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whatthekatdraggedin's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- 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
4.5
Based on the synopsis I was expecting this book to be a lot heavier than it was. It is definitely sad and deals with a lot of heavy topics. But so much of the book is spent developing Cameron as a character and how she relates to the world, despite being vastly different from myself I found her deeply relatable and loveable. Despite dealing with quite heavy subject matter it is almost compulsively readable and I found myself sad at the end to say goodbye to Cameron.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Self harm, Religious bigotry, Outing, Lesbophobia, Emotional abuse, Car accident, Grief, Alcohol, Vomit, Homophobia, Forced institutionalization, and Death of parent
Minor: Fatphobia
quinn24's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
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? It's complicated
4.5
This was a reread, I read this when I was 14 and it was the first book with a lesbian main character that I ever read. In hindsight it probably shouldn’t have been but what are you gonna do? This was very emotional, all the characters are complex and feel very human, even the characters I hated I couldn’t help but feel a connection to. I think it did a really good job of being nuanced when it came to the issue of conversion therapy. It shows how harmful it is, even in the small ways, even when you don’t believe what they’re teaching you. It allowed the characters to be angry and to hurt but it also acknowledges that the people doing this harm genuinely believe that they are doing the right thing and that they are saving their souls. It’s a very fine thing to balance, to be able to acknowledge all of these things but not seem like you’re excusing them and I thought it was done really well. There are some coming-of-age YA cliches of course, and I noticed that the tense was a little funny in some places because it’s supposed to be that Cameron is telling the story from later on in her life. But overall it was very good and I know a lot of people hate the ending but I personally loved it. It made me cry so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Lesbophobia, Outing, Transphobia, Alcohol, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Homophobia, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Sexism, Sexual content, and Vomit
Minor: Cancer, Adult/minor relationship, and Bullying
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