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octobussy's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
tessa_stephens's review against another edition
2.0
Expected a cute romance and a found family, instead got: toxic relationships, eating disorders, anxiety and a forgettable found family. Really liked the Gravity of Us and this was just disappointing :/
lia18's review against another edition
3.0
7/10 I liked this book, it was a good read. One thing I would appreciate, is that it could contain TW in the first page or something
drakoulis's review against another edition
4.0
As Far As You'll Take Me is the middle of the three (so far) Phil Stamper YA books but it's the third I read, sitting on my TBR list for a while.
It has a different tone than both The Gravity of Us and Golden Boys . While the debut book is dreamy and optimistic, and the newest release shows how relationships evolve but true friends always stand together in the end, this is a more anxious book, a bit darker and way less rosy.
Marty essentially escapes in England under false pretenses to get away from his religious homophobic parents in Kentucky. His friends back there are a toxic inflence, and we quickly realise that. London is like Wonderland for him, a new world with new connections (his cousin's friend group) and a cute boy interested in him.
The book isn't heavy on plot, it barely has any, it's Marty's journey searching for his true self as he slowly (much slower than the reader) understands the true motives and real nature of every person around him. Which is also the book's weakness, since it's a bit frustrating watching a constantly self-doubting character adamantly refusing to open his eyes. This and the fact that most characters weren't really likeable are the main reasons why this book is for me inferior to the other two Stamper books.
There's a lot of focus on music, playing music on the street, going to an academy, vocabulary about musical instruments, it's definitely a huge plus for whoever loves this sort of thing. There's also the first impression of London through the eyes of a person who hasn't really travelled, and a rather stereotypical but adorably cute description of how Americans see Italy when they visit !
It has a different tone than both The Gravity of Us and Golden Boys . While the debut book is dreamy and optimistic, and the newest release shows how relationships evolve but true friends always stand together in the end, this is a more anxious book, a bit darker and way less rosy.
Marty essentially escapes in England under false pretenses to get away from his religious homophobic parents in Kentucky. His friends back there are a toxic inflence, and we quickly realise that. London is like Wonderland for him, a new world with new connections (his cousin's friend group) and a cute boy interested in him.
The book isn't heavy on plot, it barely has any, it's Marty's journey searching for his true self as he slowly (much slower than the reader) understands the true motives and real nature of every person around him. Which is also the book's weakness, since it's a bit frustrating watching a constantly self-doubting character adamantly refusing to open his eyes. This and the fact that most characters weren't really likeable are the main reasons why this book is for me inferior to the other two Stamper books.
There's a lot of focus on music, playing music on the street, going to an academy, vocabulary about musical instruments, it's definitely a huge plus for whoever loves this sort of thing. There's also the first impression of London through the eyes of a person who hasn't really travelled, and a rather stereotypical but adorably cute description of how Americans see Italy when they visit !
claire_melanie's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This book is impossible to rate because 99% of the characters are utter arseholes. All round dreadful reading experience
pnther's review against another edition
emotional
funny
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
4.75
book4grace's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
4.75
dinosourkisses's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- 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
3.5
I really like that there is a male character who struggles with disorganised eating. So often they are not thought about or including in conversations like that and it makes the stigma surrounding the subject even worse.
I also like how Marty's anxiety is talked about, it feels real.It feels a bit too good to be true that his family decides to try and accept him but then again they hadn't had an actual conversation before that to understand how he was feeling so there is that.
I also like how Marty's anxiety is talked about, it feels real.
sweetrosegirl76's review against another edition
2.0
Ugh I found this so boring, I couldn't care about it which was a bummer bc I liked The Gravity of Us. I do love the audio book narrator though, they did great with the accents.
kittyp3777's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder