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kajoreads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, and Biphobia
Minor: Ableism, Outing, and Sexual content
cats33's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Glad I didn’t read this as a teenager - it makes out that being a teenager means you must drink and party and sneak out and kiss people, otherwise you aren’t experiencing life. I kept waiting for it to be a cautionary tale, but it glorified it more than anything. Also three queer kids going to Chik-Fil-A? I guess it IS in Georgia, but come on!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Toxic friendship, Biphobia, Cursing, Emotional abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Bullying
Minor: Vomit, Drug use, Toxic relationship, and Homophobia
elliott_the_clementine's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia, Toxic friendship, Biphobia, and Toxic relationship
a_win_in_clear_rain's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Not one of those "WOW" books that I give five stars, but so close! I love this book to pieces and wish I could read it over and over again for the first time. I saw a lot of myself in this, and really loved that although there was romance, friendship was the main focus!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Cursing, Drug use, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
erica_0000's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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
This was a phenomenal coming of age book that made me ache for everything I missed during my teenage years and articulated everything I have felt in my own life. I loved how relatable the main character was as well as how it covered outgrowing old friends and how you can get stuck acting like someone who you no longer are, despite not wanting to lose the people from your past. The book articulated wanting to grow but not lose your past self as well as being afraid of the future and going after what you want very well. Overall, I loved this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Alcohol, and Homophobia
vaniavela's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Late to the Party is a novel about friendship, self-discovery and experiencing things for the first time in your life.
Codi is an introverted American lesbian teenager. But after befriending a popular boy she decides it's time for a new change.
I really enjoyed this book. I feel that the author managed to capture a stage of adolescence. That feeling of falling in love, the silly laughs, the awkward moments, the arguments, the embarrassments.
I would say that this is a character-driven novel, which I love. The characters are complex, though some are more three-dimensional than others, which makes them seem real. Codi was a character that grew as the story progressed and I enjoyed reading that development of personality and self-confidence. Reading how she started to stand up for herself and raise her voice was a great step. I love that she's openly lesbian and her sexuality isn't necessarily the central plot. There's a lot of representation; there are lgbtq+ characters in the book, and I liked the mention and attention brought to certain issues in society regarding them, like there are girls who kiss each other to get attention from boys and about how bad that is.
I love reading about lgbtq+ romances, especially ones that aren't solely focused on coming out and fighting against homophobic society. I loved reading a very tender wlw romance. I love seeing people in the community have happy endings, it makes me feel like I can have that too.
One problem I had was that I had a hard time picturing what some of the characters looked like, since not enough information was given when they were introduced in the plot. So I spent half the time imagining them to my liking.
Another problem was the need to make the characters drink so often. I got the feeling that it came across as the only fun and cool thing they could do. It makes it seem like being teenagers is just that, or that to come out of your shell you need to party and drink.
Mind you, I really liked the romance between Lydia and Codi. I loved how they fell in love with each other. They were so adorable and cute.
Overall, I loved the book. I personally would have changed a few things, but I definitely recommend it to others.
content warnings | drug and alcohol use
representation | lesbian mc, bisexual panamanian major character, two gay black major characters, bisexual side characters
Codi is an introverted American lesbian teenager. But after befriending a popular boy she decides it's time for a new change.
I really enjoyed this book. I feel that the author managed to capture a stage of adolescence. That feeling of falling in love, the silly laughs, the awkward moments, the arguments, the embarrassments.
I would say that this is a character-driven novel, which I love. The characters are complex, though some are more three-dimensional than others, which makes them seem real. Codi was a character that grew as the story progressed and I enjoyed reading that development of personality and self-confidence. Reading how she started to stand up for herself and raise her voice was a great step. I love that she's openly lesbian and her sexuality isn't necessarily the central plot. There's a lot of representation; there are lgbtq+ characters in the book, and I liked the mention and attention brought to certain issues in society regarding them, like there are girls who kiss each other to get attention from boys and about how bad that is.
I love reading about lgbtq+ romances, especially ones that aren't solely focused on coming out and fighting against homophobic society. I loved reading a very tender wlw romance. I love seeing people in the community have happy endings, it makes me feel like I can have that too.
One problem I had was that I had a hard time picturing what some of the characters looked like, since not enough information was given when they were introduced in the plot. So I spent half the time imagining them to my liking.
Another problem was the need to make the characters drink so often. I got the feeling that it came across as the only fun and cool thing they could do. It makes it seem like being teenagers is just that, or that to come out of your shell you need to party and drink.
Mind you, I really liked the romance between Lydia and Codi. I loved how they fell in love with each other. They were so adorable and cute.
Overall, I loved the book. I personally would have changed a few things, but I definitely recommend it to others.
content warnings | drug and alcohol use
representation | lesbian mc, bisexual panamanian major character, two gay black major characters, bisexual side characters
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Drug use
Moderate: Biphobia and Cursing
aspring's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
i adored this book and no words i say about it will ever be enough. this was beautiful and made me feel so warm. the new found family was so important in this novel but so was the family that got left behind. the ending was so satisfying and the characters all felt like i could reach out and hug them. i loved how everyone had their own story and own battle and wowowowow i loved it so much. i almost cried several times but mostly i was hiding my grin behind my hands to stop looking like a maniac on the bus. read this. it helped me fall in love with being alive just that little bit more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol and Drug use
Moderate: Cursing
emabooks's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug use
meegreads's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The more time I’ve had to ponder the more issues I’ve had with it namely how awful the friends were but it was always up to main character to fix. At no point are they ever held accountable. Also the drug use at every social event seems a bit excessive, almost like she can’t be herself unless drunk?? But I enjoyed the book it was a quick read and I heavily related when looking back on my teenage self
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic friendship
Minor: Drug use
librariangeorgia's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug use, Biphobia, and Homophobia