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jenny_librarian's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
tense
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? Yes
4.75
That’s a damn good book. I didn’t know what to expect, but the rep is diverse and flawlessly woven in and really good.
It was both informative on bipolar disorder and emotional on many levels. I love the fact that Suzette never gives up on her brother despite everything. It’s not always healthy, but her support and love changes throughout the story without ever questioning whether she has his best interests at heart.
I’m also quite happy with the fact that there’s no cheating. So many bi characters fall into the cheater stereotype, and I’m glad this one doesn’t. There’s no “it just happened” sex either, which was refreshing.
Brandy Colbert writes great stories and I’m looking forward to reading more of her stuff.
It was both informative on bipolar disorder and emotional on many levels. I love the fact that Suzette never gives up on her brother despite everything. It’s not always healthy, but her support and love changes throughout the story without ever questioning whether she has his best interests at heart.
I’m also quite happy with the fact that there’s no cheating. So many bi characters fall into the cheater stereotype, and I’m glad this one doesn’t. There’s no “it just happened” sex either, which was refreshing.
Brandy Colbert writes great stories and I’m looking forward to reading more of her stuff.
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
jcxjab's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? Yes
5.0
I think this book was so insightful about race, religion, sexuality, and loss. Brandy Colbert did an amazing job on these characters. Suzette was a beautifully written protagonist who has flaws and an amazing internal conscious. An underrated read for people that are all about LGBT+ reads. This book caught my eye because it was a black protag. who is queer. LOVE THAT! This was a good reflection of learning about sexuality and learning about a blended family.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Biphobia, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness
mikaelaandherbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- 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
It was an easy YA read that centered around big topics like sexual orientation and mental health/illness. However, it didn't capture me and the ending felt rushed and not fully tied together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Homophobia, and Biphobia
Moderate: Racism and Violence
Minor: Ableism and Abortion
leigh_ann_15_deaf's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Deaf reader reviewing books with deaf characters.
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/
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/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Mental illness, Sexual content, Alcohol, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Biphobia, Racism, and Violence
Minor: Abortion
sophieduncan's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Homophobia
Minor: Biphobia, Antisemitism, Racism, and Sexual content
corvicore's review
emotional
medium-paced
- 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
I liked this book for the most part but there were some things that kept me from giving it 4 stars or higher. First of all, and I'm sorry if this is an unpopular opinion, but I didn't really like Lionel. We are told throughout the book that Suzette and Lionel always confide in each other and that they're incredibly close, but very little of that is actually shown to the reader. That in of itself isn't necessarily a problem considering the premise of the book, however considering the author put flashback chapters in as well, I thought it was a bit of a missed opportunity to not flesh out Lionel's relationship with Suzette there. The only time I really liked him was when he bought Suzette a replacement necklace for her bat mitzvah, and not much else.
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, and even when things get going it really felt out of the blue when Lionel goes missing. There isn't any foreshadowing, we are only told afterwards that he and Rafaela had spoken about going to San Luis Obispo. While I did like the resolution to Emil and Suzette's relationship, Lionel and Suzette making up at the end felt incredibly brief and undeserved. While Suzette's struggles with her sexuality and her relationship with Emil were built upon throughout the entire book, Lionel's arc didn't feel very fleshed out and his apology to Suzette felt very hollow when we were never really shown what Lionel was like when he wasn't being a dick to Suzette.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Mental illness, Racism, and Sexual content
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Abortion and Biphobia
shelleyreads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Racism
mcrystal1000's review
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This book hit me in all the feels and the Queer Jewish representation is so important.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Biphobia, Homophobia, and Racism
thoroughlyenjoyedbooks's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Biphobia, Drug use, Homophobia, Sexual content, and Racism
Minor: Antisemitism
marieketron's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Other reviewers have already commented on the diversity and inclusion inherent in the cast of characters, and it was a refreshing breath of air to have so many different and overlapping identities represented without attention being drawn to it overly much within the narrative. In terms of plot this is a relatively standard coming of age story, set during a summer break when the main character needs to figure out if she wants to stay in the same school or move back home to further her education. There are many different factors at okay to inform her decision, most of which boil down to her relationships with other characters. I really enjoyed that element of it, where Suzette comes to appreciate where she’s gone wrong and actually makes an effort to make amends and improve. I’m not happy with the storyline where she’s lying about the meds, but it is relatively realistic. Overall an enjoyable read but not too special to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Medical content, and Mental illness
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Biphobia