Take a photo of a barcode or cover
emotional
hopeful
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:
No
5 ⭐ CW: homophobia/internalized homophobia, death of a parent, suicide, violence, cursing, gay slurs, domestic violence
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera is a contemporary YA book with a dash of speculative fiction. This book was devastating, heartbreaking, painful, and hopeful all at once. I feel like this is a very important book.
We follow Aaron Soto, a boy living in the Bronx dealing with the grief and trauma of his father's suicide and dealing with his own attempt. All Aaron wants is to forget the bad memories, to be happy. Things start to look up a bit for him when he meets handsome stranger, Thomas. But then Aaron starts to question his feelings for his girlfriend, and when Thomas doesn't feel the same way, he wants to forget all over again.
I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't say much more about the plot. Aaron deals with the struggles of being poor in a city along with the rampant homophobia. These characters were so real, so messy, so emotional, so relatable. Aaron's story is heartbreaking and tragic, you just want to give the guy a hug. I'm glad I have the edition with a new happier ending, cause Aaron deserves one.
As gut wrenching as this is, everyone should read it. I think what Aaron feels about being gay is the exact reason queer kids need to see themselves in media and need to see queer adults thriving and living their lives. Queer adults give hope, and hope is what these kids need.
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera is a contemporary YA book with a dash of speculative fiction. This book was devastating, heartbreaking, painful, and hopeful all at once. I feel like this is a very important book.
We follow Aaron Soto, a boy living in the Bronx dealing with the grief and trauma of his father's suicide and dealing with his own attempt. All Aaron wants is to forget the bad memories, to be happy. Things start to look up a bit for him when he meets handsome stranger, Thomas. But then Aaron starts to question his feelings for his girlfriend, and when Thomas doesn't feel the same way, he wants to forget all over again.
I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't say much more about the plot. Aaron deals with the struggles of being poor in a city along with the rampant homophobia. These characters were so real, so messy, so emotional, so relatable. Aaron's story is heartbreaking and tragic, you just want to give the guy a hug. I'm glad I have the edition with a new happier ending, cause Aaron deserves one.
As gut wrenching as this is, everyone should read it. I think what Aaron feels about being gay is the exact reason queer kids need to see themselves in media and need to see queer adults thriving and living their lives. Queer adults give hope, and hope is what these kids need.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent
Minor: Suicide attempt
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Medical content, Dementia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Outing, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Classism
Minor: Deadnaming, Fatphobia
All of the graphic content feels “earned”. It’s part of the exploration of homophobia in the Latinx community, esp internalized hatred and shame. But it is very intense and, while the MC survives it, the ending being “more happy than not” is up for interpretation.
The deadnaming comes across like the cis MC not realizing he’s deadnaming/being transphobic, not being malicious. Perhaps another facet of the casual ignorance of the community. Still, was kinda off-putting and not necessary. And idk if the author is also unaware he’s being transphobic.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-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
Wow. Okay so I loved this book actually. I have very few notes.
I felt like the story I was unwrapping at the beginning is so different from what I was expecting and about half way through the book it pivoted hard into some really dark territory. I was completely swept up in Aaron’s story and heartbroken at the same time. I loved how each character really had their own light and darkness and you could feel for each of them and imagine them fully. There’s something so familiar about this cast, like you know at least one of these people. For a YA book, I was expecting some eye roll cringe worthy behavior that would annoy me and while the kids in the story are very much still teens, I loved that their dialogue had depth and humor that actually made me, a 30 year old, laugh out loud. The themes in this book are absolutely gut wrenching and it’s not a read for the faint of heart but damn it hits pretty hard. I want to give it 5 stars but feel like the end left me wanting something more. But it’s hard to accept a book that doesn’t give you the outcome you want.
I felt like the story I was unwrapping at the beginning is so different from what I was expecting and about half way through the book it pivoted hard into some really dark territory. I was completely swept up in Aaron’s story and heartbroken at the same time. I loved how each character really had their own light and darkness and you could feel for each of them and imagine them fully. There’s something so familiar about this cast, like you know at least one of these people. For a YA book, I was expecting some eye roll cringe worthy behavior that would annoy me and while the kids in the story are very much still teens, I loved that their dialogue had depth and humor that actually made me, a 30 year old, laugh out loud. The themes in this book are absolutely gut wrenching and it’s not a read for the faint of heart but damn it hits pretty hard. I want to give it 5 stars but feel like the end left me wanting something more. But it’s hard to accept a book that doesn’t give you the outcome you want.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Homophobia, Violence
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Adam Silvera's trademark style of sensitively exploring the discovering and acceptance of sexuality through the lens of a teenage boy, complete with a sci-fi twist is on full display here, and it makes for a beautifully written, heart-wrenching, terrifying-and-yet-completely-relatable read.
