Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Fence: Striking Distance

Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

Fence: Striking Distance by C.S. Pacat, Sarah Rees Brennan, Johanna the Mad

6 reviews

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

emotional hopeful medium-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

3.0

this book left me deeply unwell.
there are two very distinct parts to the plot, {Aiden & Harvard} and {Nicholas & Seiji}. the latter pair's plot felt very juvenile, and Seiji is literally Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory which… idk how i feel about. from reading the comics, i felt like his self-isolation was because he was stuck up and pretentious, not because he's oblivious to social cues. he definitely reads as neurodivergent, which i appreciate, but i feel the writing infantilized him. honestly i love Nicholas' character, specifically his outlook and his genuine disregard for Aiden—bruise men's egos!! and even though the hijinks read more like middle grade fiction

(and the cover advertises it as "a novel"—i don't like the treatment of YA as having lesser value, but doesn't such a designation usually imply like adult fiction? but whatever it's probably meant to communicate that, unlike the source material, this not a graphic novel)

, it grew on me and i found it sweet.
which leads me to the other half, with Aiden and Harvard. i was more interested by their chapters, but right at climactic moments it would switch to Nicholas and Seiji. sure, it creates tension, but not enough to last, so when it returns to Aiden and Harvard the immediacy of the situation has dissipated, making for some not great pacing. where Nicholas and Seiji's storyline was generally wholesome and lighthearted, this one is very much angst. without spoiling anything, let me just say that if you were looking for something fluffy, it'll be hard to find here.

with eleven minutes left in the audiobook Aiden and Harvard hadn't gotten together and i was starting to sweat. and then i came to the final chapter and it was from Nicholas' perspective, so how would the reconciliation and mutual confessions of love be portrayed? skip the vulnerable moment entirely and show only the aftermath? nope, it just doesn't happen at all.

this book had me crying on benches in public and then had the audacity to leave me hanging. thank god i didn't read it before the sequel was released,, except there's no audiobook for the sequel (yet) so i basically did! cruel, and not even in an enjoyable, masochistic kind of way. The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue and Winter's Orbit are much better M/M romances with unknown mutual pining and horrible miscommunication.
anyways, here's a playlist i made based on their relationship: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4zIP3MaMFpDPehAkxRjxlR.

Content Warnings

space_bandit's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted medium-paced

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

2.5

Content Warnings

longlost's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny lighthearted fast-paced

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

3.25

despite there being four seperate main characters all of them run on one single braincell and it brings me so much joy

Content Warnings

nicamooch's review against another edition

Go to review page

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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

3.5

Content Warnings

frantic_vampire's review

Go to review page

adventurous funny 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? It's complicated

4.5

I love these idiots so much. That’s it, that’s the post. Lol, no but I loved this book. There is just something about the bonding of a sports team in books that I love to the ends of the earth. These boys may be oblivious to just about everything but fencing, but they are coming together as a little family whether they like it or not.

As I read this it was hard not to compare Striking Distance to the comics. There were definitely things that stuck out as being not quite right and a little out of character. But I think overall this was a fantastic edition to the storyline.

Can we talk about Aiden real quick? Aiden is freaking hilarious in this. Which is so funny to me for some reason? He was speaking in memes and pop culture references half the time and it was completely wasted on these (lovable) oblivious idiots. I was dying of laughter during Seiji’s last chapter after Aiden’s milkshake comment. I also loved the little looks into each of our boys lives before Kings Row and when they were younger. There were so many moments that I just wanted to hug these boys and wrap them up in comfy blankets and protect them from the world. They really need all the love they can get. Also! There were so very painful chapters to read from Aiden and Harvard. The level of pining these idiots have for each other is incredible. And the fake dating thing they had going on just made it 10x worse...and I ate it up.

There were so many other things that I wanted to talk about, but if I don’t shut up now this review will get to be way to long. So, I’m giving Fence Striking Distance a solid four and a half stars. 😊

Content Warnings

samchase112's review

Go to review page

funny lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved seeing the amazing characters of the Fence graphic novel series brought to life in this adorable novel! This book had me laughing and smiling throughout, much like the original series, and I had so much fun that I couldn't put it down (seriously, I read this all in one night after midnight...way past my bedtime...). Seiji was such a freaking dork, and I loved it. I LOVED how he and Nicholas are just so perfect for each other - they really balance each other out as friends. Harvard was a little too one-note, but I loved him nonetheless. Aiden was probably the most complex character, and I really enjoyed hearing his thoughts. It definitely confirmed and built on so much of the graphic novels. Harvard and Aiden's storyline had me SO INVESTED AHHH! I just...they were so cute and so dumb and I just want them to be happy okay. All of these characters deserve the world, OKAY?

The writing was a little immature for my taste, especially in terms of Nicholas' naivety, but I guess that's what happens when you take illustrated characters and bring them to a novel format. If you're a fan of the graphic novels, I highly recommend this book! It's just a really good time with a few really good characters.

Content Warnings

More...