Reviews with content warning for Car accident - Turtles All the Way Down

John Green’s ability to craft a beautiful and compelling sentence that makes you stop and feel something in your body is incredible. Aza is an incredible character. Davis and Daisy are strong foils. I enjoyed the pacing and the narration a lot. I do not have OCD, but there are people in my life who struggle with OCD and anxiety. The depiction of the spiral was compelling. The motif of finding metaphor/language inadequate to describe pain is a strong one. Ending left me with a sense of sad and joyful acceptance.

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drawahardline's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective

Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

didn't expect it to be perfect, but I think it was

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neko_reads's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

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

4.0

“You think you’re the painter, but really you’re the canvas” i knew i loved this book from the second I read this quote. On the second page.

I loved the way that this book portrayed mental health and the intricacies of spiralling in an endlessly tightening space, and the focus that it placed on its importance

I also absolutely fell in love with the little bits of romance scattered through the book “who cares if she can kiss? She can see through the clouds.”

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saracino's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-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

4.0

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deluna's review against another edition

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dark hopeful sad fast-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? Yes

3.0

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frawst_disasta_reads's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

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

4.25

I love John Green and didn’t realize that I hadn’t read this book yet.
This is not an easy read, especially as someone with a few germaphobe tendencies. But it’s well written and you can’t help but want the main character to be okay, even while realizing that might never happen.

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izzyrose8's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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? Yes

3.5

My first impression was that the characters are quirky and charmingly realistic in that uniquely John Green-y way. This, as per usual when it comes to his work, was the best part. Overall, the plot just felt like it was lacking a little. I enjoyed Aza’s character development, as well as the friendship dynamic between her and Daisy, but felt as though all of the truly meaningful elements of the story were overshadowed by the presence of a mystery that I really had no interest in solving. Davis, Aza’s romantic interest, simply wasn’t intriguing enough to spark any interest about his life, which is required to care about the mystery the main characters are trying to solve. For the most part, he serves as a basic pretty-boy love interest with a tragic backstory, but has no discernible personality traits outside of being rich and pretentious. I felt sad for his circumstances, but not to the point where he became endearing to me or lead me to care about his family. I was far more concerned with Aza, which created an overall sense of, “Oh, I hope things turn out well for Aza and Daisy! They remind me so much of myself and the friendships I had when I was younger. How nostalgic… oh and also there’s a big spooky mystery going on. Kinda forgot about that.”

However, while I found the inclusion of Davis’ character to be slightly… meh, I also feel that it is unfair for me to fully criticize this aspect, as it wasn’t meant for ME to enjoy. The characters act like typical teenagers - pretentiously overusing Shakespeare, writing fanfiction, and maintaining edgy Tumblr blogs. To a teenage girl, the first basic pretty-boy love interest that walks into her life is an incredibly huge deal. Therefore, when looking at this elements from the perspective of a young adult, it’s easy to roll your eyes. You either need to BE a teenager or put your nostalgia glasses on to really appreciate the cheesiness here. While I was put off at first, this realization made the characters much more endearing and deepened my appreciation for the book as a whole. I feel like it’s important to consider this before jumping into the reading.

That note aside, I do absolutely love this story’s representation of those suffering from anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Aza’s inner monologue is so accurate to the personal experiences of many, myself included, and serve as a great comfort to those who have struggled with similar circumstances. It inspires hope and provides reassurance that we are not alone in navigating our personal mental health issues.
The ending of the story was particularly strong in this message, and made me tear up a little with feelings of pride and love for Aza, after having undergone such a heartfelt journey with her throughout these pages.

All in all, it was a good story. Nothing that blew my mind in itself. Had I had the right mindset going into it, I might have appreciated it a little bit more from the beginning. HOWEVER, if you have known struggle in the realm of anxiety and intrusive thoughts, Turtles All The Way Down might very well be worth picking up. Green’s awareness of the realities of mental health coupled with the story’s hopeful overarching message makes for a combo that is both refreshing and reassuring. You are not alone.

Cry counter: 1

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jaclynrei's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-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

Initially a bit hard to get into because of the cheesy dialog between teenaged characters, the book redeems itself in its incredible exploration of grief and mental illness. John Green is an expert at utilizing metaphors to create a more nuanced resolution to the plot. I would recommend this book to those who wish to explore their relationship with their own mind.

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