You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
10 years later I finally read my first Shaun David Hutchinson book. And I think I'll read more, once I get this toppling pile of TBR off my desk.
I liked the concept a lot in theory, and I adored it in the last fifth or so, but I wish more had been done with it before then--perhaps in more subtle ways, because Iwasn't sure if the universe was actually shrinking or if Tommy had been a figment of Ozzie's imagination to start with. I suppose a combination thereof.
There was a lot going on here and it worked really well. The sideplots all weaved quite seamlessly through and I enjoyed how each character had their own motivation.
Also, hell yes to projecting that high school love doesn't need to last!!!
Some nice quotes:
"Just . . . don't get so focused on where you're going that you forget the people you're traveling with. There's no point reaching a destination if you arrive alone" (222).
"Everyone we meet begins as a stranger, so we project onto them who we need them to be until we get to know them. He said we gave to fall in love with the idea of a person before we can fall in love with the actual person" (271).
I liked the concept a lot in theory, and I adored it in the last fifth or so, but I wish more had been done with it before then--perhaps in more subtle ways, because I
There was a lot going on here and it worked really well. The sideplots all weaved quite seamlessly through and I enjoyed how each character had their own motivation.
Some nice quotes:
"Just . . . don't get so focused on where you're going that you forget the people you're traveling with. There's no point reaching a destination if you arrive alone" (222).
"Everyone we meet begins as a stranger, so we project onto them who we need them to be until we get to know them. He said we gave to fall in love with the idea of a person before we can fall in love with the actual person" (271).
One of my absolute favorites, Shaun David Hutchinson does it again.
reflective
sad
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I like things that make me feel weird. This was one of them.
3.5.
I appreciate the clever way of approaching a struggle that many people go through. If this one had only been a story about a boy who remembers another that no one else seems to remember he even existed, or if it didn't have that last chapter, I would've been really annoyed for having read all of that for nothing. But this book had a message, and it obviously wasn't just for Ozzie, so I'm glad that this wasn't a weird sci-fi romance that went nowhere.
With that said, I wish I could rate it higher than this, but I also base my ratings on my level of enjoyment, and unfortunately I can't say I enjoyed this one a lot. I'd say, if you're feeling as if the world is ending (and not just literally, of course, unlike our MC Ozzie), then this book could be for you.
I appreciate the clever way of approaching a struggle that many people go through. If this one had only been a story about a boy who remembers another that no one else seems to remember he even existed, or if it didn't have that last chapter, I would've been really annoyed for having read all of that for nothing. But this book had a message, and it obviously wasn't just for Ozzie, so I'm glad that this wasn't a weird sci-fi romance that went nowhere.
With that said, I wish I could rate it higher than this, but I also base my ratings on my level of enjoyment, and unfortunately I can't say I enjoyed this one a lot. I'd say, if you're feeling as if the world is ending (and not just literally, of course, unlike our MC Ozzie), then this book could be for you.
**4.8/5**
**TW for: mentions of rape, self harm, homophobia, nihilism, underage drinking, sexual relationships**
Really good. And also really deep. I got the same feeling reading this that I did with We Are The Ants in that I felt like I was either missing or not understanding the deeper meaning that the sci-fi elements of the story held. I think at the end of this one, though, it was more obvious what the sci-fi aspect could stand for.
I thought that, overall, all of the characters were startlingly real. I wasn't a fan of Lua at all throughout the story. I thought they were hypocritical and selfish when dealing with their friendship with Ozzie. I thought Dustin was more of a plot point and that was a bit disappointing because he didn't feel like much other than someone who handled a situation a certain way so that Ozzie could learn from it. He was a little flat so I was let down there. Ozzie himself was also selfish and really self-centered with his problems. But all of these things made them that much more real. Because we, as real people, aren't perfect and we have both good and bad qualities and both help us grow into being better people if we choose to allow it, and that's what the characters in this book did. And high school kids don't have all the answers and they can be ignorant about a lot of things and willfully so because it's easier that way. It's easier to be blissfully unaware.
**Slight Spoiler here**
I read a review talking about how they felt that the reveal being that Tommy had broken up with Ozzie being a cop-out or a let down with how much the book had climaxed, and I have to disagree. When we are in high school we think that the world exists in this bubble of everything that happens to us; like everything is the end of the world when we're upset. I know that's how I felt. And I felt like Ozzie was really consumed with Tommy and that's also realistic of first love and young love where everything exists around that person and we don't really do anything outside of them or exist without them, and we don't really have an individual identity because we want to do whatever we can to hold onto what we have. And Tommy pointed out how damaging that can be in the long run.
