'm aware mental illness can do that to you. It does it to me as well}) and then Daisy is banished to the most hated characters list. Weak.
Overall, idk. I'm just very underwhelmed by this. I thought it would make me like John Green but I still just see him as rather mediocre now that I've read and critiqued soooo many other, and better books.
starfleckedsoul's review against another edition
5.0
"Your life is a story told about you, not one that you tell."
Okay, no more zigzags. I do understand that the main plot being Aza Holmes trying to survive her inner demons while trying to find a corrupt billionaire with her best friend is sort of pointless and ugly. And yes, I do agree that Aza's life story would've been stronger without her and Daisy poking into some detective business. HOWEVER, I still love the book. Maybe I'm that kind of person who falls for the writing more than for the plot. Anyways, I love this book. I really do. It was like watching someone on another side, not realizing that that someone is me. I don't have OCD, and I hope whoever out there that has it is surviving, but I do understand how it's like to be in that ever tightening gyre–spiral. John Green has captured anxiety into a language that I understand and for me, that's enough. Also, the characters are incredible. Aza is just too me– sometimes I hate her, sometimes I don't– but either way, hers is a compelling character whom I will always cherish. Daisy, on the other hand... She's just so vocal and confident that I can literally hear her in my head. If Aza's in this spiral, I feel like Daisy's that steady bright light across the tunnel. I love her. And Davis, damn. His imagination is something I'd love to wander into. And he's a great guy, we can't deny that. All in all, this novel gets four stars. Would've gotten five if it weren't for Pickett Sr. going missing. Lots of love, xxx.
Okay, no more zigzags. I do understand that the main plot being Aza Holmes trying to survive her inner demons while trying to find a corrupt billionaire with her best friend is sort of pointless and ugly. And yes, I do agree that Aza's life story would've been stronger without her and Daisy poking into some detective business. HOWEVER, I still love the book. Maybe I'm that kind of person who falls for the writing more than for the plot. Anyways, I love this book. I really do. It was like watching someone on another side, not realizing that that someone is me. I don't have OCD, and I hope whoever out there that has it is surviving, but I do understand how it's like to be in that ever tightening gyre–spiral. John Green has captured anxiety into a language that I understand and for me, that's enough. Also, the characters are incredible. Aza is just too me– sometimes I hate her, sometimes I don't– but either way, hers is a compelling character whom I will always cherish. Daisy, on the other hand... She's just so vocal and confident that I can literally hear her in my head. If Aza's in this spiral, I feel like Daisy's that steady bright light across the tunnel. I love her. And Davis, damn. His imagination is something I'd love to wander into. And he's a great guy, we can't deny that. All in all, this novel gets four stars. Would've gotten five if it weren't for Pickett Sr. going missing. Lots of love, xxx.
ellagant's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was really good, it just didn’t hit for me. I related to Aza, but I found myself skimming her monologues. I would have been obsessed with the hint of romance a few years ago, but now I found it a little insta lovey, but somehow brief at the same time. The message was there, but the mystery element was weak. In the end, this book was just too aggressively young adult for my tastes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Minor: Vomit
protoman21's review against another edition
4.0
I have lived with some anxiety my whole life, but nothing like you or Aza experience. I have friends with more severe anxiety and this definitely helped me understand them better.
At the beginning of the book, I saw Aza's anxiety a bit remotely and was able to think intellectually about it and how challenging it would be to live with something so compulsive and pervasive. As the book progressed, I began to feel her anxiety more and more myself and became physically uncomfortable during those scenes. There was a sense of wanting to get past this moment and get on with the rest of the story. I wonder if this was intentional or if it was a byproduct of the story of Aza's anxiety interweaving with the hunt for Davis' dad. Either way it very effectively demonstrated her inescapable spiral and certainly elevated a good YA book to a great book, period.
At the beginning of the book, I saw Aza's anxiety a bit remotely and was able to think intellectually about it and how challenging it would be to live with something so compulsive and pervasive. As the book progressed, I began to feel her anxiety more and more myself and became physically uncomfortable during those scenes. There was a sense of wanting to get past this moment and get on with the rest of the story. I wonder if this was intentional or if it was a byproduct of the story of Aza's anxiety interweaving with the hunt for Davis' dad. Either way it very effectively demonstrated her inescapable spiral and certainly elevated a good YA book to a great book, period.
votesforwomen's review against another edition
4.0
John Green strikes again :'( This one was brutal and heartbreaking and so painful I had to look away from the page a couple times. But still so, so good.
maida's review against another edition
3.0
so i have to admit this one hit a little bit close to home… i had two panic attacks whilst reading, and i bawled for around ~50 pages.
but i also cringed a lot because besides azas character and illness, every single character felt so flat? daisy was annoying, mychal was artsy, davis was “deep”. yup.
the ending was really good tho. and the whole portrayal of anxiety/ocd was AMAZING.
but, meh.
but i also cringed a lot because besides azas character and illness, every single character felt so flat? daisy was annoying, mychal was artsy, davis was “deep”. yup.
the ending was really good tho. and the whole portrayal of anxiety/ocd was AMAZING.
but, meh.