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martereadsbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Mental illness
Moderate: Drug abuse, Suicide, and Animal death
Minor: Bullying, Murder, Suicide attempt, Rape, Pregnancy, and Self harm
_cassidyreads_'s review
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
3.0
I love that the author is trying to shine a light on mental health issues and the resounding impact they can have on families. The message of this book is really brilliant and the main character Sam has a unique voice which was pleasant to read. Overall I enjoyed reading this!
However, I found that the constant influx of 'issues' experienced by the main character made me start to feel detached from the story and the characters and therefore didn't recieve the full emotional impact that some of the situations should have provided. Reading negative event after negative event seemed too overwhelming for a book of this length especially because this book is aimed at younger readers I would have thought one or two main 'problems/obstacles for the MC to overcome' would have been more than enough.
However, I found that the constant influx of 'issues' experienced by the main character made me start to feel detached from the story and the characters and therefore didn't recieve the full emotional impact that some of the situations should have provided. Reading negative event after negative event seemed too overwhelming for a book of this length especially because this book is aimed at younger readers I would have thought one or two main 'problems/obstacles for the MC to overcome' would have been more than enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Suicide, Murder, Body horror, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, Self harm, Addiction, Gun violence, and Medical content
jaclyn_sixminutesforme's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
4.5
When #auslit makes it’s way to you all the way from 🇺🇸 with a glowing endorsement from @bookchew, you start reading it the day it arrives. And then you literally don’t stop until you finish 👀
Making Friends with Monsters follows 12yr old Sam, a boy living in a rural community battling his way through family dysfunction and mental health challenges - life in farming communities during drought is it’s own category of “difficult,” where the financial strains on families are just as intense and immediate as the thirsty fields blowing dust where soil and crops once flourished. This took a no-holds-barred approach to the tough topic of masculinity in these settings, the nuances of this Australian experience that might be all too familiar for many readers (not dissimilar to Jane Harper’s The Lost Man).
What I connected to most in this story was the way it navigates resilience - not with toxic positivity or a “everything works out in the end” narrative - it really jumped into extremities and how people can build themselves up to support self and community deal with whatever life confronts them with. The emphasis on community and open lines of community make me think this is a novel that would be helpful in the hands and minds of young readers, and it reminded me a lot of the way these stories can tell important lessons, similar to the vibe I got from Two Wolves by Tristan Bancks.
Thanks for sending me this, Julie! I loved it 👏🏻 and I know just the young readers to send this on to next 💌
Making Friends with Monsters follows 12yr old Sam, a boy living in a rural community battling his way through family dysfunction and mental health challenges - life in farming communities during drought is it’s own category of “difficult,” where the financial strains on families are just as intense and immediate as the thirsty fields blowing dust where soil and crops once flourished. This took a no-holds-barred approach to the tough topic of masculinity in these settings, the nuances of this Australian experience that might be all too familiar for many readers (not dissimilar to Jane Harper’s The Lost Man).
What I connected to most in this story was the way it navigates resilience - not with toxic positivity or a “everything works out in the end” narrative - it really jumped into extremities and how people can build themselves up to support self and community deal with whatever life confronts them with. The emphasis on community and open lines of community make me think this is a novel that would be helpful in the hands and minds of young readers, and it reminded me a lot of the way these stories can tell important lessons, similar to the vibe I got from Two Wolves by Tristan Bancks.
Thanks for sending me this, Julie! I loved it 👏🏻 and I know just the young readers to send this on to next 💌
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Suicide, and Mental illness
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