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vrcreads's review
4.0
This book was so sweet. I loved seeing the friendship between Pez and Vetty strengthen, and seeing Vetty figure out her own sexuality while interacting with the world around her. Everything was hyper realistic; all of the things that people don't say and all of the things that we don't show other people. This book was amazing!
kba76's review
4.0
Vetty is taking time to work out how she feels about all sorts of things. It was easier when she was younger: her mother was alive, her best friend knew her instinctively and she didn’t have to worry about people trying to label her.
For the last few years they’ve lived in Somerset with her aunt, struggling to come to terms with losing mum. Now the family are moving back to London and Vetty is trying to pick up where she left off.
Some of the initial interactions we watched Vetty have were very self-conscious. It was hard to know how we felt about her and her friendship with Pez. As the two talk, it’s evident that Vetty has feelings for boys and girls and is going to have to think about what’s important to her.
I felt Vetty was a really engaging character. She didn’t always get things right, but it was easy to identify with her uncertainty.
Thanks to NetGalley for granting me early access to this in exchange for my review.
For the last few years they’ve lived in Somerset with her aunt, struggling to come to terms with losing mum. Now the family are moving back to London and Vetty is trying to pick up where she left off.
Some of the initial interactions we watched Vetty have were very self-conscious. It was hard to know how we felt about her and her friendship with Pez. As the two talk, it’s evident that Vetty has feelings for boys and girls and is going to have to think about what’s important to her.
I felt Vetty was a really engaging character. She didn’t always get things right, but it was easy to identify with her uncertainty.
Thanks to NetGalley for granting me early access to this in exchange for my review.
bookish_brooklyn's review
3.0
This was definitely an interesting one, I’m all for all of the bisexual representation in books, it’s obviously important, and it’s a confusing thing sometimes, and I feel like the author portrayed those feelings really well! I absolutely adored Hetty, and definitely felt like I was a part of her journey during this book. I definitely feel like it’s an important read, and people that feel like they’re attracted to both genders, I think, will relate to Hetty’s confusion and almost reluctance to explain how she might feel towards her family, when she’s desperately trying to keep it all together, for the sake of her little sister, Arial. I mean, their mother had recently passed away and their father initially struggles with solo parenting, which made me feel for the girl even more!
I enjoyed how much friendship played a part in this book, however, at the same time, I personally found some of Hetty’s friends slightly problematic at times. For example, I found her absolute best friend, Pez, to be a bit of (and I’m sorry to say this, to those that like him), a special snowflake, and definitely not in an encouraging way. I mean, he was upset when Hetty moved away with her family without saying a word, and that’s understandable…however, what I couldn’t fathom was how, on the anniversary of Hetty’s mother’s death, Pez goes on an almost ‘woe is me’ speech, and rather than actually focus on darling Hetty, he starts to tell her about his not so bright addictions, and literally makes her feel bad, I thought, rather than embracing her and letting her mourn. Then he’s hardly supportive of her being a film extra, it’s like come on dude!
Then we have March, a total breath of fresh air, who captures Hetty’s soul and they find they have a total superb connection, which I’m all for, I mean, we all have these people in life who’s connections we value above others. I was honestly shipping these two so hard! I thought and hoped that they would become more than friends, especially when March kissed Hetty! I mean, my heart! But alas, things definitely don’t always turn out how we like, I know, let’s just say I personally thought Hetty had more chemistry with March, and their relationship, to me, would’ve made more sense than he (Pez) who takes slightly more than he gives, in my opinion. Pez’s friend, Rob, was an interesting one, I feel like if both of them actually got to have a heart to heart, such as what was going on in their lives, they would have had a more solid, mutual friendship, rather than Rob throwing around beyond beyond stupid insults regarding Pez’s addictions, not cool.
Definitely a thought provoking read, though, I must say, she who used to read all of the books at once (well not quite, but you know? Sara, I’m looking at you (my wonderful friend who suggested I take it easy and read one at a time), which is just what I did and wouldn’t have done so differently!
I enjoyed how much friendship played a part in this book, however, at the same time, I personally found some of Hetty’s friends slightly problematic at times. For example, I found her absolute best friend, Pez, to be a bit of (and I’m sorry to say this, to those that like him), a special snowflake, and definitely not in an encouraging way. I mean, he was upset when Hetty moved away with her family without saying a word, and that’s understandable…however, what I couldn’t fathom was how, on the anniversary of Hetty’s mother’s death, Pez goes on an almost ‘woe is me’ speech, and rather than actually focus on darling Hetty, he starts to tell her about his not so bright addictions, and literally makes her feel bad, I thought, rather than embracing her and letting her mourn. Then he’s hardly supportive of her being a film extra, it’s like come on dude!
