Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Here, and Only Here

Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Here, and Only Here by Christelle Dabos

15 reviews

meshuganush's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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tonstantweader's review

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dark sad medium-paced

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

2.0

When the school year begins at Here, and Only Here, a teacher assigns the students to their double desks, one above and one below the line. That line becomes all important because the below students give the above students their lunch money, do their homework, and in return, they are punched, spit on, and otherwise harassed by the above students. The teachers are most notable by their determination to do nothing to upset these abusive traditions.

But there are students who ignore the rules, who struggle under the limitations. There's a bottom who refuses to be a bottom and a top who chafes against his role. Childhood friends learn the cost of bullying and crisis piles on top of crisis.I was disappointed in

Here, and Only Here. I was so confused most of the time, though some of my confusion may be due to putting it down to read other things to distance myself from a shocking and violent incident a little less than halfway through. However, the story teaches us to speak up, the object, and by doing so, becoming visible.

With its high purpose and the deep intention behind it, I wanted to like it. I am sad that I could not. Here, and Only Here is an ambitious book, hoping in its 200 pages to turn the tide against bullying, to show that there are alternatives to the bully or be bullied binary choice presented in students at Here. However, I was frequently repulsed by the open and blatant bullying. The grotesque event in the playground bathroom was sick-making. I was also confused. Only a few students made it through the confusion, standing out as memorable. There were times I asked why I kept reading when I didn't know what was going on.

I found myself resenting the book because I knew I should like it. I felt I was failing the book somehow.

p.s. I love Sophie.

I received an e-galley of from the publisher through Edelweiss.

Here, and Only Here at Europa Editions
Christelle Dabos

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2024/03/12/here-and-only-here-by-christelle-dabos/

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k_shimer's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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booklywookly's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Prateek - BooklyWookly on Instagram

I am not into fantasy reads. Yes ma’am, no dragons, no elves, no swords for me. But December is when I crave me some little Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman (Urban fantasy?). The season and all its ho-ho-hos pairs well with a bit of dark fantasy/ dark academia vibes. So, I tried Christelle Dabos’ for the first time with her book Here, and Only Here. And this was so GOOD!

Welcome to Here - A mysterious middle school where everything is stratified, the atmosphere is eerie, students are ruthless, teachers are helpless, and weird is normal.

The book follows four students, each feeling like outcasts in their own ways. Each of the characters is dealing with how to fit into the social construct of the school.

Iris, a shy and timid first-year student who doesn’t want to attract any attention, and wants to blend in so much that she literally becomes invisible to the world around her.

Pierre, the “lousy kid”. A second-year student who in a class of 27, where everyone is paired up, is the odd one out. Forever destined to be the designated punching bag of the class, he is violently bullied and he wouldn’t want to change anything about it.

Madeleine, an extremely insecure and fiercely competitive third-year student who gets appointed as “The Chosen One” by a mystical spirit.

Guy, a fourth-year bully - but a deeply conflicted and vulnerable kid - who meets his match in a new girl in class.

We also have a Prince - the bully supreme, a substitute teacher with a past, a super secret society investigating supernatural phenomena called Schmoil, ghosts and ectoplasm, a student who walks upside down on ceilings, stinky bogs from hell, profanity galore, cuckold teachers and parents, it’s fun!

The book explores themes of loneliness, isolation, identity, power. Unless you were completely at ease in the middle school, never had to go through the difficulties of being a teenager, and never felt out of place (who the hell are you?!), you will find this book nostalgic and relatable. You can either take all the supernatural events at face value. Or you can find deeper meanings and metaphors for the isolating perils of existing as an adolescent within the social trappings of schools, and incomprehensible coping mechanisms to survive and combat fear of moving towards high school. Everything felt amplified during that period innit? Either way the narration can be enjoyed.

On paper this looks YA. But I don’t think that’s the target audience. I loved the atmospheric and imaginative writing creating a vivid and eerie world. A big chunk of the book is dedicated to isolated characters intros and development. The characters are complex and flawed, and their interactions are realistic and sometimes heartbreaking. Overall, two thumbs up.

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aristarcodisamo's review against another edition

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challenging dark hopeful mysterious reflective 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

3.5

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auraylee's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes

4.25

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hope_draconic_reader's review

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mysterious

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

1.0

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audreylee's review

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dark slow-paced

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

2.0

A mysterious substance runs through a school causing erratic behavior. The school hierarchies isolate some while elevating others. In this case, the fictional causes the same questions as the reality...what is the point? Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for a DRC.

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anaisdai30's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

5.0

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silly_snail's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

3.0

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