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mamaquiereleer's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Terminal illness, Lesbophobia, and Fatphobia
Moderate: Alcohol and Body shaming
eviecook0708's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I'll start by saying that I enjoyed this book. It was a super fast read and definitely worth the time I spent on it. I like King's style and thought the premise was very inventive and unique. I do have some mixed thoughts, though.
One thing I really liked was the way the story viewed death and portrayed death positivity and preparedness. The story has an emotionally satisfying ending in that respect, and I think that's especially nice considering there wasn't much time to build up a significant connection to the characters.
However, as a queer woman, I found the way that the homophobia in the story was dealt with a little off-putting. This might just be my reading, but it felt sort of like a self-congratulatory straight savior thing where the straight man notices homophobia in his town for the first time, decides he doesn't like it, and pretty much completely fixes the issue for the lesbians in the story through one confrontation and a good deed, and that's basically all it took, one guy being like "huh that kinda sucks :/". I think I understand what King was going for, but it comes off a little odd to someone who has experienced homophobia firsthand and has spent so much time trying to find ways to fight against it.
Overall, I think it's an interesting story with a good premise. I would say go for it, especially since it's so short. I enjoyed the time I spent on it regardless of the issues I had with the handling of the homophobia.
One thing I really liked was the way the story viewed death and portrayed death positivity and preparedness. The story has an emotionally satisfying ending in that respect, and I think that's especially nice considering there wasn't much time to build up a significant connection to the characters.
However, as a queer woman, I found the way that the homophobia in the story was dealt with a little off-putting. This might just be my reading, but it felt sort of like a self-congratulatory straight savior thing where the straight man notices homophobia in his town for the first time, decides he doesn't like it, and pretty much completely fixes the issue for the lesbians in the story through one confrontation and a good deed, and that's basically all it took, one guy being like "huh that kinda sucks :/". I think I understand what King was going for, but it comes off a little odd to someone who has experienced homophobia firsthand and has spent so much time trying to find ways to fight against it.
Overall, I think it's an interesting story with a good premise. I would say go for it, especially since it's so short. I enjoyed the time I spent on it regardless of the issues I had with the handling of the homophobia.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Terminal illness
Moderate: Body shaming, Death, and Fatphobia
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