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mels_reading_log's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved this book! I was really pulled in by the suspense and mystery and the sarcastic humor. I also loved the idea of a cult/ terrorist organization that you are a little sympathetic to the cause, because what?!? It had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who was who, who to trust and who was trying to kill who. It was great!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Murder, Gun violence, Grief, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Hate crime, Death, Child death, Animal death, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Suicide, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Lesbophobia, and Blood
emmaward55's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
I think this book has a cool concept, but it's definitely patchy in places. For one thing, aside from the final attempt at mass murder, the terrorists were wildly likable. They'd killed with precision and never to "send a message", but to actually target marks that (they felt) deserved to die. Scotty and co deciding to go after random kids and families made no sense to me, especially as there was no way to ensure that queer people and queer families didn't also get hurt. It didn't align with their past actions. It was like someone had told Scotty that his time was up and he needed to arrange an explosive finale to tie the book up. They should've gone after the republican convention or some other big gathering of bigoted people with blood on their hands. I realise that the innocent kids and their families were used to make us decide that the Swans were too far gone / too evil, but I liked the muddy moral grayness of the previous attacks. It was believable that Aidan found himself being torn between the Swans and the FBI.
Speaking of the FBI, I don't buy that they'd use an innocent MINOR as bait for actual terrorists. It makes no sense on so many levels, but mostly because of the danger it posed to Aidan, the almost certainty of a massive legal case against them, and all the potential for Aidan to actively fuck it up. Why on earth would they not just grab some fresh-faced newly qualified kid from Quantico? Milman tries to tell us that it's because the FBI can't fake depression on the internet and again, I don't buy it. Anyone who's ever been on tumblr can accurately whip up a digital trial of teen angst.
For all that this book is about gay terrorists, they really do JUST mean cis gay men, not any other part of the rainbow. I was really hoping for like, a single queer woman, in this novel, but we barely even got a likable female side character. I wish that the wider queer community had been reflected in the pages of Swipe Right for Murder. Scotty made some awful comment about the queer community not being a real thing anymore, but Aidan doesn't really challenge that. I wish he'd had a queer friend group that he could have thought of in that moment. I wish the narrative had highlighted queer love and family over queer rage during that interaction.
All that being said, there is a lot about the book that I enjoyed. The writing was fast-paced and engaging, never losing the tension that Milman built. Aidan felt like a real teen and he managed to be that clueless-kid-in-danger without straying into infuriating-kid-in-danger. There were a couple of twists that I didn't predict and overall the plot resolved in a satisfactory way.
This book would be a great quick read for someone who wants danger, who wants to read about homophobes being bumped off, or anyone who relates to being a teenage gay kid and feeling like the whole world is against you.
Speaking of the FBI, I don't buy that they'd use an innocent MINOR as bait for actual terrorists. It makes no sense on so many levels, but mostly because of the danger it posed to Aidan, the almost certainty of a massive legal case against them, and all the potential for Aidan to actively fuck it up. Why on earth would they not just grab some fresh-faced newly qualified kid from Quantico? Milman tries to tell us that it's because the FBI can't fake depression on the internet and again, I don't buy it. Anyone who's ever been on tumblr can accurately whip up a digital trial of teen angst.
For all that this book is about gay terrorists, they really do JUST mean cis gay men, not any other part of the rainbow. I was really hoping for like, a single queer woman, in this novel, but we barely even got a likable female side character. I wish that the wider queer community had been reflected in the pages of Swipe Right for Murder. Scotty made some awful comment about the queer community not being a real thing anymore, but Aidan doesn't really challenge that. I wish he'd had a queer friend group that he could have thought of in that moment. I wish the narrative had highlighted queer love and family over queer rage during that interaction.
All that being said, there is a lot about the book that I enjoyed. The writing was fast-paced and engaging, never losing the tension that Milman built. Aidan felt like a real teen and he managed to be that clueless-kid-in-danger without straying into infuriating-kid-in-danger. There were a couple of twists that I didn't predict and overall the plot resolved in a satisfactory way.
This book would be a great quick read for someone who wants danger, who wants to read about homophobes being bumped off, or anyone who relates to being a teenage gay kid and feeling like the whole world is against you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Death, Murder, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Grief, and Homophobia
Moderate: Child death, Suicide, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Drug abuse, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
Also: Terrorism, death of a sibling,sembich1031's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Murder, and Drug use
Moderate: Suicide
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