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tkhenry99's review against another edition
3.5
Overall I enjoyed it, but it’s definitely slower paced (which I didn’t mind). The book also isn’t about Sam, it’s about his sister and his childhood friend Josh. It’s a story about grief, guilt, and coping with the fallout of absolutely life-changing events, even ones that are supposed to be happy. You only learn Sam’s story through Josh, so for most of the book the reader doesn’t really know what happened to him. But what happened to Sam really isn’t the point, so it would be unfair to judge the book by its pace. I think if it had moved faster it would’ve been weird and underdeveloped. That said, it definitely has some pretty big flaws.
First, this whole book would not exist if every single one of the characters just went to therapy. Like, seriously, Sam comes back from the dead after 3 years and he’s the only one who sees a counselor? That whole family should’ve been seeing someone. Second, I felt like Sam’s character was a little strange, caught somewhere between needing to be an age-appropriate portrayal of a victim and the author wanting to tell a much different and more difficult story. I wish Sam, and the target audience, had been a little older.For that reason, I wish the author had left out the “sex scene” with Josh. The characters never deal with it and since the story isn’t about Sam, there’s never any explanation for his actions. It could’ve been a great time to explore the different ways people cope with sexual assault, but nothing comes of it . And I just didn’t like the ending for some reason. I have no idea what I would have preferred, but it felt very rushed. The entire book is resolved in just a handful of pages.
First, this whole book would not exist if every single one of the characters just went to therapy. Like, seriously, Sam comes back from the dead after 3 years and he’s the only one who sees a counselor? That whole family should’ve been seeing someone. Second, I felt like Sam’s character was a little strange, caught somewhere between needing to be an age-appropriate portrayal of a victim and the author wanting to tell a much different and more difficult story. I wish Sam, and the target audience, had been a little older.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
Minor: Death, Rape, Sexual violence, and Violence