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chamaeleontis's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Body shaming, Car accident, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Medical content, Toxic friendship, Classism, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Stalking, Terminal illness, Blood, Bullying, Violence, Vomit, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Drug use, and Gaslighting
amibo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Abandonment, Car accident, Child death, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Terminal illness, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, and Child abuse
Minor: Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
sunsetcity's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This book falls in the same vein as "The Truman Show" and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Seeing Jess slowly figure out was happening and seeing her world expand was really interesting to read about. I also, as a 90s kid myself, enjoyed all the 90s references (although it hurt me a little to hear it referred to as retro). But I wish we had stayed in that part of the book a little longer. I was really into the pacing and story progression at the beginning, but I think the second half lost me. Some of the plot points were a little too convenient and things just seemed to be happening without much explanation. I also wish there was maybe one more chapter to help wrap the story up better.
Characterwise, I didn't really connect with any of the characters. I felt that we got to know Jess, but most of the other characters we only learned about at a surface level. To some extent, that was the point of some of these characters, but the more major ones (like Kips or Sarah), I felt we could have learned more about who they were both in and out of the set. I also didn't love the romance in this book, as it did develop super quickly.
Overall, this was an easy and entertaining read full of 90s nostalgia.
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, and Cursing