Reviews with content warning for Drug abuse - Fans of the Impossible Life

it seemed like a very lighthearted book at first but as I got more into it I realised how wrong I was. I enjoyed the book but the ending didn't feel satisfying to me and I still have a lot of unanswered questions about the plot. the epilogue only added to the questions.

"What are we going to do?" I said.
"I guess we're going to sit here and wait for this night to end. Every night has to end eventually."

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mayab1226's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

For one thing, this book got me out of my reading slump, so I’m thankful to it for that! The plot and characters were really engaging, and the novel had a compelling and nuanced portrayal of teenage rebellion & escapism, mental illness & self-destruction, and the fine line the characters walked between the two. Although I found the shifting POV tense (1st person for Jeremy, 2nd person for Sebby, 3rd person for Mira) off-putting at first, by the end I was fully invested in it and found that it served their characters well. In particular, I thought Sebby’s 2nd person POV was used just the right amount: not enough that it became affected, but not so little that Sebby didn’t have a voice in the narrative, although his was definitely more complex and ambiguous than that of Jeremy or Mira (which, again, served his character well).

However, I felt that some of the secondary characters—Rose, Ali (and their relationship), Nick, and especially Talia—were a little underdeveloped, even though I understand they weren’t the focus of the novel. The ending also felt a little rushed to me. But on the whole, this was a good, compelling read I’d recommend to fans of YA contemporary/realistic fiction.

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laucavani's review against another edition

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reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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typewriterworries's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

3.5

The book follows three characters: Mina, Jeremy and Sebastian; and there’s a corresponding point of view for each of them. Jeremy is in first person, Sebastian is in second and Mina is in third. While this might be more of hinderance to someone; I loved it.

Over the course of the book, you watch their friendship grow and see how they all become closer in their respective relationships while navigating their last year of high school. I thought the book started off really strong but didn't finish that way. There’s an infamous scene that seemed so out of place and the ending seemed rushed.

Once I found out that this book was based off the Evelyn Waugh work, Brideshead Revisited, something about it; well, clicked. That said, if you haven’t read the book, watched the mini-series or seen the film, you’ll still be good to go.

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julialima's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-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? It's complicated

2.5

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