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anemone42's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Violence
Moderate: Racism
ashcrash's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
4.0
love the classic “horror lurking beneath a tiny town,” and it’s executed v well. characters are flawed but lovable and their relationships are real. think IT mixed with a gritty teen drama. a few too many characters to keep track of for my brain. the ending was honestly very anticlimatic for me, and the main reason i didn’t give this a higher rating. as compelling as the beginning and middle is, it builds so much that when we actually get the reveal it isn’t as interesting as the fake outs and proposed theories we got earlier, which is sad.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Murder, Pedophilia, and Racism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Addiction, and Toxic friendship
hawkguyscoffee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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? Yes
4.5
Even with it's slow start the story doesn't fail to make the reader intrigued about it's mistery and at it's climax definetly keeps the reader on their toes (my hands were quite literally shaking as I did). What's more, even if you think you won't, you ultimately fall in love with th characters and start cheering for them. The hard topics of racism and homophobia were, to my opinion, well tackled and even tho I have my criticism about certain plot points I do believe this is an important story that succeeds at talking about the kind of homophobia and toxic masculinity young men are subjected to in the world of American Football. What's more, I loved the dynamic between Joel and his brother that very much reminded me of the one I have with my own and I feel I will always carry their journey and characters in my heart (as well as the rest of the cast who, each for their own reasons, managed to make me fall in love with them too).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Rape, Homophobia, Murder, and Suicide
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Violence, Hate crime, Racism, Drug abuse, Body shaming, Outing, Child abuse, Addiction, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Pedophilia
juliezantopoulos's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
I can respect that this is an own voices thriller/horror and appreciate it for that, but this wasn't for me. I understand the commentary on toxic masculinity, especially in sports and in the south. However, the "horror" in this book was not actually scary. I really thought I was getting a horror book and instead I got a murder mystery. I know this is an own voices book with a gay main character, but the use of queer slurs and homophobia was too rampant for me. Which is not to say it's not a reality, but I didn't want to read it....especially with the direction the book went!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Racism, and Police brutality
rliedtke's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
This will leave you saying what the f***. I wasn’t really sure where it was heading throughout the book but I definitely wasn’t expecting exactly what we got. The climax is about 100 pages long which sounds crazy but it was pretty epic and still felt fast paced, I couldn’t put it down once that scene started.
What I liked: multiple POVs, short chapters, the problems it discussed (homophobia, racism)
What I didn’t like: the writing felt mediocre to me and a few lines made me cringe
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Drug use, Sexual assault, and Racism
jillterry22's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Very interesting read! I kept wondering where the story would go the entrie time. Joel was an emotional main character to follow. You despise and root for the characters all in different ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, Suicide, and Racism
alexdicanio's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The first 25% of this book, I wasn’t too sure if I would like it, but I kept on pushing. It doesn’t start out slow necessarily, I just wasn’t into it. I am glad that I kept reading. I say that the cast being diverse is complicated because while there is representation for people of color (minimal -1 or 2), and people (specifically men) in the LGBTQIA+ community, the setting is a small conservative town in Texas, so for the most part, people are hiding and are scared to truly be themselves. I don’t want to give anything away because it is hard to explain without spoiling something. This book deals very heavily with homophobia, racism, and sexual assault - so please be warned. I think it was written very well and I did enjoy all of the different character’s POV’s. What kind of threw me off guard was this added sort of “supernatural” element. It wasn’t, bad I just didn’t expect it. I understand why it was in there, but I also think this could have been an excellent book if the supernatural wasn’t there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Racism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
There are a lot of trigger warnings for this book. I wasn’t too sure where to put the warning for “adult/minor relationship” because it isn’t gone into a lot of detail. There are however, mentions of figures of authority and students being in a (primarily sexual) relationship. I can’t say much else without giving it away.folkmare's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.75
There are a lot of mixed reviews on this book and I think the reason is this: if you're not queer, this book isn't for you, and it doesn't care. That doesn't mean you CAN'T enjoy this book if you're not queer, it just means that it's not going to apologize and hold your hand. Additonally, if you aren't queer AND grew up in a small/medium town where high school football reigns supreme, you quite literally might just not get it.
This book is ultimately about internalized homophobia, toxic masculinity, and small town secrets closing the walls in around you. I won't spoil anything but I saw a review that called the supernatural elements a "twist" that happened 3/4ths of the way through, but I gotta say that that person just wasn't paying attention. There is spooky shit happening from chapter one, and it's not even that subtle.
I don't know. I really loved this. I thought the crime/thriller mystery elements were really well balanced with the horror-elements and the world building. I found the characters compelling even if they're not "likeable," and I couldn't stop reading it.
Note: I'm adding content warnings but the warnings themselves might spoil the book somewhat.
This book is ultimately about internalized homophobia, toxic masculinity, and small town secrets closing the walls in around you. I won't spoil anything but I saw a review that called the supernatural elements a "twist" that happened 3/4ths of the way through, but I gotta say that that person just wasn't paying attention. There is spooky shit happening from chapter one, and it's not even that subtle.
I don't know. I really loved this. I thought the crime/thriller mystery elements were really well balanced with the horror-elements and the world building. I found the characters compelling even if they're not "likeable," and I couldn't stop reading it.
Note: I'm adding content warnings but the warnings themselves might spoil the book somewhat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Homophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Mass/school shootings, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Minor: Suicide
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