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micaela_ru's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Sexual content and Homophobia
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Death, Grief, Drug use, Car accident, Alcohol, Abandonment, and Infidelity
julesadventurezone's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Drug use and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Child abuse, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Police brutality, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Biphobia, Vomit, and Stalking
bodiesinbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racism, and Vomit
Mentions a diet.skudiklier's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This book is a beautiful romance, an incredible mystery, and a lovely story of found family. And I knew going in that it was gay, but I didn't expect it be so queer. Like, fuck cops, fuck landlords, riot-level queer. I loved it.
A couple minor things that kept it from being five stars for me:
The narrator repeatedly described August as being bad at making friends, and as things like "cranky" when it comes to adjusting to having friends. But this didn't come across at all in the dialogue, as she seems witty and confident and casual. There's this narrative that was pushed that she's a cranky loner who will begrudgingly have amazing friends by the end of the book (no spoilers, I wrote this only 15% of the way into the book), but it felt super forced when there was pretty much no evidence to support these claims. She seemed to have settled into having friends quickly and painlessly. I get the feeling the author couldn't help having fun witty dialogue, but it just felt weirdly mismatched, and took me out of the story at times.
I also did genuinely feel bad for Gabe. Like yeah he's kind of a dick in some ways, but the only times at actually see him, he's being helpful and earnest. The protagonists don't just use him to the extent they need to, but seem actively mean at times.
Overall though, I loved this book. Its twists and turns, its beautiful writing, its politics and themes and sex and characters. I can't wait to read more by Casey McQuiston.
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to review this ARC.
*I realized a bit late this might seem like I'm a Libra making a joke. I'm not; I just don't believe in astrology and hate things like that where people use it as a way to write off or exclude people just because of the time of year they were born.
Graphic: Cursing, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Murder, Racism, and Xenophobia