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paiki's review against another edition
5.0
So much emotion, so captivating. Sáenz has definitely become one of my favourite writers, whenever I read one of his books I just get sucked in and can hardly put it down, and then all of a sudden I've finished it. And that is what makes a book great for me.
british2197's review against another edition
3.0
This book only started getting interesting during the last third of the way when Jake and Ramiro started becoming friends, otherwise most of it just effen' destroys me. I mean, can you dig that? (This novel needs some serious editing. Way too repetitive with the above phrases. The way Ram is a person who can't stand Alejandra and tries to avoid her as much as possible, to them becoming best friends by the end seemed very unrealistic. Half the time I forgot who's perspective I was reading from because the two voices sounded so similar.
This book (on the other hand) made me think of my own life and how much I have to be grateful for, including how much I appreciate my family and friends
This book (on the other hand) made me think of my own life and how much I have to be grateful for, including how much I appreciate my family and friends
heuteschongekurtet's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, and Alcohol
Moderate: Racism
prologues_epilogues's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
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
4.5
jennjen's review against another edition
4.0
“Some boys... Are perfect shits. & other boys are very, very beautiful.”
4.5⭐ Benjamin Alice Sáenz’s writing style is definitively one of my favourite. I effen love this book and Ram and Jake. The voices of both these characters were so raw and heart-breaking. And the friendships in this book is just beautiful. This story destroyed me.
4.5⭐ Benjamin Alice Sáenz’s writing style is definitively one of my favourite. I effen love this book and Ram and Jake. The voices of both these characters were so raw and heart-breaking. And the friendships in this book is just beautiful. This story destroyed me.
rubyatarah's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
5.0
Firstly, a silly note: the week that I read this, I met up with somebody from marketplace to buy a car. His name was Ramiro and he was also from Texas. Totally an accident!
I’ve grown up mostly fatherless, getting the most affection from my dad via letters during some time that he was in prison. When you’re in an unstable home, siblings are there to despise and push away, and at the same time need and pull close.
</An overdose in the network of siblings putting one of us in a coma was the scariest thing we’d ever seen. It said to us that even if we got out of the abuse, we could still hurt ourselves, whether choosing or not choosing to. When our brother lived through it, we felt so relieved but didn’t have the words to talk about it.> This book was so deeply wounding and put-back-togethering to my heart. I hope I can get my family to read it. It made me feel understood in a way I hadn’t realized I needed. Benjamin Alire Saenz does an incredible job portraying difficult truths that we seldom have the minds to speak about, for being too personal or too painful, in a simple and palatable way that gives one permission to laugh and cry within the same page.
I’ve grown up mostly fatherless, getting the most affection from my dad via letters during some time that he was in prison. When you’re in an unstable home, siblings are there to despise and push away, and at the same time need and pull close.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Racism
Minor: Gaslighting, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Infidelity, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Racial slurs
viareadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
edboies's review against another edition
3.0
This book has a lot of strikes against it: contrived situations, unrealisticly paranoid portrayal of drugs, and adult characters that are either thinly terrible or transparent saints. Yet, it charmed me and I found myself wanting to keep reading and reach the joyous ending that I saw coming miles away.
irayred's review against another edition
2.0
2.5/5
Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove have missing parents. And the way they cope up with that is not the best. On one hand we have Ramiro, a guy that was left by his dad before his little brother, Tito, was born, and ever since, he has felt a hole inside him that cannot be fill with anything. And Jake is this kid whose father just left one day, and so his mom took care of him, along with this stepdad –problem is that they provide him with all sorts of things, except what’s most important and that is to really see him and try to understand him.
Now, I must admit that this book has a lot of problems. First, it seriously needs EDITING. You effen destroy me, like, can you dig it? and all those phrases and words were at least a hundred times in the whole book. The voices of the MCs are quite annoying, even for a teenager, and I swear to god, I was tired of reading such obnoxious characters.
Now, teenagers using drugs, alcohol and cigarettes just to ignore the fact that they are hurt, I mean, what else is new? I get bored with those shallow characters real fast. It’s not that they’re not out there, in real life, is just that it is boring to read about them because they do things out of pure frustration. People like that don’t use their brains, and I know we’re all hurt in some ways that are beyond repair, but that doesn’t mean you get to hurt others just because you don’t know how to deal with it.
