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rey_therese07'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
4.25
Graphic: Confinement, Murder, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Kidnapping, Grief, Gaslighting, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Alcohol, Death of parent, Drug use, Racism, Homophobia, Sexism, and Sexual content
greyys_libraryy's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Kidnapping, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Blood, Chronic illness, Classism, Gaslighting, Murder, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Vomit and Torture
puddlemud's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Murder, Racism, and Sexism
being_stupid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Murder and Sexual harassment
criticalgayze's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Coming in at 504 pages, there's a lot of room in this YA tome for streamlining. A better editor would have talked Hutchinson into slimming this down by cutting down on the performances and the ruminating on abuse and the " white gay man reflects on how hard America has been for marginalized people" and the "is this thing that is definitely the plan the plan?" Then we could have had a really great 300 page novel.
I know this is asking a lot of the "too much to read" among us, but the back 30% contains the evidence of a really great novel waiting to be edited out. Once the thing that has obviously been the plan is officially revealed to be the plan, the novel kicks into high gear. The romance becomes achingly cute (see the bottom two quotes), the tension ramps up to WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN levels, and the inclusion of illusions becomes a really fun plot device.
To add a quick note on white men including greater inequality in their MM romances, I did find it troubling how much "America was really racist" plays into the novel, yet the story also exists in a world in which sodomy laws aren't a big deal with the moments at the end of the story in which the leads display fairly public displays of affection.
Quotes:
"'I was running because I didn’t want to be late,' Wil said. 'He was waiting for me and I said I would meet him. I was afraid I had taken too long, but then I saw Jack standing by the entrance to Cairo, and he smiled when he saw me as if it were his happiest day instead of my own.'" (52%)
“'Yes. Yes to today, yes to tomorrow, and yes to whatever comes after that.'” (76%)
"I think it must’ve been a person who’d wished for love but had never known it who’d created the first clock. Because time is a reminder of how quickly the present passes and how little of the future remains, and no one in love would want to know that." (76%)
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Racism, and Gaslighting
Minor: Murder, Misogyny, Kidnapping, Fire/Fire injury, and Death of parent
nicsnovellife'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
3.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, and Torture
Moderate: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Chronic illness, Medical trauma, and Misogyny
flameoflareon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child abuse and Physical abuse
Moderate: Racism and Murder
simixfe'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
4.75
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Racism, Sexual harassment, Torture, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Alcohol and Death of parent