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mikaelaandherbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Mental illness, Homophobia, and Biphobia
Moderate: Racism and Violence
Minor: Ableism and Abortion
leigh_ann_15_deaf's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
The diversity in this novel is excellent. I like narrator's voice and interesting story. Heartfelt. Enjoyable.
As for the deaf character, Emil. I'm a little iffy.
So, he has Ménière's disease, which makes him "late-deafened," and he identifies as hard of hearing. He unabashedly wears hearing aids, as has been wearing them since a few months before the start of the novel. All of this is fantastic! Except the author seems to be confused about hearing aids.
It's just a little strange how he doesn't take care of these super expensive devices at all. He never seems to take them off. In fact, he seems to sleep in them, which is particularly odd. Especially considering not once has he ever needed to change the batteries. (Where can I get these, please?)
Emil also has "waterproof" hearing aids, which don't exist. There are several "water resistant" brands on the market, but these can only be submerged for very short periods of time, and that's with extra equipment like "go-pro" cases and waterproofing kits. The largest time limit I'm aware of for getting hearing aids wet is 30 minutes. So you would prep them to get in the water, then swim for 25 minutes max, and get out to dry your devices as quickly and carefully as possible. Otherwise you'll be spending hundreds to thousands to either fix or replace them! But Emil just jumps right into the pool, twice, and we never see him drying these babies off. I was screaming internally!
Another thing that bothered me is that Suzette keeps touching his hearing aids. Cringe! I know I'm not alone in that, because touching the devices can often trigger painful feedback or make "itchy" noises.
As far as Emil and communication difficulties, there is none. No one ever needs to repeat anything. That's not necessarily a bad representation, but it does stand out to me.
Something I find funny (in a ha-ha way): Suzette calls Emil's name as he walks away after an argument, but he doesn't turn around. And it's impossible to know whether this is because he didn't hear her or for the drama. Kiss-fist.
Overall, I really enjoyed this story, though I do wish the author had been a little more accurate with the hearing aids.
Link to ranked list of deaf characters in fiction: https://modcast.blog/2022/12/17/ranked-deaf-characters-in-fiction/
Graphic: Stalking, Mental illness, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Abortion
sophieduncan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Homophobia
Minor: Biphobia, Antisemitism, Racism, and Sexual content
corvicore's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Furthermore, I felt as if the ending wasn't as satisfying as it could have been. The book's plot really only begins in the halfway mark,
I want to be clear though that I did like this book. When I review books I mostly put what I didn't like about it, but that doesn't mean that there aren't things I enjoy too. The diverse cast of characters was a welcome change, and it was clear that the author had put a lot of thought into respectfully writing each and every character. It's just that the things I mentioned above soured my reading experience.
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Abortion and Biphobia
shelleyreads's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Racism
155books's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This book made me cry multiple times, covered some really important topics and did it SO WELL. I also adored the family relationship/s, the friends & romantic relationships. This is one I would highly recommend to those who enjoy/want to read more book Witt great mental health representation!
Graphic: Racism and Mental illness
mcrystal1000's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Racism
thoroughlyenjoyedbooks's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Biphobia, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Racism
Minor: Antisemitism
missprint's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Racism and Homophobia
Brief mention of abortion.marieketron's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Racism, Medical content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Biphobia