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zydecovivo's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Panic attacks/disorders, Outing, Transphobia, and Chronic illness
Moderate: Medical content, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Self harm, Cursing, Deadnaming, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness
mel_muses's review
4.5
And wow, did this book take turns I was not expecting!! I read it in the span of a few days, on audio (thank you, Jenn, for letting me use your library card LOL). It was addicting, and in such a good way. I loved the way the romance developed. It was so cute and while at times I wanted to scream at Harper, MARGOT FOR THE WIN! I also really loved the way Quinlan explored Harper's asexuality. It was beautifully done, and felt incredibly authentic. More aspec lesbians, PLEASE. My favorite part and characters of the book were actually people who were on page for like .5 seconds bUT I don't want to spoil who it was. SO: Skye Quinlan, please give me a whole spin-off of just THEM. My DMs are always open :)
Overall, a wild ride. A book that felt real and passionate, loving and authentic, scary and empowering. Also, please read my friend Jenn's review of this book. I encapsulated only a fraction of what they wrote about.
Content Warnings: anxiety, depression, homophobia, mentions of self harm, alcoholism, public outing
Graphic: Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Mental illness, and Outing
Moderate: Alcoholism
fanboyriot's review
- 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
Asexual Rep
Boarding School
Friends to Lovers
Bandmates to Lovers
(First Person POV)
I absolutely loved this book. The characters, the romance, Margot's energy and comments, very much here for it.
Graphic: Cursing, Lesbophobia, Medical content, Homophobia, Outing, and Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Gaslighting, Mental illness, Bullying, Classism, Sexual harassment, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcoholism, Self harm, Transphobia, Alcohol, and Vomit
samisversion's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Medical trauma, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Medical content
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Outing, and Addiction
Minor: Self harm
booksdogsandcoffee's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Harper’s pic has been taken from her private insta account and used for tinder. Where someone has been pretending to be her and talking to Margo Another student who is in marching band with her. Harpers father is extremely conservative and her father is even running for president. She doesn’t identify as queer, but since this fake tinder profile her and Margo have become friends, possibly even more. Harper is trying to figure out what these knew found feelings mean about herself and her sexuality. But all she does know is that having a queer kid is not something that will bode well for her fathers campaign. So she can’t let this get out.
I loved this book. As a former band geek I felt super nostalgic listening to the audiobook and remembering being in band in high school and college. Plus I liked the political aspect of the story as well.
Rep
Bipoc
Enby,
Ace
Les
Pan
Poly
Cw
Mental health
Anxiety
Depression
Ptsd
Alcoholism
Self harm
Suicidal thoughts
Vomit
Allergic reactions (epi pens)
Asthma
Outing
Homophobia
Toxic friendship
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Outing, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Minor: Vomit
onewoman_bookclub's review
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Outing
Moderate: Homophobia, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
imstephtacular's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia
Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, Lesbophobia, Classism, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual content, War, Alcoholism, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Medical content, Toxic relationship, and Suicidal thoughts
plumpaperbacks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Representation
- asexual lesbian protagonist with asthma
- Black lesbian love interest
- queer Indonesian side character
- bisexual nonbinary side character (they/them)
- pansexual polyamorous side character with asthma
- autistic side character
- sapphic main couple
- achillean side couple
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Outing, and Medical content
Moderate: Self harm, Alcohol, and Alcoholism
Mental illness- anxiety and depression. Panic attacks- only one, but it’s severe and leads to the protagonist being hospitalized. Medical content- short hospital stay that lasts a couple of chapters. Everything tagged moderate is about side characters; one talks about how she previously self-harmed and another briefly mentions his issues with alcoholism and how he went to rehab. There’s also one (I believe) instance of underage drinking.betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
But there are obstacles in their way, mainly Harper's homophobic mother, the dean of their school. As Harper discovers more about herself and her sexuality, she has to figure out if she has the freedom to be herself.
Listened to the audiobook for this one, and there are so many great things this book has going for it. The main one is at the heart of the novel: Harper and Margot's relationship. I loved the way it evolved throughout the book, and Margot was kind and considerate about Harper's asexuality. They truly cared for one another, and the way their relationship unfolded worked on so many levels.
The marching band aspect of the book worked really well, too. Quinlan captured the feel of it, and through marching band, Harper is kind of able to figure out what she might want after high school. The whole atmosphere did wonders for the story itself.
There were some elements I wish would have been a bit more fleshed out, though. Mainly, Harper's dad's campaign and the political nature of him running for office. That aspect of the story felt a bit rushed, to be honest. Additionally, the plotline with Harper's original friend group, while authentic for teenage friendships I thought it could have been a bit more fleshed out, too.
Basically, I think everything surrounding Harper and Margot (and Harper's brother) was the best part of the book, and I'd definitely recommend reading it just for that!
Graphic: Mental illness and Outing
Minor: Vomit, Alcoholism, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
ema_'s review
3.0
Graphic: Outing
Minor: Self harm