But the breakup being the "end of the world" for Ozzie was a realistic kind of portrayal of how love can be all consuming and how when we're in high school we can live in a bubble that only pops as we grow. Because we see the world as small and only existing where we exist. And the point, I think, of the book was to say that life is a lot bigger than high school and a lot bigger than a break up and a lot bigger than our first love and if we just stay where we're comfortable without allowing ourselves to experience other things we stay in that bubble mindset.
I don't 100% agree with that because I think people can stay where they are and be comfortable and be okay and people don't need to go out and explore the universe to be fully happy. I think it's okay to stay where you grew up if that's what you want. The world as a whole is scary and some people won't ever be ready for that jump. I'm glad that I did, but it's not for everyone. And that's okay.
**TW for: mentions of rape, self harm, homophobia, nihilism, underage drinking, sexual relationships**
Really good. And also really deep. I got the same feeling reading this that I did with We Are The Ants in that I felt like I was either missing or not understanding the deeper meaning that the sci-fi elements of the story held. I think at the end of this one, though, it was more obvious what the sci-fi aspect could stand for.
I thought that, overall, all of the characters were startlingly real. I wasn't a fan of Lua at all throughout the story. I thought they were hypocritical and selfish when dealing with their friendship with Ozzie. I thought Dustin was more of a plot point and that was a bit disappointing because he didn't feel like much other than someone who handled a situation a certain way so that Ozzie could learn from it. He was a little flat so I was let down there. Ozzie himself was also selfish and really self-centered with his problems. But all of these things made them that much more real. Because we, as real people, aren't perfect and we have both good and bad qualities and both help us grow into being better people if we choose to allow it, and that's what the characters in this book did. And high school kids don't have all the answers and they can be ignorant about a lot of things and willfully so because it's easier that way. It's easier to be blissfully unaware.
**Slight Spoiler here**
I read a review talking about how they felt that the reveal being that Tommy had broken up with Ozzie being a cop-out or a let down with how much the book had climaxed, and I have to disagree. When we are in high school we think that the world exists in this bubble of everything that happens to us; like everything is the end of the world when we're upset. I know that's how I felt. And I felt like Ozzie was really consumed with Tommy and that's also realistic of first love and young love where everything exists around that person and we don't really do anything outside of them or exist without them, and we don't really have an individual identity because we want to do whatever we can to hold onto what we have. And Tommy pointed out how damaging that can be in the long run.
But the breakup being the "end of the world" for Ozzie was a realistic kind of portrayal of how love can be all consuming and how when we're in high school we can live in a bubble that only pops as we grow. Because we see the world as small and only existing where we exist. And the point, I think, of the book was to say that life is a lot bigger than high school and a lot bigger than a break up and a lot bigger than our first love and if we just stay where we're comfortable without allowing ourselves to experience other things we stay in that bubble mindset.
I don't 100% agree with that because I think people can stay where they are and be comfortable and be okay and people don't need to go out and explore the universe to be fully happy. I think it's okay to stay where you grew up if that's what you want. The world as a whole is scary and some people won't ever be ready for that jump. I'm glad that I did, but it's not for everyone. And that's okay.
I can't decide if I like this book better than We are the Ants. There's even a little reference to the book in this one!
When I first started reading, I was worried this would be a rehashing of the same plot as We are the Ants. This book did distinguish itself in some ways. In the end, this was like We are the Ants plus The Twilight Zone.
I did like this book, but... I don't know, it didn't do much to endear itself to me. Surely this book could be a favorite close to someone's heart, it's just that person isn't me.
When I first started reading, I was worried this would be a rehashing of the same plot as We are the Ants. This book did distinguish itself in some ways. In the end, this was like We are the Ants plus The Twilight Zone.
I did like this book, but... I don't know, it didn't do much to endear itself to me. Surely this book could be a favorite close to someone's heart, it's just that person isn't me.
3,75/5 stars
I started reading this book without any expectations and I didn't really think I would like it much. But this book really surprised me and I liked it way more than I thought I would.
This book handles some hard topics in a very good way and I think it was very beautifully written. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of this book also.
Ozzie, the main character, was very selfish and that kind of bugged me sometimes, but I also think he was very funny at times. I really liked Lua and I think Calvin was so adorable and cute oh my god 😻
I'm still kind of debating whether I liked the ending or not and if I really got it but besides that this book really surprised me and I'm very glad I read it.
I started reading this book without any expectations and I didn't really think I would like it much. But this book really surprised me and I liked it way more than I thought I would.
This book handles some hard topics in a very good way and I think it was very beautifully written. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of this book also.
Ozzie, the main character, was very selfish and that kind of bugged me sometimes, but I also think he was very funny at times. I really liked Lua and I think Calvin was so adorable and cute oh my god 😻
I'm still kind of debating whether I liked the ending or not and if I really got it but besides that this book really surprised me and I'm very glad I read it.