Aaron is a fairly typical teen on the surface - always playing ridiculous games with his mates, taking the girlfriend who adores him out on dates and writing his own comic book. But his life hasn't been easy - he has the scar on his wrist to prove that. I cannot fault the characterisation; Silvera's writing perfectly captures that balance of a person being "normal" on the outside and yet struggling with trauma and their own demons on the inside. His is definitely not a sugar-coated existence, and Silvera has a real knack for making his lead characters so incredibly real, which just makes the 'fantastical' element that much more engaging.
In this case, it's name-dropped a few times early on in the story, and if you've read the author's other works it's not hard to take a stab at guessing what might be on the horizon. But likewise, he's all about giving you hope. And in this case, the twists and turns are perfectly timed to keep you engaged and to keep that hope burning in your chest.
The secondary characters are also well drawn, but ultimately the more central they are to the story, the more fleshed out they are. This does mean that people like Aaron's mother, brother and his old friends are there and interesting, but they just don't have the same depth to them. In turn, as Aaron's interactions with them are important catalysts in the story, it does leave the whole work feeling just a little bit 'thin' for me. I could have done with perhaps another hundred pages where the background story was developed and explored in more detail. That being said, I can potentially see this issue as perhaps being a writing device, as it does sort of fit with the POV. Nevertheless, I still feel like I needed more.
In a roundabout way, this story explores what might happen if a person could be "cured" of homosexuality. IMO, what's there to cure?! It's a beautiful illustration of what the struggles people go through when discovering their own preferences might feel like, and how the temptation of 'normality' might appeal, but that who you are will shine through no matter what. It's also a study in acceptance; even the harshest of days contribute to who you are. I can't say it's an uplifting read, but it holds a powerful message.
Absolutely worth the read!
Aaron is a fairly typical teen on the surface - always playing ridiculous games with his mates, taking the girlfriend who adores him out on dates and writing his own comic book. But his life hasn't been easy - he has the scar on his wrist to prove that. I cannot fault the characterisation; Silvera's writing perfectly captures that balance of a person being "normal" on the outside and yet struggling with trauma and their own demons on the inside. His is definitely not a sugar-coated existence, and Silvera has a real knack for making his lead characters so incredibly real, which just makes the 'fantastical' element that much more engaging.
In this case, it's name-dropped a few times early on in the story, and if you've read the author's other works it's not hard to take a stab at guessing what might be on the horizon. But likewise, he's all about giving you hope. And in this case, the twists and turns are perfectly timed to keep you engaged and to keep that hope burning in your chest.
The secondary characters are also well drawn, but ultimately the more central they are to the story, the more fleshed out they are. This does mean that people like Aaron's mother, brother and his old friends are there and interesting, but they just don't have the same depth to them. In turn, as Aaron's interactions with them are important catalysts in the story, it does leave the whole work feeling just a little bit 'thin' for me. I could have done with perhaps another hundred pages where the background story was developed and explored in more detail. That being said, I can potentially see this issue as perhaps being a writing device, as it does sort of fit with the POV. Nevertheless, I still feel like I needed more.
In a roundabout way, this story explores what might happen if a person could be "cured" of homosexuality. IMO, what's there to cure?! It's a beautiful illustration of what the struggles people go through when discovering their own preferences might feel like, and how the temptation of 'normality' might appeal, but that who you are will shine through no matter what. It's also a study in acceptance; even the harshest of days contribute to who you are. I can't say it's an uplifting read, but it holds a powerful message.
Absolutely worth the read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Sexual content, Pregnancy
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Outing
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infidelity
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Car accident, Pregnancy
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Suicide, Grief
Moderate: Cursing, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death of parent
Minor: Domestic abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Alcohol
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Please be treated to my 3:30am profanity-laced thoughts after immediately finishing this book. It probably tells you nothing about the book itself and I'm not sorry! I was WRECKED!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Adam Silvera’s first novel shows his talent for creating teen characters who are authentic in both their immaturity and depth. This story blends elements of speculative fiction with very real issues that young adults (and grown-ups, though in different ways) face, and it’s done with love + care for all of the characters. Find the edition with Silvera’s follow-up chapter; it shows the growth of not only the main characters but the author as well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Sexual content, Medical content, Suicide attempt, Alcohol
Minor: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
i had zero plans to read this book but ended up doing so anyway and it was a hell of a ride. it was emotional, raw and painful to read, and the end was so bittersweet it made my heart ache. i honestly didn't expect to like it as much as i did but here we are. it's a book i'll definitely be thinking of for a while.
the reason for the "low" rating is that i've definitely outgrown this type of book and never got fully immersed into it, but i know i would've made this my whole personality if i read it as a teenager lol
(definitely check trigger warnings if you're planning to read it)
the reason for the "low" rating is that i've definitely outgrown this type of book and never got fully immersed into it, but i know i would've made this my whole personality if i read it as a teenager lol
(definitely check trigger warnings if you're planning to read it)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt
Minor: Drug use
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Suicide, Dementia, Suicide attempt
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse