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oddity123'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
4.5
Minor: Domestic abuse, Violence, Child abuse, and Sexual content
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
anna_m16's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Murder, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Outing, and Grief
Moderate: Body shaming, Child abuse, Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Sexual content, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Deadnaming and Domestic abuse
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
esey18'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? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Suicide, Transphobia, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Murder, and Sexual content
toniallen's review against another edition
Graphic: Transphobia and Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse
Note that the sexual content was between two minors. I was triggered and skipped through those parts.mimiep'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
4.0
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Medical content, Murder, Outing, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Child death, Sexual content, Death, and Physical abuse
triciasbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content and Domestic abuse
Minor: Abortion
lulacorn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Transphobia, Bullying, and Child abuse
Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Deadnaming, Death, Self harm, Child abuse, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Outing, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Violence
pattyreader'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? No
5.0
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Child death, Deadnaming, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Outing, Self harm, Death, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Confinement, and Pregnancy