Unfortunately, this book is not that remarkable. I can see that Benjamin has grown into a wonderful author, but I wouldn't recommend this book because it doesn’t feel like it has a real purpose. To me is just like he wanted to talk about kids that were abandoned by their parents, and how that affects their lives, but at the end of the day, all that I remember is how annoying they were, even if they end up feeling hope for a brief moment.
I was expecting too much about this book because I’ve already read three of Benjamin Alire Sáenz books but this one was a total miss for me.
The only thing that I will remember is that parents don’t really see their kids. For example, when we’re young we ask about things and don’t accept the world as it is; instead we try to change it despite the fact that we don’t have the foundation to do it so. Truth is, some parents only see us for who they want us to be. Sometimes they just pretend everything is OK, when in fact it is not and that leads to drugs, alcohol abuse and other problems that are so common among young adults.
This is only a reminder that not everybody should be a parent just because they know how to have sex (and sometimes, not even that).
I wouldn’t recommend this book in case you want to get into Benjamin Alire Sáenz writing.
There are far more better books like Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe, The Inexplicable Logic of my Life and Last Night I Sang to the Monster.
Ramiro Lopez and Jake Upthegrove have missing parents. And the way they cope up with that is not the best. On one hand we have Ramiro, a guy that was left by his dad before his little brother, Tito, was born, and ever since, he has felt a hole inside him that cannot be fill with anything. And Jake is this kid whose father just left one day, and so his mom took care of him, along with this stepdad –problem is that they provide him with all sorts of things, except what’s most important and that is to really see him and try to understand him.
Now, I must admit that this book has a lot of problems. First, it seriously needs EDITING. You effen destroy me, like, can you dig it? and all those phrases and words were at least a hundred times in the whole book. The voices of the MCs are quite annoying, even for a teenager, and I swear to god, I was tired of reading such obnoxious characters.
Now, teenagers using drugs, alcohol and cigarettes just to ignore the fact that they are hurt, I mean, what else is new? I get bored with those shallow characters real fast. It’s not that they’re not out there, in real life, is just that it is boring to read about them because they do things out of pure frustration. People like that don’t use their brains, and I know we’re all hurt in some ways that are beyond repair, but that doesn’t mean you get to hurt others just because you don’t know how to deal with it.
Unfortunately, this book is not that remarkable. I can see that Benjamin has grown into a wonderful author, but I wouldn't recommend this book because it doesn’t feel like it has a real purpose. To me is just like he wanted to talk about kids that were abandoned by their parents, and how that affects their lives, but at the end of the day, all that I remember is how annoying they were, even if they end up feeling hope for a brief moment.
I was expecting too much about this book because I’ve already read three of Benjamin Alire Sáenz books but this one was a total miss for me.
The only thing that I will remember is that parents don’t really see their kids. For example, when we’re young we ask about things and don’t accept the world as it is; instead we try to change it despite the fact that we don’t have the foundation to do it so. Truth is, some parents only see us for who they want us to be. Sometimes they just pretend everything is OK, when in fact it is not and that leads to drugs, alcohol abuse and other problems that are so common among young adults.
This is only a reminder that not everybody should be a parent just because they know how to have sex (and sometimes, not even that).
I wouldn’t recommend this book in case you want to get into Benjamin Alire Sáenz writing.
There are far more better books like Aristotle and Dante discover the Secrets of the Universe, The Inexplicable Logic of my Life and Last Night I Sang to the Monster.
jennjen's review against another edition
4.0
“Some boys... Are perfect shits. & other boys are very, very beautiful.”
4.5⭐ Benjamin Alice Sáenz’s writing style is definitively one of my favourite. I effen love this book and Ram and Jake. The voices of both these characters were so raw and heart-breaking. And the friendships in this book is just beautiful. This story destroyed me.
4.5⭐ Benjamin Alice Sáenz’s writing style is definitively one of my favourite. I effen love this book and Ram and Jake. The voices of both these characters were so raw and heart-breaking. And the friendships in this book is just beautiful. This story destroyed me.