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katiejohns's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Blood, Death, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Abortion
stephanieswilley's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Pregnancy, Transphobia, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Abortion, Alcohol, Blood, Car accident, and Outing
mollyb13'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
5.0
The only thing that I had a bit of trouble with was
Graphic: Outing, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Violence, Suicide attempt, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Death, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
kimveach's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- 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
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Transphobia, Sexual content, Abortion, Blood, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Alcohol
norwegianforestreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Abortion, Alcohol, Bullying, Car accident, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Cursing, Child abuse, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Murder, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Deadnaming, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Grief, Forced institutionalization, and Death
rachelmerrie'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
5.0
Hated part of the ending: (VAGUE SPOILER)
Why did she get a slap on the wrist when he would’ve had his whole life taken from him?
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Sexual content, Stalking, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Alcohol, Murder, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Child death, Child abuse, Body shaming, Homophobia, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, Cursing, Confinement, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Outing, and Hate crime
gondorgirl'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
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Deadnaming, Suicide attempt, and Outing
Minor: Murder, Death, and Transphobia
catreadbook'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Homophobia
Moderate: Mental illness, Outing, Deadnaming, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
bitesizedbeet's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Deadnaming, Child abuse, Grief, Outing, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Death, Hate crime, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Self harm, Transphobia, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Animal death, Car accident, Stalking, Animal cruelty, Infidelity, Medical content, Alcohol, and Sexual content
aecy'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? Yes
4.5
‼ SPOILERS AHEAD ‼
Reading the first few chapters, I thought the pacing was too slow and that it was going to be the usual whodunnit story where the least obvious one is the murderer, but I’m a sucker for whodunnit tropes so I continued reading. Then, the bomb was dropped halfway through the book. I was utterly shocked, but I liked that the plot developed the way it did because, in my case, it opened so many inner conversations. And story-wise, it raised a plethora of questions, which made the book so much more interesting and relevant.
After the revelation that Lily was a transgender woman, I knew that the prosecution would paint Lily’s death as a hate crime. I was still suspicious at this point about whether or not Asher killed Lily, but as the story progressed, I found myself wondering if it was even really murder in the first place. Events that happened in the past unfolded very slowly, but it was good that the authors did it that way because it almost felt like Lily was opening up to me. Everything was her story to tell, and I felt like I just had to wait until she was ready to reveal her truth. There was this thing that Lizzie told Olivia about learning the difference between secret and private, and for me, that was one of the main points of the book.
I pride myself on being an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, but my concepts about their struggles were challenged, and I came to realize that I really didn’t know the full extent of the discrimination they face. As written in the book, "If you want to understand something, you first need to accept the fact of your own ignorance."
When it was revealed that Asher did not, in fact, murder Lily, I was relieved but slightly annoyed that Maya did it and wasn’t charged at all. Although I understand that Ava may not be able to survive another trial while still grieving for her daughter. I also think Ava believed Asher harmed Lily because her grief was so intense, and she could only assume the worst knowing Lily had gone through so much simply because she shared her true self with the world. But if I’m really being honest, I was annoyed because I had guessed the "murderer" wrong, lol. I had my eyes on Braden the whole time because he’s proven to be violent.
The real heroes of this book are both mothers, Olivia and Ava, who did everything to protect their children. Overall, I rate the book 4.5 stars out of 5 only because the story pacing was a little slow for my liking. Now, I rest my mind and hope to find another book as good as this one.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Grief, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Moderate: Suicide, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic friendship, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Deadnaming, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Blood