Then we have March, a total breath of fresh air, who captures Hetty’s soul and they find they have a total superb connection, which I’m all for, I mean, we all have these people in life who’s connections we value above others. I was honestly shipping these two so hard! I thought and hoped that they would become more than friends, especially when March kissed Hetty! I mean, my heart! But alas, things definitely don’t always turn out how we like, I know, let’s just say I personally thought Hetty had more chemistry with March, and their relationship, to me, would’ve made more sense than he (Pez) who takes slightly more than he gives, in my opinion. Pez’s friend, Rob, was an interesting one, I feel like if both of them actually got to have a heart to heart, such as what was going on in their lives, they would have had a more solid, mutual friendship, rather than Rob throwing around beyond beyond stupid insults regarding Pez’s addictions, not cool.
Definitely a thought provoking read, though, I must say, she who used to read all of the books at once (well not quite, but you know? Sara, I’m looking at you (my wonderful friend who suggested I take it easy and read one at a time), which is just what I did and wouldn’t have done so differently!
irelivar's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ocylou's review
5.0
This book is utterly amazing.
I see myself in Vetty and her struggle with her identity and how she goes about figuring it out
I loved the characters and their relationships. I want to know the rest of Vettys journey so badly!
I see myself in Vetty and her struggle with her identity and how she goes about figuring it out
I loved the characters and their relationships. I want to know the rest of Vettys journey so badly!
katpar's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Car accident, and Death of parent
jupiter_fangs's review
3.0
I was disappointed. This is probably a book that appeals to some audience, but that is not me. Also, despite how this book advertises itself, this is not a story about bisexuality. Vetty's bisexuality was quite a small side plot, so maybe it shouldn't have been advertised as much?
Anyway, it's a shame I couldn't connect with this book as I really wanted to, but oh well.
Anyway, it's a shame I couldn't connect with this book as I really wanted to, but oh well.
rebelbooks101's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
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? Yes
3.0
All the Invisible Things follows a girl named Vetty who is moving back to her hometown which she hasn’t been to since her mom passed away. She hasn’t seen her old best friend Pez since she moved away. Now the two of them reunite in the summer but Vetty can’t help jungle her feelings for his friend Rob, and his Girlfriend March.
This book was such an important book for me. It addressed so many topics in such a good way such as grief, figuring out your sexuality, mental health, and a porn addiction. It’s such a great coming of age story and was all done very well. I really appreciate how this book talks about topics no one else does. There were some subjects in here (the porn addiction for example) which I have never seen in any type of media anywhere, whether that’s books or TV, I’ve never seen it. It was so wonderful to see some of those subjects be explored and discussed. They were written so well.
I really connected with Pez’s story arc. I thought it was so well written and his story was told so well. All of his thoughts and feelings were so real. I really enjoyed reading about him.
Now if you’re going into this looking for a sweet romance, this is not that. There is more of a focus between the friendship that Pez and Vetty have which is honestly the best part of the book. I loved how they cared for one another and were there for each other in a totally platonic way. I really enjoyed the strong supportive relationship they had with one another. This book didn’t need a romance to be great.
Sometimes this book was a bit too sexual for my liking. There was no sex scenes but the characters talk quite extensively in a lot of detail about sex and masturbation. I’d more recommend this book to the older teen audience but just be aware of that going in.
What really lacked for me was my overall enjoyment of this book. I didn’t find myself really enjoying what I was reading even though I liked the topics it discussed. Once I hit the halfway point I flew through the rest of the story.
I also found some scenes didn’t make a lot of sense. The whole first scene when Pez and Vetty reunited was a lot of confusion and not realistic. I feel like when they first saw each other would be “hey! It’s been so long! What are you doing back here?” Which was not the right away response. I get that it’s a book and not everything needs to be realistic but when the book takes place in modern day and is about teenagers, I feel it should be more realistic.
Overall, I cannot stress how important this book is even if I didn’t enjoy it that much. I feel like this book does such a good job at talking about things no one talks about which is why it’s so important for people to read this book.
This book was such an important book for me. It addressed so many topics in such a good way such as grief, figuring out your sexuality, mental health, and a porn addiction. It’s such a great coming of age story and was all done very well. I really appreciate how this book talks about topics no one else does. There were some subjects in here (the porn addiction for example) which I have never seen in any type of media anywhere, whether that’s books or TV, I’ve never seen it. It was so wonderful to see some of those subjects be explored and discussed. They were written so well.
I really connected with Pez’s story arc. I thought it was so well written and his story was told so well. All of his thoughts and feelings were so real. I really enjoyed reading about him.
Now if you’re going into this looking for a sweet romance, this is not that. There is more of a focus between the friendship that Pez and Vetty have which is honestly the best part of the book. I loved how they cared for one another and were there for each other in a totally platonic way. I really enjoyed the strong supportive relationship they had with one another. This book didn’t need a romance to be great.
Sometimes this book was a bit too sexual for my liking. There was no sex scenes but the characters talk quite extensively in a lot of detail about sex and masturbation. I’d more recommend this book to the older teen audience but just be aware of that going in.
What really lacked for me was my overall enjoyment of this book. I didn’t find myself really enjoying what I was reading even though I liked the topics it discussed. Once I hit the halfway point I flew through the rest of the story.
