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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
2.90 stars!!! i personally found the book boring and didn’t start getting interested until around 300 pages in and it wasn’t until the last 90 pages where i really started to connect with the characters. i’ve now realised that i’m no longer a fan of YA, but this was still a good read!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A quiet, emotionally introperspective YA read that wants to be more profound than it is but doesn‘t quite get there. It aims for emotional resonance and quiet depth, but ultimately, it reads more like a faded memory than a full-bodied narrative. It tries to pull heartstrings, but often misses the mark, delivering a familiar but emtionally distant experience.
The characters are meant to carry the emotional weight of the novel, but they often feel like shadows rather than people. I never connected to them. Their flaws were acknowledged, and their humanity was hinted at, but they lacked the complexity and growth to become fully dimensional. While the story seemed to resolve around their interior worlds, those worlds remained inaccessible.
The story moves slowly, and while that pace would‘ve worked in a contemplative, emotionally rich narrative, here it just felt dull. The plot lacks tension and originality, often resembling the pacing of a moody teenage reality TV show or drama. It‘s character-driven in theory, but without strong characters to drive it, the plot feels aimless. You can see where it‘s going far too early, which saps the narrative of any sense od surprise or urgency.
The prose is clean and readable, witha rhytmic quality that makes it flow easily. It fits comfortably with the YA space, being atmospheric at times, occasionally lyrical, and emotionally toned.
But while it succeeds in tone, it rarely surprises or elevates. The language is pleasant but not memorable, it supports the story without ever challenging or captivating the reader. I appreciated the mood, but there was no line or passage I felt compelled to linger on or revisit.
For a book that is meant to be an emotional gut-punch, I felt startingly little. The atmosphere is muted and melancholic, but it didn't touch me. It tried moving fast, offering emotional suggestion rather than depth.
Whether it was the detachment from the characters or the predictable plot with an unbearably slow pacing, I never fully entered the emotional space this book was supposed to create. The vibes are dreamy and slow, but the soul feels missing.
The book explores mental health, adolescence, and identity in subtle and sometimes admirable ways. There is something valuable here: moments that brush against truth, moments where you can see what the book wanted to be. However, many of these themes remain surface-level or are presented without the depth or clarity they deserve. The result is a story that says important things at times, but doesn‘t make you see and feel them.
Though I appreciated that it tried to touch important themes, its execution left me feeling disconnected and underwhelmed.
Despite all of this, I find myself oddly curious about the second book. Maybe it‘s the quiet potential buried beneath this, something unresolved, or rather a mood that I wanted to feel more fully but couldn‘t.
So while I didn‘t enjoy this book a lot, I can see why someone else might. It‘s soft, quiet, and introspective, but in a way that might only resonate if you meet in the right headspace. For me, it was more like wandering throufh fog than falling into a story.
The characters are meant to carry the emotional weight of the novel, but they often feel like shadows rather than people. I never connected to them. Their flaws were acknowledged, and their humanity was hinted at, but they lacked the complexity and growth to become fully dimensional. While the story seemed to resolve around their interior worlds, those worlds remained inaccessible.
The story moves slowly, and while that pace would‘ve worked in a contemplative, emotionally rich narrative, here it just felt dull. The plot lacks tension and originality, often resembling the pacing of a moody teenage reality TV show or drama. It‘s character-driven in theory, but without strong characters to drive it, the plot feels aimless. You can see where it‘s going far too early, which saps the narrative of any sense od surprise or urgency.
The prose is clean and readable, witha rhytmic quality that makes it flow easily. It fits comfortably with the YA space, being atmospheric at times, occasionally lyrical, and emotionally toned.
But while it succeeds in tone, it rarely surprises or elevates. The language is pleasant but not memorable, it supports the story without ever challenging or captivating the reader. I appreciated the mood, but there was no line or passage I felt compelled to linger on or revisit.
For a book that is meant to be an emotional gut-punch, I felt startingly little. The atmosphere is muted and melancholic, but it didn't touch me. It tried moving fast, offering emotional suggestion rather than depth.
Whether it was the detachment from the characters or the predictable plot with an unbearably slow pacing, I never fully entered the emotional space this book was supposed to create. The vibes are dreamy and slow, but the soul feels missing.
The book explores mental health, adolescence, and identity in subtle and sometimes admirable ways. There is something valuable here: moments that brush against truth, moments where you can see what the book wanted to be. However, many of these themes remain surface-level or are presented without the depth or clarity they deserve. The result is a story that says important things at times, but doesn‘t make you see and feel them.
Though I appreciated that it tried to touch important themes, its execution left me feeling disconnected and underwhelmed.
Despite all of this, I find myself oddly curious about the second book. Maybe it‘s the quiet potential buried beneath this, something unresolved, or rather a mood that I wanted to feel more fully but couldn‘t.
So while I didn‘t enjoy this book a lot, I can see why someone else might. It‘s soft, quiet, and introspective, but in a way that might only resonate if you meet in the right headspace. For me, it was more like wandering throufh fog than falling into a story.
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It’s almost obvious what happens at the end of this book but that still didn’t prepare me for the utter devastation I felt when I finished it. I felt the story dragged a little and in some parts I did start to lose interest, however I pushed through and I’m really glad I did. It took me a few days to get over it but it was worth the heartbreak
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This got me fucked up, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book this quick and had my bawling my eyes out in the middle of the day. The writing is beautiful and the chapters are incredibly short and has the most perfect pace throughout. It’s not getting five stars because of the last pages.
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This had people screaming, crying, throwing up from everyone I’ve talked to and I don’t know why. I think the way it was written was good and authentic to a teenagers voice but the final chapters felt like a cop out? And the fact there’s a sequel when one of the main characters is dead feels weird to me. Like I have to read a whole new book with the same plot line knowing what’s going to happen? Wish it had a better ending or that I didn’t stay up until 3am reading it.
Absolutely loved this book. Finished it in one day!! Still in shock from ending.
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
it was ok, the plot was meh and i don’t like how he didn’t just break up with sylvia before