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rosemwood's review against another edition
5.0
A novel-in-verse story. Two protagonists alternating between each other. I listened to this novel on audio and the two voices where a little too similar. I normally do not enjoy reading poetry but this story was so well done I forgot it was in-verse. The grief, loss, love and forgiveness were portrayed so well that I felt each as if I was the one living it. There are trigger warnings ⚠️ : death of a parent, plane crash, stalking, sexual assault.
shirleylit's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
brittlesreads's review against another edition
emotional
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? No
5.0
fletcher146's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
hmcdade's review against another edition
5.0
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ absolutely the best book I have read recently!! Once I am finished crying it is going on my students required reading for the fall. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
hannahaimee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
sarahh14's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
3.0
The Diversify That Shelf Readathon was from August 10th to August 19th. This was to satisfy by a Latinx author, diverse book over 300 pages, and focuses on identity.
This is going to be a quick one (compared to my other reviews).
I don't like poetry. There are exceptions, however, it's usually more of the Shel Silverstein everything rhymes kind of deal more than more serious or acclaimed poetry. You know that feeling when you're in line at a fast food place and they're taking awhile to get orders out, and the person next to you starts lamenting the lack of work ethic in this generation and you smile politely while silently wishing you were literally anywhere else? My enjoyment of poetry is equivalent to that polite smile; the passive acceptance of the situation because you're stuck until they call your number. Like yeah, I can see that it sucks to wait so I sympathize, but your reasoning is way off. That's what poetry is to me - I can see the point, but I just don't agree.
So getting that out of the way this book was way outside of my comfort zone obviously being written in verse. But, I chose it because it's getting great reviews, I needed a book for the readathon anyways, and the premise was interesting enough that I was willing to chance it.
First off, I did not think this was developed enough. Yahaira and Camino are not very distinct characters. Their perspectives were different enough to distinguish, but the personalities were flat overall. I felt the despair of their fathers' betrayal, but that was more about the writing style being good than me empathizing with them. Acevedo also does not explore the really thought provoking dynamic she sets forth like at all. Most of this book is before the funeral (which is made out to be a pivotal point though it's casually glossed over later on) and is a lot of reiteration of stuff we already knew. The synopsis on the inside book flap literally exposes what the betrayal is so as the reader you go in already aware of the Big Secret. Obviously it's fine to have it unfold in story because the suspense is in the two girls finding out in their own time. The issue is that once you finish the book, hindsight hits. It is super apparent after the fact that the book got overly hung up on their grief before the reveal for so long that the most interesting aspect, the culture clash between the two girls upon meeting, is totally sidelined.
The part I was most looking forward to is relegated to at most a quarter of the book at the end. The characters have barely interacted at this point. We also don't get any insight into how other parties (such as Camino's aunt or Yahaira's mother) feel about the present circumstances. It's brushed over rather quickly for the sake of a shocking twist ending that ends as abruptly as it begins. Which was majorly disappointing because the shocking twist would have made for a much more intriguing story. Some plot lines were started and never resolved or mentioned at all again.
I found the verse to be limiting in this aspect. I wanted more conversations and descriptions of the world to better emphasize the differences. Instead this was mostly introspective flowery prose. I found the writing itself to be lovely, but it lacked substance to me. I liked how casual the lesbian representation was. It was sweet without being saccharine. Some of my favorite parts were when Yahaira was discussing why she loved her girlfriend. The writing really shown in those moments. The depth of their care for one another was genuinely moving.
I gave this three stars because to me it was an average read. I wasn't bored though I wasn't particularly invested either. Again, I don't like poetry so I'm biased and I'm not familiar with verse either so it's entirely possible that all verse is like this so I'm just totally off base because I'm critiquing literal signifiers of the genre. Either way take this review with a grain of salt.
This is going to be a quick one (compared to my other reviews).
I don't like poetry. There are exceptions, however, it's usually more of the Shel Silverstein everything rhymes kind of deal more than more serious or acclaimed poetry. You know that feeling when you're in line at a fast food place and they're taking awhile to get orders out, and the person next to you starts lamenting the lack of work ethic in this generation and you smile politely while silently wishing you were literally anywhere else? My enjoyment of poetry is equivalent to that polite smile; the passive acceptance of the situation because you're stuck until they call your number. Like yeah, I can see that it sucks to wait so I sympathize, but your reasoning is way off. That's what poetry is to me - I can see the point, but I just don't agree.
So getting that out of the way this book was way outside of my comfort zone obviously being written in verse. But, I chose it because it's getting great reviews, I needed a book for the readathon anyways, and the premise was interesting enough that I was willing to chance it.
First off, I did not think this was developed enough. Yahaira and Camino are not very distinct characters. Their perspectives were different enough to distinguish, but the personalities were flat overall. I felt the despair of their fathers' betrayal, but that was more about the writing style being good than me empathizing with them. Acevedo also does not explore the really thought provoking dynamic she sets forth like at all. Most of this book is before the funeral (which is made out to be a pivotal point though it's casually glossed over later on) and is a lot of reiteration of stuff we already knew. The synopsis on the inside book flap literally exposes what the betrayal is so as the reader you go in already aware of the Big Secret. Obviously it's fine to have it unfold in story because the suspense is in the two girls finding out in their own time. The issue is that once you finish the book, hindsight hits. It is super apparent after the fact that the book got overly hung up on their grief before the reveal for so long that the most interesting aspect, the culture clash between the two girls upon meeting, is totally sidelined.
The part I was most looking forward to is relegated to at most a quarter of the book at the end. The characters have barely interacted at this point. We also don't get any insight into how other parties (such as Camino's aunt or Yahaira's mother) feel about the present circumstances. It's brushed over rather quickly for the sake of a shocking twist ending that ends as abruptly as it begins. Which was majorly disappointing because the shocking twist would have made for a much more intriguing story. Some plot lines were started and never resolved or mentioned at all again.
I found the verse to be limiting in this aspect. I wanted more conversations and descriptions of the world to better emphasize the differences. Instead this was mostly introspective flowery prose. I found the writing itself to be lovely, but it lacked substance to me. I liked how casual the lesbian representation was. It was sweet without being saccharine. Some of my favorite parts were when Yahaira was discussing why she loved her girlfriend. The writing really shown in those moments. The depth of their care for one another was genuinely moving.
I gave this three stars because to me it was an average read. I wasn't bored though I wasn't particularly invested either. Again, I don't like poetry so I'm biased and I'm not familiar with verse either so it's entirely possible that all verse is like this so I'm just totally off base because I'm critiquing literal signifiers of the genre. Either way take this review with a grain of salt.
maddie_oz's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25