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nouveaudragon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
5.0
It’s hard to imagine that 3 so wildly different storylines, all of which feel as though they belong to a completely different genre, could mesh so beautifully but they do. A supernatural, science fiction, teen coming of age, romance (but not with the teen) story all coming to fruition inside a donut shop? Incredible. So unforgettable that I’m writing this review in 2024, and started the book in 2021. It has been living rent free in my mind for that long!
heathermb's review against another edition
4.0
JoCo Book Club
Source: Libby Audio
This has been on my list since I met the author on BOAT. It was a great listen and I highly recommend it! It didn’t go where I thought that it was going to go…but the story was really engaging and interesting.
The shout out to “West Covina” was fun.
nataliecg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
swinsword's review
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
The individual ideas are not bad. The execution of the ideas is in fact very bad. Additionally the main character is the most unbelievably miserable person ever. Every single bad thing that can go wrong to her does. It's misery porn for someone. After awhile it gets super tedious that every interaction she has is unrealistically a hate crime, or a pitty party. The author is a bad case of telling and not showing as well. Surprised as many people like this as they do.
mjwhitlock18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
You know it’s gay when she compared another woman’s eyes to a starry sky. This story is complex, eccentric, and honestly confusing at times. It is soft, but also brutally honest. It follows a trans runaway violinist, her lesbian soul-stealing violin teacher, and a retired alien space captain/mother running a donut shop. It is ultimately about found family and carving out your place in the world. Occasionally there is shocking tonal dissonance and I had to take a break, but overall so unique and entertaining.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Child abuse, and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming
literaturelove888's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
miss_vonnegut's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
fast-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? It's complicated
5.0
This book was so interesting! It was definitely different than anything I've read before--filled with aliens and doughnuts and beautiful descriptions of violin music. I kept thinking about the song "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" when I was reading it. I love seeing more trans representation, and the way Aoki did it was fantastic. Warning: the trans character experiences transphobia, abuse, and deadnaming but (minor spoiler): she gets a happy ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Deadnaming, Physical abuse, Transphobia, Racism, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Violence, War, and Racial slurs
The trans character experiences a lot of transphobia and abuse, butafra77's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
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? It's complicated
4.75
cerys_isabel's review against another edition
Nothing really happening yet and no explanation/stakes to what is happening which makes it hard to stay invested. Too character driven and not enough plot for me.