Reviews with content warning for Child death - Finding Jupiter

Reviews tagging 'Child death'

teeclecticreads's review

emotional hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The love story was a bit unrealistic sometimes, but sweet nonetheless. I love the added found poetry element and the writing felt so tender and warm. So happy to see Sensory Processing Disorder rep and an emotional MMC too.

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merle_bookdragon's review against another edition

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emotional sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Very mixed feelings about this one. It took me about 2/3rds of this book before I fully got into it and managed to properly read it. If I was another person I might've dnf-ed it but I never do that and then the ending was able to raise the raiting again.

First of all, and I will be picky about this, because honestly, but a HP reference in a 2022 book? Really? It left a weird aftertaste and that was only 44 pages into the book.

For the rest, I truly don't know what it is. I don't know if it's because we're reading the story from the perspective of two teenagers and I just don't understand what they think like? And then a lot of the time they don't act like 17/18 year olds at all? Or maybe it's specifically American teenagers?

I was really struggling with Orion's perspective the most because he wasn't just awkward, he was AWKWARD. Like so much that it already felt unrealistic to me again. Technically he was incredibly sweet but then he'd say such random stuff? And also came on really strong to Ray even when she said no? Like I don't care that you think she is the most beautiful person in the world, she said no! It doesn't matter that Ray secretly likes it because he. doesn't. know. that. And then sleeping with the sweater she wore after they had just met? Is it just me or is that kinda weird?

I was getting along with Ray's POV way better until she started snooping around in Orion's house, like, have you heard of privacy? You've barely known him 24h girl. And then THEN she first of all went "why are we not making out yet, he should be all over me" and "Any other guy would have totally hooked up with me by now. He didn't even try. He's too innocent." ?! uhm excuse me !!? and then second of all literally went "i'm not like other girls" and then Orion also said "yeah you really aren't," like WOW, we really went there huh.

ANYWAY, it got really interesting and emotional towards the end. Ray's talks with her mom, Orion's talks with his dad (and mom), their talks with each other, Ray going to her dad's grave. It gave the story so much more meaning and depth and it only happened so late that it was only covered a little and felt like it was only used to create drama? Especially together with the unnecessary miscommunication between Ray and Orion about whether he knew or not. That could've 100% been avoided.

I like that at the end they both got to jump over their shadows a little and decide that despite their families' histories they would try to be together. I just wish that had played a role earlier. The star-crossed part really didn't matter for most of the book.

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booknerderika's review against another edition

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emotional

5.0

It's rare that I get to read a romance, or any book for that matter, with a character that I understand so well! Orion's thought process made so much sense to me

that I knew he was like me before he even shared his diagnosis.

This was just the cheesy love story I needed to get out of a reading slump.

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solaria's review

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emotional funny fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.5

bruh

Boring, cliche and cringey. Characters couldn't communicate and were bland which made it a frustrating read. Chemistry between main couple was forced and offered nothing interesting. There was no plot which left the already stale cast nothing to work with. The "plot twist" if you even want to call it that was underwhelming because the author clearly laid out what was going to happen before it was revealed, I knew exactly where the plot was heading and it was just as boring as predicted. The author told too much rather than describing or exploring it in a meaningful way. It could've been a lot shorter because sometimes the author inserted lines that were already implied during dialogue or other moments. Idk.....just not a good read at all.

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antonique_reads's review

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense 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

4.0

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snowwhitehatesapples's review

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hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.

Losing family can be painful, and how we process grief differs from person to person. In Ray's case, she refuses to ever fall in love after witnessing how torn her mother remains after her father's death. For Orion, he does his best to become the best son a father could ever ask for—even if that means suppressing his own wants and desires—after his little sister's untimely passing. So, what happens when these two meet? A romance that the stars will gradually align for, that's what.

Okay, so I'm just going to admit right now that contemporary romance YA books are no longer my cup of tea. Sure, now and then, there'll be a gem I'll fall head over heels for, but most of the time, what I seek to read in romances doesn't appear much in contemporary YA romances. That said, Finding Jupiter is one of those that almost hits the mark as a contemporary YA romance that I'd wholly adore, but due to a few factors, falls short.

To begin, the story is cliché. Although I knew it'd be a given since it has elements of Romeo and Juliet, I had hoped for strong characters, emotional impact and depth that would elevate the story. Sadly, that's not entirely the case because despite Ray and Orion being strong characters, the emotional impact was dulled as I knew what was coming (and it happened exactly the way I expected it) right from the beginning, which then, made the story feel shallow.

Anyway, I greatly enjoyed the actual communication between the characters here. The way Orion and Ray don't just talk but communicate things with each other and their parents, AND their parents doing the same with their kids is something more YA novels should have instead of the prevalent absent parents trope.

Moreover, I really appreciate that Orion is the sweet and sensitive one while Ray is more confident yet fearful of being vulnerable. It's not often that I read about main characters like them, especially as they're both part of the same pairing. This and the sex-positivity makes reading about their romance refreshing.

Overall, Finding Jupiter is a solid debut novel that explores grief, family ties, love and identity. The execution of the twist could've been better, and I would've preferred for the story to be less cheesy but hey, while it's not entirely for me, it might be just the right book for you.

Thank you so much Pansing for sending me an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review! Finding Jupiter by Kelis Rowe is available at all good bookstores.

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