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thatsssorachael'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
4.5
Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Sexual content
jerseynoonatic'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
4.0
Graphic: Cursing
Minor: Confinement, Death, Gore, Kidnapping, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
kharlan3's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Death and Fire/Fire injury
etaypoe's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death and Xenophobia
brittanykroeckel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Cursing
Moderate: Death, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
grizzlysnack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
I understand that this story is meant to be reflective and show that humanity is not a horrible thing, but rather something each and every human shares and should create with one another. The way that this story delivered that message frustrates me.
April (our main character) points out multiple times that she is a bad person—she actively shows the audience exactly how bad she is to the people she supposedly loves. April is not a likable character, and yet we’re supposed to root for her.
April acts on impulse, rarely (sincerely) forgives or acknowledges when she’s wrong, and is narcissistic. That doesn’t make me want to buy another book from Hank Green, with April talking in my ear for 9 hours
I will listen to a content creator’s views all day long, but as soon as you throw those views into a fictional character that actively proves themselves to be a morally shitty person, you’ve lost my sympathy for that character’s decisions and reasoning.
0.5 stars because there are a few topics that could be written about and make a convincing story, but those topics are rarely brought up between the 338 pages I just read.
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, and Toxic friendship
amyvl93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The novel follows April May, who one evening stumbles across a huge statue on the streets of New York. Along with one of her friends she uploads a video of it to YouTube which, when other statutes (or Carls) appear across the world, places her at the centre of a media storm as governments and people grapple with whether the Carls are friend or foe.
I read this novel very much as YA - I'm not sure what audience it was written for, but it definitely read to me in terms of pace and depth as being a novel that would be great for older teenagers. Written in 2018, it discusses many themes that Green himself has spoken about over the years - largely on the role of media, the role that social media can play and the strange space that someone with A Platform exists within as people look to them for opinions and takes. It also satirises the 24 hour, pundit-led news cycle well. I did find the overall world building to be a little flat, and made me start to lose interest as the novel progressed.
April May is also not your typical heroine, she's not immediately likeable and frequently makes choices which made me want to reach into the novel and shake her. However, it was refreshing to read from this perspective, she felt very honest - she knows what she's good at and she knows what's she bad at, and that felt refreshing compared to heroines of yore who were always surprised by their own talent. I also enjoyed the characterisation of her friends that become drawn into the Carls, especially her on-off girlfriend who was one of the few characters who could speak truth to her growing power.
I did find the ending and its cliff hanger to be a bit messy, and the novel didn't quite make me want to rush and pick up the next one but shout out to the Green brothers for being a power sibling duo.
Moderate: Biphobia and Death
mangofraiche'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
5.0
Moderate: Biphobia, Confinement, Death, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Lesbophobia, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
dreamerfreak'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: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
jaimiejaimiejaimie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Death