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kelseyreads94'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
3.5
Graphic: Outing, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Toxic friendship, Domestic abuse, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Medical trauma, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Hate crime
Minor: Abortion and Sexual harassment
amesnotamy'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
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Medical trauma, Deadnaming, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Hate crime, Body shaming, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Misogyny, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Violence
kcbas1'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
5.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Mental illness, Murder, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Death, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Abortion
ahsinggie's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
The rating however, comes from this deep sense of frustration with the formatting, I struggled to follow from Lily to Olivia, sometimes getting so sidelined
AND
OMG the court proceedings were such a pain to read through. The jury system pisses me off. Asher closing up the treehouse also did not quite feel like the right closure for a traumatic experience such as being trialed for murder that you did not commit and having your whole world and social circle turn on you overnight.
It’s a good book, but I struggled to achieve personal satisfice from the long winding format. But I did learn quite a lot more about honey and the trans experience. I did think the book does encourage that live can start over all the time, with will and determination. For love, for career, for education, for death, and more.
Minor: Murder, Medical trauma, and Domestic abuse
wackly93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Grief and Dysphoria
Moderate: Transphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Torture, Sexual content, Self harm, Outing, Murder, Medical trauma, Hate crime, and Bullying
Minor: Pregnancy and Deadnaming
kimveach's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Child abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Violence, Transphobia, Sexual content, Abortion, Blood, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Death, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Alcohol
rachelmerrie'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
5.0
Hated part of the ending: (VAGUE SPOILER)
Why did she get a slap on the wrist when he would’ve had his whole life taken from him?
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Transphobia, Sexual content, Stalking, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Medical content, Domestic abuse, Bullying, Alcohol, Murder, Toxic friendship, Self harm, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Gaslighting, Child death, Child abuse, Body shaming, Homophobia, Blood, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, Cursing, Confinement, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Outing, and Hate crime
catreadbook's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Medical content, Death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Homophobia
Moderate: Mental illness, Outing, Deadnaming, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Sexual harassment
aecy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
‼ SPOILERS AHEAD ‼
Reading the first few chapters, I thought the pacing was too slow and that it was going to be the usual whodunnit story where the least obvious one is the murderer, but I’m a sucker for whodunnit tropes so I continued reading. Then, the bomb was dropped halfway through the book. I was utterly shocked, but I liked that the plot developed the way it did because, in my case, it opened so many inner conversations. And story-wise, it raised a plethora of questions, which made the book so much more interesting and relevant.
After the revelation that Lily was a transgender woman, I knew that the prosecution would paint Lily’s death as a hate crime. I was still suspicious at this point about whether or not Asher killed Lily, but as the story progressed, I found myself wondering if it was even really murder in the first place. Events that happened in the past unfolded very slowly, but it was good that the authors did it that way because it almost felt like Lily was opening up to me. Everything was her story to tell, and I felt like I just had to wait until she was ready to reveal her truth. There was this thing that Lizzie told Olivia about learning the difference between secret and private, and for me, that was one of the main points of the book.
I pride myself on being an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, but my concepts about their struggles were challenged, and I came to realize that I really didn’t know the full extent of the discrimination they face. As written in the book, "If you want to understand something, you first need to accept the fact of your own ignorance."
When it was revealed that Asher did not, in fact, murder Lily, I was relieved but slightly annoyed that Maya did it and wasn’t charged at all. Although I understand that Ava may not be able to survive another trial while still grieving for her daughter. I also think Ava believed Asher harmed Lily because her grief was so intense, and she could only assume the worst knowing Lily had gone through so much simply because she shared her true self with the world. But if I’m really being honest, I was annoyed because I had guessed the "murderer" wrong, lol. I had my eyes on Braden the whole time because he’s proven to be violent.
The real heroes of this book are both mothers, Olivia and Ava, who did everything to protect their children. Overall, I rate the book 4.5 stars out of 5 only because the story pacing was a little slow for my liking. Now, I rest my mind and hope to find another book as good as this one.
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Violence, Grief, Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
Moderate: Suicide, Hate crime, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Murder, Toxic friendship, Self harm, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Deadnaming, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, and Blood
tabchasse'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
4.25
Moderate: Grief, Child death, Deadnaming, Bullying, Death, Medical trauma, and Transphobia