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ashylibrarian's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
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
This book absolutely tore my heart out and started to stich it back up again all in one.
I devoured this book and already cannot wait to read it again.
The sibling relationship. The circle group. The therapy representation. The personal growth. Applause to everything that Courtne Comrie put into this novel.
I wish I had this book growing up, but now I have the power to put this book in the hands of young people and will absolutely be recommending it.
I devoured this book and already cannot wait to read it again.
The sibling relationship. The circle group. The therapy representation. The personal growth. Applause to everything that Courtne Comrie put into this novel.
I wish I had this book growing up, but now I have the power to put this book in the hands of young people and will absolutely be recommending it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Mental illness, Self harm, and Racism
Moderate: Hate crime and Body shaming
katebrownreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Mental illness, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Hate crime, Body shaming, Violence, and Fatphobia
oldandnewbooksmell's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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? It's complicated
5.0
Trigger Warnings: Hate crime, mental health, depictions of self harm, colorism
In this middle grade novel in verse, thirteen-year-old Rain is sad all the time and she’s been keeping it a secret from everyone. She hates the way she looks and feels inferior to her best friend, Nara who seems to be perfect. When Xander, Rain’s older brother and her personal superhero is beat up at a frat party during a college visit, things turn even darker. Xander stops talking to everyone, including Rain, who doesn’t know where to turn. When Rain’s favorite teacher invites her to an after-school program, Circle Group, Rain finds new friends and the courage to help both herself and her family.
This would be a good starter for someone who may be new to novel in verse as to me, the only difference was the formatting. Everything about this book flowed and kept me interested and emotional. Courtne Comrie does an amazing job at tackling everything a thirteen-year-old girl can struggle with: body issues, a best friend who she doesn’t click with anymore, anxiety and depression. Comrie showed just how much Rain was hiding from everyone by showing her describing her self-doubts and then the next page would show her joking around with someone.
Another thing I would like to applaud Comrie on was how Rain and her family handled therapy. It’s a scary thing to get started and there definitely was hesitance on Rain’s part to get it started, but she did, and then she got her family involved too. I remember how much of a taboo therapy and talking about mental health was as I was growing up. I’m so happy children and teens have the representation nowadays to not be ashamed to ask for help when needed.
I’m going to be highly recommending this book to not only middle schoolers, but teens and adults too. This is a beautifully written story about a young girl and her family coming out of the dark times together and I think it’s a story everyone will be able to take something out of.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Self harm, Body shaming, Hate crime, and Bullying
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