Scan barcode
sebtheoiv's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
alboyer6's review against another edition
4.0
Just finished this book and it's another good one from Alex Sanchez. Diego has anger issues and after an assault charge he gets probation and has to meet with his officer, Mr. Vidas, once a week. And it is with the help of Mr. Vidas that he starts to face the root cause of his anger. Good book with believable characters (though I wanted smack Diego's mother a time or two).
dynamicdylan's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book, especially it's dark themes and heavy subject matter. It really helped me with my own past. However, I would have liked to see more character developement and character description. Great LGBT novel, none the less.
rallyk's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most strongest books I've ever read. There have something about Alex's books. He makes us see a things for which many people prefer to stay blind. Amazing author with very strong books.
ecl_ipse's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
scrollsofdragons's review against another edition
3.0
This book was great up to that ending although I think Vidas went the wrong way about a few litle things but forgiving the mom who let her son be raped just because she didn't want to lose what she had is a parent who shouldn't be even raising kids and the fact she got away with it, that he forgave her pissed me off. The mother was honestly horrific and yet her actions got brushed off after the inital hurt. And I get the saying goodbye to Mac but wishing him peace? Hell no.
sunnydee's review against another edition
5.0
Das Buch hat mich wirklich überzeugt. Der Hauptcharakter ist unglaublich natürlich und sympathisch, obwohl er ja eigentlich ein junger Krimineller ist. Es wird allerdings schön aufgedröselt warum er so ist wie er ist und man merkt bereits am Anfang, dass er grundsätzlich 'gut' ist. Er geht regelmäßig zur Schule, kümmert sich um seinen kleinen Bruder und verdient sich mit einem ehrlichen Job Geld dazu. Warum er einen seiner Mitschüler zusammengeschlagen hat, kommt dann nach und nach raus, als Diego mit seinem Bewährungshelfer spricht. Diese Gespräche wurden aus meiner Sicht unglaublich authentisch beschrieben und die Methoden, die Mr Vidas anwendet, sind wirklich interessant. Eigentlich agiert der Bewährungshelfer schon eher als Therapeut, aber das erklärt sich später im Buch noch. Themen, die in diesem Buch bearbeitet werden sind Missbrauch, Homosexualität, Vertrauen, Identitätsfindung, erste Liebe, Freundschaft... Diego wirkt noch relativ jung in seinen Handlungen und Äußerungen, daher liest sich das Buch teilweise eher wie ein Middle-Grade als ein Jugendbuch. Das Buch lebt davon, dass Diego nach und nach in seinen Gesprächen mit Mr Vidas seine traumatischen Erlebnisse aufarbeitet und somit zu sich selbst findet. Als Nebenhandlung hat man die leichte Liebesgeschichte, die das ganze etwas auflockert und Diego auch ein Ziel gibt. Auch diese Liebesgeschichte wurde sehr realistisch entwickelt. Die Charaktere wirken alle sehr verständnisvoll und sympathisch. Lediglich Diegos Mutter macht es einem aus bestimmten Gründen sehr schwer. Sie ist an sich sehr liebevoll, hat aber etwas (aus meiner Sicht) unverzeihliches getan. Da ich im realen Leben mit solchen Fällen zu tun habe, weiß ich, dass ihr Verhalten durchaus realistisch möglich ist und das erschreckt und ärgert mich immer wieder. Das Buch versucht keine Schuldzuweisungen zu geben, sondern konzentriert sich darauf, wie Diego für sich realisieren muss, wie es in der Zukunft weiter gehen soll. Ihm wird nie ein Weg von Mr Vidas vorgegeben sondern er führt ihn sehr behutsam in die richtige Richtung bzw. zeigt ihm Möglichkeiten auf. Für Außenstehende kann diese Vorgehensweise bzw. Umgang mit Opfer, Täter und Mittätern vielleicht etwas befremdlich sein, aber es geht darum wie das Opfer am besten mit dem Erlebten umgehen kann und wie es sein zukünftiges Leben am lebenswertesten gestalten kann. Man merkt dem Buch deutlich an, dass der Autor selbst im sozialpädagogischem Bereich gearbeitet hat. Für mich war es wirklich ein tolles, emotionales Erlebnis.
Wertung:
4,6 Sterne
Wertung:
4,6 Sterne
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
4.0
Read more at http://rainbowreviews.wix.com/reading free or on Instagram @RainbowReviewsKC
Gut Instinct Rating - 3.5
Story Line - 3.5
Writing Style - 3.5
Characters - 4.5
Excitement Factor - 3.5
Believability for type and topics - 5
Similarity to other books - 4
Cover art- 4; Dust jacket Art - 4
Title Relevance - 5
Goodreads users gave this book a 3.97. I think it was more deserving of a 4.15.
