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thazell'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
1.0
I feel like the plot with the boarding school and pranking could have been fun if it wasn't done out of malice --like literally almost causing someone to drown. It was just all crazy and I would've been fine with prank wars, that's cool but this felt like they were TRYING to harm or harass each other. There was also too much smoking, alcohol and sex. Literally every chapter had it. I found it excessive as half the time they spend it doing the first two and sometimes the third. The plot could have been so much better if it had one, but it was barely there.
At first, I was really enjoying the boarding school vibes and the searching for the "great perhaps" which could've been amazing if it wasn't found in a girl he just met but after that, I found things started to go downhill. Some things also made me uncomfortable like how it made it seem like suicide was heroic in a way? and a deep philosophical thing. Also romanticizing cheating and other things as well. There are definitely lots of trigger warnings for the book and I don't recommend people who are not in the best headspace to read it.
Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
rheinzr's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
laelyakhanh0610's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Car accident
jillkaarlela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Sexual content, Death, Suicide, Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Child death
Minor: Cursing
Maybe 14-15+han_mahoney's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
valkosbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Mental illness
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The synopsis sounded so much like just another angsty teen coming-of-age slash romance book with a supposed "tragedy" that's not actually tragic but the author just bugs you with it until you come to believe it is.
I also thought that John Green, whose The Fault in our Stars I really didn't like, couldn't possibly write anything that I—a person not too fond of romance books in general—would truly enjoy.
But boy, was I wrong!
Looking for Alaska is not a romance. At least not a typical one.
More so, it's a book about grief, and friendship, and famous last words. It's about how to deal with loss, about hope—and yes, also about a bunch of angsty teenagers who drink way too much and smoke wayyyy too many cigarettes.
But maybe that's just how it's supposed to be.
I loved the storyline and pacing. It was one of those books that didn't make me impatient as I neared the end, but excited. It had me at the edge of my seat until the very last page. (Okay, nearly. No book can stop my impatience.)
I really enjoyed John Green's unique writing style, though. There were loads of intelligent and interesting quotes and questions that forced you to think about them. Pay attention and this book was full of little threads with beginnings and ends. So many quotes, so many references, they came back. Green chose his metaphors, authors to cite, and allegories undoubtedly wisely. Richly refreshing.
My only point of critique—the characters. I couldn't absolutely, wholly love them, because wow, they were unique, special, and so not relatable.
It was like reading a story from the first-person perspective of a stone—a story starring more stones.
I don't know, I just couldn't relate to any of the characters at all, ESPECIALLY (and that's the worst part) to the main character.
His thoughts were just so... puberty-teenager-like at times (and no, I really don't want to elaborate on that).
Conclusion: Looking for Alaska is a funny, but also emotional and intelligent read and definitely worth checking out.
I want to end this review with one of my favorite Alaska Young quotes:
"Except luck is for suckers." (Alaska Young), p. 53 in my edition.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
arikaking'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
4.5
Graphic: Car accident, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, and Sexual content
booksarefriends_notfood's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Car accident, Cursing, and Grief
hopelesslydevoted'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
2.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide