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greeneerie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Grief, Bullying, and Death of parent
Moderate: Medical content and Murder
Minor: Vomit, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual content
hannah2896's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Minor: Death, Bullying, Car accident, Mental illness, Gaslighting, and Death of parent
tiffyb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book is incredibly difficult to describe and was more of an experience than a book. I was 100% invested and can’t feel that this book deserves less than four stars, despite its flaws. There was a great plot, some intense moments, and we are left with food for thought at the end. In many ways, the author managed to capture several aspects of how it FEELS to be a child in distress. About 3/4 of the way through, it got heavy, like I felt physically heavy and had to put the book down. And at the end, there was a lot left unanswered, which to be fair, is not something I always like in a book (but I didn’t mind it too much here because I did feel that I had the general answers to what had actually happened.)
The prose felt experimental: I HATED the format- an eleven year old boy’s journal. It was intentionally overflowing with run-on sentences and bad punctuation and random CAPS LOCK and incorrect punctuation and spelling. But it still didn’t feel anything like what a real 11-year-old would write, especially as the boy sometimes seemed older than his age and at other times much younger. I originally found this voice to be annoying and quite exhausting to read, but as the book went on, I began to see it as a sort of poetry. I’m not sure if there was actually a poetic rhythm to the prose, but it flowed so well that I found myself reading as though I was riding the waves of Haig’s writing. Eventually, the writing style faded into the background, and I realized that it was more of a creative and poetic choice than an honest effort at an adult sounding like a child.
Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual content, and Death
sakisreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I should have realised this was a Macbeth-esque story, but I haven’t read Shakespeare in so long 🫠 Oops!
Content warnings are below, as usual!
I whizzed through this, not necessarily because it was written well but because there was always some discomfort lurking within (and I suppose Matt Haig’s intention was to write it as a 11 year old boy whose grammar isn’t going to be great) 😳
I’m giving it a 3.5 out of 5 stars ✨ Not sure what to read next to be honest 😂 This one put me in a weird place!
Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Grief, and Panic attacks/disorders
liamliayaum'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? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Suicide attempt
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
The adolescent voice created by author Matt Haig is so on point. Philip is a very bright and interesting kid who is wonderful at observing others and describing his world. He doesn’t want to believe what his dead father says to him or do what’s being asked of him, but feelings of loyalty to someone you love are hard to refuse. The sometimes zany situations in which Philip finds himself experiencing because of interactions with his dead father are beyond what you’d expect of a child, but not too far out there that they’re unbelievable. Philip’s explanation of what happens is done with the rationale you’d expect of a clever eleven-year-old boy.
This story makes so much sense when looked at through the lens of the main character being a child dealing with deep and profound grief that he may not yet be ready to move on from. The mind works in mysterious ways. There’s also a really good mystery or two running through the storyline, and almost a comedy of confusion that persists because no one is talking to Philip. But it is clear that the boy is loved by family and other adults in his life. I very much appreciated that being loud and clear in the book.
This is a very good story with excellent writing and character development. I highly recommend regardless of the reader’s familiarity with Hamlet.
I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator, pre-teen Andrew Dennis, was stellar. Mr. Dennis’s nuanced performance brought the source material to life and there could not have been a better choice for this book.
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol and Sexual content
kimseokjinschild's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
📈 Lost Interest a couple of times
📈Couldn't get use to writing layout
Graphic: Death, Bullying, and Death of parent
Moderate: Murder
beccaattiffanys's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
laurataylor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Blood, Bullying, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Medical content, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Murder, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol
megamog's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal death, Death of parent, Grief, Bullying, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Suicide attempt, Violence, Alcohol, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders