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bethsbookshelf's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Plot: 10/10
Characters: 7/10
Pace: 10/10
Writing: 7/10
Diversity: 4/10
World-Building: 9/10
Ending: 5/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
OVERALL: 61/80 (7.5/10)
Omg. This book, man. This book. I’ve been excited to read this since it was released YEARS ago and I was putting it off - no, saving it - for a time when I felt slumpy. Now was that time. I wasn’t enjoying other books, I kept DNF-ing and I needed something fun, cute and young adult. As soon as I started this, I was hooked & I kind of felt at home. Eliza is such a relatable character to me: creative, introverted and stuffed full of anxiety. She likes staying in her own room, watching her favourite shows and writing her 6,000,000 follower blog. Anonymously, of course.
Then she meets Wallace and she’s pulled from her comfort zone. He doesn’t speak; only writes her notes or sends texts, but they have one thing in common: They both love Monstrous Sea. The only thing is, he doesn’t know that she’s the creator.
And she doesn’t tell him for understandable reasons, but of course, like all plots where there’s a huge lie festering, it’s going to either make or break the main characters.
Here’s what I loved about this novel:
1. Wallace and Eliza have the cutest meet-cute of all. He doesn’t talk much at the start, and she totally accepts that. She stands up for him to the bullies and they both realise they love the same web-comic. They hang out, in silence, yet still have so much to say to each other. What’s even more is that he’s actually writing fan fiction and a prose version of her web-comic. That’s how much he loves her work! And he doesn’t even know she’s the creator. Which makes me love how much he loves her, that he actually devotes his free-time to her, before even knowing that Eliza is Lady Constellation!
2. The way the author wrote about the internet. As someone who has grown up in the digital age, she wrote it SO well. In a way that wasn’t cringe or farcy, but as if the internet is a real place. She wrote about the feelings and emotions attached to the safety and vastness of the internet and I loved how Eliza hid and thrived in it.
3. Wallace. For the most part. For the first half of this book, I freaking LOVED Wallace. He was a total darling: sweet, funny, shy, yet confident. He knew he was. His character took a dive, but I still loved him in the beginning.
4. The format of the novel. It’s written in first-person present, but mixed with emails, text messages, comics, images and more. Loved it.
5. Eliza’s brothers. Church and Sully are pretty annoying the whole way through the novel but they come through at the end and actually ended up saving half the novel for me.
6. The coming-of-age aspect. Eliza has a fantastic character arc that is almost flawless (take away Wallace). I actually wish the ending wasn’t as rushed, and Eliza was a little more self-sufficient, but I do love the therapy scene and how she managed herself.
7. The way the author wrote about anxiety and depression. She described it so well that I think even people who hadn’t experienced it would get it, but not in an overly preachy way. I also like that it wasn’t a big deal that Eliza went on meds.
Overall, I thought his was a cute romantic coming-of-age story with a fantastic premise. However, there were a few things that really ruined the novel for me:
1. There were parts of this novel that didn’t seem consistent. Little things, like a character saying they weren’t mad when a few pages before they were saying they were super angry. It felt like the editing of this was a little rushed. Then there were stupid things like, a really cute romantic scene punctuated by a toilet flushing. Not funny or necessary. Didn’t like things like that.
2. Wallace’s character arc is potentially one of the worst i’ve ever seen. He starts out the most freaking cutest and then ends up being THE WORST, but doesn’t get punished for it. Instead, the author rewards him!! I won’t give spoilers but beware. It hurts.
3. Eliza’s freaaaaaking parents. They’re worst than Wallace tbh. They just want her to be this athletic, healthy, but not too skinny, 4.0 gpa girl. But that’s not who she is. She hates sports. She’s not got muscle on her. She’s just who she is. They haven’t checked her blog in 2 years so they don’t realise she’s mustered up 6 million followers and can pay for her own college, so instead, they hold all this stuff against her while not ever asking her: HOW ARE YOU TODAY? And they basically end up ruining her life tbh. Hated them. They were the worst.
4. Eliza and Wallace’s ending.
So yeah. That’s why I dropped 1+ stars. Bitter, because it could have been a 4.5 star read for me!!!!
