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isobelk_18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent and Cancer
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Fatphobia
ejrbrown's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
Moderate: Fatphobia
agnesg'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? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Abandonment, Alcoholism, Fatphobia, and Infidelity
Minor: Homophobia
cheesepuppy's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Death of parent, Death, and Abandonment
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Fatphobia
cheye13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Beautiful writing, engaging and deep characters. Would not be opposed to a reread – maybe bc I read it in audio, some details went over my head that would've made the ending land better.
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
Moderate: Abandonment, Cancer, Cursing, and Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, and Vomit
lizakhins'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
4.0
Graphic: Cancer
Minor: Fatphobia
winter_b's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Alcoholism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Racism, Body shaming, and Fatphobia
gabbygarcia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Graphic: Abandonment, Death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Minor: Alcohol, Blood, Drug use, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Racial slurs, and Racism
menomica's review against another edition
- 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? No
I feel like the book wanted to do things, but never really delivered. The book itself suffers from not having a proper ending, like much of the storylines in it. I think the most obvious example is with Tam. He’s introduced, as if he’s going to a huge player and very influential, but then he fucks off for 20 pages, and only comes back for three lines before Mike ditches him.
Other things/themes I felt like this book pointed at but never actually took the time to elaborate on:
- Racism: Besides the “racist jokes” and that instance with the racist waiter, the biggest moment of this for me was with the Workers at the play center and how they interacted with Ahmad/Benson was giving very much let’s antagonize the black kid cause it’s easiest to do. Also, even though it was a joke, them referring to Ahmad as Ben’s because they’re the only black people in the center felt… racially motivated. But it was never really elaborated beyond that. The theme of race itself was prominent throughout the book, and I think that was done well because it was obviously from an observational lense, and not with the intent of making commentary, but sometimes it felt like they’d touch on racism and then drop it like a hot potato
- Tam. Wtf. What was the reason for him being there. For Mike to have a potential love interest?? Nothing developed between them, and yet he was introduced as someone who was going to be super big and important for Mike.
THEY DIDN’T EVEN HAVE SEXThey exchange very minimal conversion and it just felt like there was supposed to be development there but it just never happened. And then Mike just left (like his dad did with him)!
Graphic: Cancer, Death of parent, and Terminal illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Racism, Physical abuse, Medical content, and Infidelity
Minor: Bullying, Fatphobia, Infidelity, and Racial slurs
frrock's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Minor: Fatphobia