manou_r's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring slow-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

5.0

Ik weet niet hoevaak ik heb gehuild tijdens het lezen van dit boek, maar het was vaak. 

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bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-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

5.0


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puhlowmuh's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

3.5


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teatales's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful reflective sad 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

5.0

What a beautiful story about loss and grief and family and love. Benjamin Alire Sáenz's words fill me with indescribable emotion. I loved all of the characters, I loved their relationships. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. I still feel like Salvador in many ways - all this anger or fear as Vicente calls it, and nowhere to put it. No understanding of where I'm heading. Sam is so utterly herself it's enviable. Fito is such a shining light. Vicente and Mima are the best family anyone could ask for. A wonderful reminder about tenderness. 

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bebidocrimes's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

4.0

This writing style is kinda choppy, like it's mostly simple sentences, but I guess that's what makes the 450 pages feel like an easy read. Not sure the author really knows any teenagers in real life, but they don't text like that. Who shortens don't to dn't keeping the apostrophe? Besides minor nitpicky things like that, this really was a beautiful book. It was light and heartfelt, but what really hit me was being reminded of last April and everything me and my family went through while my Meemaw was in hospice. Grief really is love with nowhere to go.

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papercraftalex's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

5.0

If you like coming of age novels wrought with emotion and metaphors, you'll love this. Benjamin Alire Saenz has a magical way with words and his characters are always so real. 

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raesengele's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

As much as I enjoyed this book and Benjamin Alire Sáenz's writing, I'm not entirely sure what happened with this one. His writing seems to have taken a bit of a dip compared to his adult novels/short stories. Not that it's bad, don't get me wrong, just not what I'm used to seeing from him. The language is very simplistic with some unnecessary repetition. For instance, on page 5:

And her shoes? Sandals. Sandals? I waited all this time for a pair of sandals she bought at Target?

"Great day," she said, all smiles and enthusiasm.

"Sandals?" I said. "That's what I was waiting for?"

It would have come across just the same if the first bit had simply been, "And her shoes? Sandals." then moved into the dialogue from there. It's nitpicky, I know, but with how simple the language was little things like that just kept standing out.

Other than that, it's beautifully written the way Sáenz's books always are. Quiet and contemplative, exploring human nature through the small mundane moments of life. So, great book, just linguistically not his best. 

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dystopiceyre's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

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alylentz's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective 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

2021 reread: I still think this is lovely and warm, but I did realize how slowly it moved this time and maybe wished there was a little more plot driving things along. I don't think I loved it quite as much as the first time, but still found it beautiful and an enjoyable reread.

I probably read this in a little over 24 hours. His style is just so readable and his stories always hook me immediately and I can't put them down. I enjoyed seeing a different kind of plot than Aristotle and Dante (which I loved so much I still think about it probably like every day) but with a lot of similar coming of age and community themes. I couldn't help comparing them, and while I do think that one was probably a better novel overall, this one is still extremely strong. At times things seem to fall into place too easily or there was something about the narration that seemed like it wasn't as natural as A&D, but overall, I got completely sucked in and couldn't predict what was going to happen. And of course, I cried at the end! Anyway, I loved this--it's a quick read that still manages to feel soulful, fresh, and honest.

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