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kingangie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Addiction
Moderate: Medical content and Bullying
Minor: Classism and Cancer
kdawgreads69's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
5.0
i just love anything that kathleen glasgow writes she gives such a detailed, realistic description of important issues, in this case drug addiction. it was difficult for me to get through at first because it reminded me so much of my own life but once i managed it its such a beautiful book that details the things you dont see from other people. it made me cry several times and is definitely in my top 3 books towards the end when max calls emory and they find joey is such a beautiful scene. the way that joey was relieved to see max to know he would call her felt so good after all the horrible shit he probably experienced during the 45 days he was missing. i was just so happy that after all that time he was able to not just get help and accept it as well. such a good ending to Joey’s story. Their father also kind of appearing after essentially not being there for the majority of the book was satisfying as well and the way he opened up their hearts to the people struggling and used their money for something good to help people like Joey, such amazing character development i loved this book so much
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Classism, Death, Sexism, Bullying, Drug abuse, Grief, Addiction, Body shaming, and Car accident
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Cancer
danaaliyalevinson's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
So, I admittedly went into this one not realizing it's YA, which is not my genre. That said, considering this as a YA book, I think it's an important read about teenage addiction and its impact on families that many teenagers are going to feel seen in.
I was also heartened by its brave ending that refused to give easy answers, and even further heartened by the author's note explaining her own addiction and sobriety journey, which is most certainly a big part of why, for me, as someone who also has a history of addiction and several years sober at this point, the narrative felt so honest.
Sometimes it did feel like that YA thing where an adult author is imagining what kids these days are like and it's not quite right.
But overall, a good read and I think an important YA entry.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Classism, Car accident, Drug abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Sexual content, and Sexual harassment
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