When Diego gets in a fight and the parents press charges, Diego finds himself with Mr. Virdas, a probation offer, who he thinks might be able to help him turn his life around.
You may like this book if you like the following sub-genres:
Therapy
Crime
Sexual Assault
Overall, this book was just kind of average. I mean, it was really predictable what was going to happen, which made it less appealing. I wouldn't have given this over a 3.5 if it wasn't for breaking down each component of a book. (Excuse the short review, but it was just "meh," the whole time.)
The characters were basic. I was slightly annoyed that the characters all appeared to be Hispanic because for me, it made it seem as if we were profiling the Hispanic community. Now, maybe that's a far fetched statement, but I just watched something a few weeks ago about how the Hispanic students were always getting in fights with other non-Hispanic students and the only ones getting in trouble were the Hispanics... so my mind kind of went back to this situation. However, the characters mostly showed progress, which is something I enjoy seeing.
[Click and drag to move]
Although, the book was hinted at taking 6 months... I didn't really feel like we covered that much ground. Most people's probation isn't flexible. It's x-amount of time for x-amount of crime. So I felt kind of cheated, especially at the end when everything just happened to fall into place. Because of these things, the writing style was an issue for me. The story itself is believable. But the way in which it was written (definitely a young-young adult read), I just kind of felt like I knew what the next major point of the book was. The story was just fine - nothing spectacular. The beginning hints at so much of what Diego experiences, that it wasn't real exciting for me. Sure, there were moments were things heated up, but it was mostly luke-warm.
The title was probably my favorite thing the author pulled from the story line. It was representative of at least 2 themes in the novel, but I suppose there could be more if you really did some analysis. The dust jacket artwork was okay - a fishing hook in some deep blue water; nothing spectaculr, but it fit well with the book's story line. The hardcover itself was just a dark/light blue spine and cover with nothing emphasized.
In general, I feel really "meh" about this book. It wasn't great by any means, but it wasn't horrible either. It simply existed.
Gut Instinct Rating - 3.5
Story Line - 3.5
Writing Style - 3.5
Characters - 4.5
Excitement Factor - 3.5
Believability for type and topics - 5
Similarity to other books - 4
Cover art- 4; Dust jacket Art - 4
Title Relevance - 5
Goodreads users gave this book a 3.97. I think it was more deserving of a 4.15.
When Diego gets in a fight and the parents press charges, Diego finds himself with Mr. Virdas, a probation offer, who he thinks might be able to help him turn his life around.
You may like this book if you like the following sub-genres:
Therapy
Crime
Sexual Assault
Overall, this book was just kind of average. I mean, it was really predictable what was going to happen, which made it less appealing. I wouldn't have given this over a 3.5 if it wasn't for breaking down each component of a book. (Excuse the short review, but it was just "meh," the whole time.)
The characters were basic. I was slightly annoyed that the characters all appeared to be Hispanic because for me, it made it seem as if we were profiling the Hispanic community. Now, maybe that's a far fetched statement, but I just watched something a few weeks ago about how the Hispanic students were always getting in fights with other non-Hispanic students and the only ones getting in trouble were the Hispanics... so my mind kind of went back to this situation. However, the characters mostly showed progress, which is something I enjoy seeing.
[Click and drag to move]
Although, the book was hinted at taking 6 months... I didn't really feel like we covered that much ground. Most people's probation isn't flexible. It's x-amount of time for x-amount of crime. So I felt kind of cheated, especially at the end when everything just happened to fall into place. Because of these things, the writing style was an issue for me. The story itself is believable. But the way in which it was written (definitely a young-young adult read), I just kind of felt like I knew what the next major point of the book was. The story was just fine - nothing spectacular. The beginning hints at so much of what Diego experiences, that it wasn't real exciting for me. Sure, there were moments were things heated up, but it was mostly luke-warm.
The title was probably my favorite thing the author pulled from the story line. It was representative of at least 2 themes in the novel, but I suppose there could be more if you really did some analysis. The dust jacket artwork was okay - a fishing hook in some deep blue water; nothing spectaculr, but it fit well with the book's story line. The hardcover itself was just a dark/light blue spine and cover with nothing emphasized.
In general, I feel really "meh" about this book. It wasn't great by any means, but it wasn't horrible either. It simply existed.
momo1129's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.75