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lawbooks600's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Score: Six out of ten.
Turtles All the Way Down. What a unique title. Unfortunately, this one didn't meet my expectations, and it wasn't as good as John Green's The Fault in Our Stars. I wanted to read this one for a while after enjoying the other one, but I put it off for a few months before I saw it and picked it up. When I closed the final page, I thought it was okay.
It starts with Aza Holmes trying to find where Russell Picket, a billionaire, is with her friend Daisy in the opening pages. That isn't the central storyline, though, the central storyline is where Aza starts a relationship with Russell's son, Davis. There isn't a lot of plot beside that, and there are some filler pages which could've been removed for a tighter reading experience. Turtles All the Way Down is less than 300 pages but it feels longer than that, more like 400, because the pacing is tedious to read. I get that Green tried to execute a slow burn, but it only works with well-written characters, and, unfortunately, it didn't work here. The dialogue is contrived as people speak like philosophers and not people. I thought we were over this. Apparently not.
The characters are likable but I found it hard to connect or relate with them, and Green briefly touches upon the subject of loss when Aza talks about her father, who is now deceased, but he doesn't deeply explore it. That seems like a missed opportunity there to add another subplot. The narrative sends two messages as I read through it, the first is you can't always get what you want when Aza tries but does not succeed in finding the billionaire. The climax is bittersweet as the relationship builds toward the concluding pages but the payoff isn't there as Aza and Davis aren't together in the end, leading to the second message, life goes on. Wait. I saw that in other books I've read from other authors, so it's not that original. Also, where are the support systems? Aza does self-harm but gets away with it, and no one supported her, even with her OCD.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Death, and Blood
Full trigger warnings: Death of a father in the past, car crash, physical injury, self-harm, chronic illness, blood depictionmollylovesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Mental illness
Moderate: Self harm
eefjeee'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? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Self harm, Grief, Death, Mental illness, and Medical content
bmpicc'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
3.0
It is interesting, after reading his collection of essays and getting to know him through his vlogs, how much of himself I find in books.
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, and Self harm
serenityxnicole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Moderate: Body shaming, Mental illness, Bullying, Vomit, Eating disorder, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Abandonment, Blood, Toxic friendship, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Car accident
maybelles's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Most adults are just hollowed out. You watch them try to fill themselves up with booze or money or God or fame or whatever they worship, and it all rots them from the inside until nothing is left but the money or booze or God they thought would save them.
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Grief
singerscientist's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders, Chronic illness, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Abandonment, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Car accident, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Self harm
mj_86's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Self harm
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
Minor: Medical content
sarasukovic's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Self harm and Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent and Suicidal thoughts
kim_lommaert's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, and Self harm
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Medical content
Minor: Car accident, Blood, and Vomit