I also found some scenes didn’t make a lot of sense. The whole first scene when Pez and Vetty reunited was a lot of confusion and not realistic. I feel like when they first saw each other would be “hey! It’s been so long! What are you doing back here?” Which was not the right away response. I get that it’s a book and not everything needs to be realistic but when the book takes place in modern day and is about teenagers, I feel it should be more realistic.
Overall, I cannot stress how important this book is even if I didn’t enjoy it that much. I feel like this book does such a good job at talking about things no one talks about which is why it’s so important for people to read this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction
abbeyleec's review
3.0
I was sent this book from Bloomsbury Australia in exchange for an honest review.
This book took me so long to read. Over 10 days and I honestly was doing anything else not to read this book. I wasn't connecting with it and I actually started it in March and then I put it down to do the OWLS and when I picked it back up it took so long.
The blurb really did make this seem like it would be a good story about Vetty discovering her sexuality and also rediscovering her friendship with Pez but it delved a lot deeper and just wasn't what I thought.
I liked Vetty and she was going through a lot of pain because her mother died 4 years prior but she still felt that pain everyday and her younger sister was getting to the age when she had questions about her body and it was hard also for Vetty to try and figure out who she was as well.
I really didn't like Pez. He was really different from what she remembered and I didn't think he was a nice person and Vetty had to work so much to get anything from him. I didn't connect to him at all and I wasn't a fan.
I liked March though. She was a fun character and was a really good friend to Vetty and I liked reading about the things they would get up to. There were other characters in this book but I didn't care about them that much.
The best thing about this book though was how real it was. It didn't shy away from things that other contemporaries would. It talked about sex and masturbation and having hair on your body and told it plain and simple and it happens and it's there and it's really refreshing when books do go there. Makes books feel more down to earth.
A theme in the book though was porn addiction and I was not expecting it in the slightest and I didn't really know where to go reading with it because it felt more adult then it should have. It was interesting for sure to have that in a book but there was already a lot going on that it threw me a bit.
So this book got 3 stars from me. It wasn't a bad book I had a hard time with some character and maybe the pacing because it was hard to get though.
This book took me so long to read. Over 10 days and I honestly was doing anything else not to read this book. I wasn't connecting with it and I actually started it in March and then I put it down to do the OWLS and when I picked it back up it took so long.
The blurb really did make this seem like it would be a good story about Vetty discovering her sexuality and also rediscovering her friendship with Pez but it delved a lot deeper and just wasn't what I thought.
I liked Vetty and she was going through a lot of pain because her mother died 4 years prior but she still felt that pain everyday and her younger sister was getting to the age when she had questions about her body and it was hard also for Vetty to try and figure out who she was as well.
I really didn't like Pez. He was really different from what she remembered and I didn't think he was a nice person and Vetty had to work so much to get anything from him. I didn't connect to him at all and I wasn't a fan.
I liked March though. She was a fun character and was a really good friend to Vetty and I liked reading about the things they would get up to. There were other characters in this book but I didn't care about them that much.
The best thing about this book though was how real it was. It didn't shy away from things that other contemporaries would. It talked about sex and masturbation and having hair on your body and told it plain and simple and it happens and it's there and it's really refreshing when books do go there. Makes books feel more down to earth.
A theme in the book though was porn addiction and I was not expecting it in the slightest and I didn't really know where to go reading with it because it felt more adult then it should have. It was interesting for sure to have that in a book but there was already a lot going on that it threw me a bit.
So this book got 3 stars from me. It wasn't a bad book I had a hard time with some character and maybe the pacing because it was hard to get though.
soodleth's review
3.0
I was pretty much hooked from the very first line, which is “My name is Helvetica. Like the font.” Any book whose narrator is called Helvetica is worth a shot in my opinion.
While the blurb makes it seem like the book is all about Pez and their friendship, it isn’t. The book is about Vetty and her having to settle back into London when everything has moved on without her. She’s fighting between nostalgia and new experiences. The story meanders along so that you hardly realise you’re nearly finished.
Vetty has one sister who is 10 and she’s very much a parent figure for Arial, something I relate to. Arial and my sister are very different but our relationship is similar. Though there wasn’t that much focus on it, that family aspect interested me.
The writing style is pretty straight forward without too much flourish which I enjoy, but not too plain that it was bland. I found it very easy to picture what was going on.
(Oh and in case the back of the book made you think Pez was gay - he isn’t.)
While the blurb makes it seem like the book is all about Pez and their friendship, it isn’t. The book is about Vetty and her having to settle back into London when everything has moved on without her. She’s fighting between nostalgia and new experiences. The story meanders along so that you hardly realise you’re nearly finished.
Vetty has one sister who is 10 and she’s very much a parent figure for Arial, something I relate to. Arial and my sister are very different but our relationship is similar. Though there wasn’t that much focus on it, that family aspect interested me.
The writing style is pretty straight forward without too much flourish which I enjoy, but not too plain that it was bland. I found it very easy to picture what was going on.
(Oh and in case the back of the book made you think Pez was gay - he isn’t.)