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siennakt30's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Death, Death of parent, Infidelity, Addiction, Alcohol, Medical trauma, Suicide, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child death, and Grief
cassnbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
re-reading this as an adult, it’s very easy to say that it was meant for the young teenage version of myself. good book overall, with an important message. john green really likes to write unreliable narrators, which makes for a interesting dynamic between the reader and the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Car accident, Death of parent, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Death, and Panic attacks/disorders
reuben394's review against another edition
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Sexual content, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Drug abuse, Mental illness, and Vomit
Minor: Addiction, Misogyny, Blood, Bullying, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm
icarusandthesun's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- 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
I thought I was gonna hate this book, really.
The synopsis sounded so much like just another angsty teen coming-of-age slash romance book with a supposed "tragedy" that's not actually tragic but the author just bugs you with it until you come to believe it is.
I also thought that John Green, whose The Fault in our Stars I really didn't like, couldn't possibly write anything that I—a person not too fond of romance books in general—would truly enjoy.
But boy, was I wrong!
Looking for Alaska is not a romance. At least not a typical one.
More so, it's a book about grief, and friendship, and famous last words. It's about how to deal with loss, about hope—and yes, also about a bunch of angsty teenagers who drink way too much and smoke wayyyy too many cigarettes.
But maybe that's just how it's supposed to be.
I loved the storyline and pacing. It was one of those books that didn't make me impatient as I neared the end, but excited. It had me at the edge of my seat until the very last page. (Okay, nearly. No book can stop my impatience.)
I really enjoyed John Green's unique writing style, though. There were loads of intelligent and interesting quotes and questions that forced you to think about them. Pay attention and this book was full of little threads with beginnings and ends. So many quotes, so many references, they came back. Green chose his metaphors, authors to cite, and allegories undoubtedly wisely. Richly refreshing.
My only point of critique—the characters. I couldn't absolutely, wholly love them, because wow, they were unique, special, and so not relatable.
It was like reading a story from the first-person perspective of a stone—a story starring more stones.
I don't know, I just couldn't relate to any of the characters at all, ESPECIALLY (and that's the worst part) to the main character.
His thoughts were just so... puberty-teenager-like at times (and no, I really don't want to elaborate on that).
Conclusion: Looking for Alaska is a funny, but also emotional and intelligent read and definitely worth checking out.
I want to end this review with one of my favorite Alaska Young quotes:
The synopsis sounded so much like just another angsty teen coming-of-age slash romance book with a supposed "tragedy" that's not actually tragic but the author just bugs you with it until you come to believe it is.
I also thought that John Green, whose The Fault in our Stars I really didn't like, couldn't possibly write anything that I—a person not too fond of romance books in general—would truly enjoy.
But boy, was I wrong!
Looking for Alaska is not a romance. At least not a typical one.
More so, it's a book about grief, and friendship, and famous last words. It's about how to deal with loss, about hope—and yes, also about a bunch of angsty teenagers who drink way too much and smoke wayyyy too many cigarettes.
But maybe that's just how it's supposed to be.
I loved the storyline and pacing. It was one of those books that didn't make me impatient as I neared the end, but excited. It had me at the edge of my seat until the very last page. (Okay, nearly. No book can stop my impatience.)
I really enjoyed John Green's unique writing style, though. There were loads of intelligent and interesting quotes and questions that forced you to think about them. Pay attention and this book was full of little threads with beginnings and ends. So many quotes, so many references, they came back. Green chose his metaphors, authors to cite, and allegories undoubtedly wisely. Richly refreshing.
My only point of critique—the characters. I couldn't absolutely, wholly love them, because wow, they were unique, special, and so not relatable.
It was like reading a story from the first-person perspective of a stone—a story starring more stones.
I don't know, I just couldn't relate to any of the characters at all, ESPECIALLY (and that's the worst part) to the main character.
His thoughts were just so... puberty-teenager-like at times (and no, I really don't want to elaborate on that).
Conclusion: Looking for Alaska is a funny, but also emotional and intelligent read and definitely worth checking out.
I want to end this review with one of my favorite Alaska Young quotes:
"Except luck is for suckers." (Alaska Young), p. 53 in my edition.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Cursing, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent
juliaisnotalright's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
4.5
I enjoyed the first part and the ending, but the middle part was a bit boring - there wasn’t as much happening as before. Loved the characters tho. This book was very philosophical and awakened many emotions from happiness to sadness and everything in between.There was strong character development and many quotes eg the great perhaps. Overall I would say that this book had a great message and a fun and sad plot but the second part could contain more plot ( for like 50 pages it was just “I woke up late because I was sad and I smoke a lot and I only hang out with the colonel) and there was this nice approach to the death of a person that you loved and how to cope with it
There was tons of getting drunk and smoking cigarettes too.
There was tons of getting drunk and smoking cigarettes too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Alcoholism, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent
tinygreengremlin's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Death
justmeandmybooks's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Car accident, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent, Sexual content, Alcoholism, and Drug use
bookishbree's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction
lexarobinson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Green's debut novel, and hands down his best. The complex relationship between Miles and Alaska is explored in the perfect amount of detail, and then the plot twist comes out of seeming nowhere (aside from the chapter titles, which count down to the twist in a way that spoils it a little). However, the aftermath of such a twist is not entirely depressing (the assembly scene is one of the funniest scenes in all of fiction): the character growth is superbly written, with the diverse group of friends all growing throughout the course of the novel. Green makes the interesting choice to give the final word to Takumi, not Miles, but it is an effective one: it enables the ultimate focus to be settled in a way Miles' character could never manage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Alcoholism and Drug use
theolivetree's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicide and Alcoholism