Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - Panic

This was a re-read (albeit, I read it many years ago) and was still completely shocked by every twist and excited by every turn. Lauren Oliver has this amazing talent for writing believable teenagers using sophisticated language that really validates their experiences in a way that is much needed in the YA genre. This book is a wild ride that I have had such fun revisiting. No complaints.

For a further discussion of my thoughts, check out the next episode of my podcast: Books without Borders. https://anchor.fm/books-wo-borders

My scoring:
5.00 | = everyone in the world must read this book
4.75 | = between 4.5 and 5
4.50 | = dessert island book
4.25 | = between 4 and 4.5
4.00 | = great, solid, recommendable book
3.75 | = almost a 4, but not quite
3.50 | = not a 4, but I had a good time
3.25 | = rough patches, but not bad
3.00 | = meh, read-able but nothing to write home about
2.75 | = between a 2.5 and 3
2.50 | = there’s something I liked here but it wasn’t enough to be good
2.25 | = between a 2 and 2.5
2.00 | = not good and there was nothing I liked
1.00 | = bad

Content Warnings

jkpiowa's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

The author appears to have done zero research about the climate of places in the US. There's a point where a character asks about living in Chicago, and the other person in the conversation says it's "freezing 10 months of the year, and nice the other 2", or something to that effect. What? No. Not even kind of. The book is supposed to be set in New York state, which should have a pretty similar climate to Illinois, maybe even a little colder on average.

CW: there's a character that has a disabled sister and he routinely refers to her as broken, damaged, etc., and insinuates that her life is barely worth living due to her disability. It was gross. There's also a plot point of child abuse and homelessness.

The writing was okay at best, though the plot itself was alright. I had to push through at some points and probably won't read this author again.

Content Warnings