Characters: 7/10
Pace: 10/10
Writing: 7/10
Diversity: 4/10
World-Building: 9/10
Ending: 5/10
Enjoyment: 9/10
OVERALL: 61/80 (7.5/10)
Omg. This book, man. This book. I’ve been excited to read this since it was released YEARS ago and I was putting it off - no, saving it - for a time when I felt slumpy. Now was that time. I wasn’t enjoying other books, I kept DNF-ing and I needed something fun, cute and young adult. As soon as I started this, I was hooked & I kind of felt at home. Eliza is such a relatable character to me: creative, introverted and stuffed full of anxiety. She likes staying in her own room, watching her favourite shows and writing her 6,000,000 follower blog. Anonymously, of course.
Then she meets Wallace and she’s pulled from her comfort zone. He doesn’t speak; only writes her notes or sends texts, but they have one thing in common: They both love Monstrous Sea. The only thing is, he doesn’t know that she’s the creator.
And she doesn’t tell him for understandable reasons, but of course, like all plots where there’s a huge lie festering, it’s going to either make or break the main characters.
Here’s what I loved about this novel:
1. Wallace and Eliza have the cutest meet-cute of all. He doesn’t talk much at the start, and she totally accepts that. She stands up for him to the bullies and they both realise they love the same web-comic. They hang out, in silence, yet still have so much to say to each other. What’s even more is that he’s actually writing fan fiction and a prose version of her web-comic. That’s how much he loves her work! And he doesn’t even know she’s the creator. Which makes me love how much he loves her, that he actually devotes his free-time to her, before even knowing that Eliza is Lady Constellation!
2. The way the author wrote about the internet. As someone who has grown up in the digital age, she wrote it SO well. In a way that wasn’t cringe or farcy, but as if the internet is a real place. She wrote about the feelings and emotions attached to the safety and vastness of the internet and I loved how Eliza hid and thrived in it.
3. Wallace. For the most part. For the first half of this book, I freaking LOVED Wallace. He was a total darling: sweet, funny, shy, yet confident. He knew he was. His character took a dive, but I still loved him in the beginning.
4. The format of the novel. It’s written in first-person present, but mixed with emails, text messages, comics, images and more. Loved it.
5. Eliza’s brothers. Church and Sully are pretty annoying the whole way through the novel but they come through at the end and actually ended up saving half the novel for me.
6. The coming-of-age aspect. Eliza has a fantastic character arc that is almost flawless (take away Wallace). I actually wish the ending wasn’t as rushed, and Eliza was a little more self-sufficient, but I do love the therapy scene and how she managed herself.
7. The way the author wrote about anxiety and depression. She described it so well that I think even people who hadn’t experienced it would get it, but not in an overly preachy way. I also like that it wasn’t a big deal that Eliza went on meds.
Overall, I thought his was a cute romantic coming-of-age story with a fantastic premise. However, there were a few things that really ruined the novel for me:
1. There were parts of this novel that didn’t seem consistent. Little things, like a character saying they weren’t mad when a few pages before they were saying they were super angry. It felt like the editing of this was a little rushed. Then there were stupid things like, a really cute romantic scene punctuated by a toilet flushing. Not funny or necessary. Didn’t like things like that.
2. Wallace’s character arc is potentially one of the worst i’ve ever seen. He starts out the most freaking cutest and then ends up being THE WORST, but doesn’t get punished for it. Instead, the author rewards him!! I won’t give spoilers but beware. It hurts.
3. Eliza’s freaaaaaking parents. They’re worst than Wallace tbh. They just want her to be this athletic, healthy, but not too skinny, 4.0 gpa girl. But that’s not who she is. She hates sports. She’s not got muscle on her. She’s just who she is. They haven’t checked her blog in 2 years so they don’t realise she’s mustered up 6 million followers and can pay for her own college, so instead, they hold all this stuff against her while not ever asking her: HOW ARE YOU TODAY? And they basically end up ruining her life tbh. Hated them. They were the worst.
4. Eliza and Wallace’s ending.
So yeah. That’s why I dropped 1+ stars. Bitter, because it could have been a 4.5 star read for me!!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, Death of parent, Body shaming, and Car accident
Moderate: Bullying, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
lilifane's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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
Will I ever read the synopsis before reading the book so that I'm not totally surprised by the plot? Who knows. But it's such a fun experience to start a book and be totally taken aback by the story because it was not what I expected (since I didn't expect anything).
I love reading about protagonists who draw/write. I love reading about fandoms. And I didn't expect to find both here. Both topics are also so well done. So many of the themes in this story are important to me, and I wish I had something like this book when I was a teenager. It still hit way too close sometimes and made me feel too many things.
Especially the last 20% were... a lot and hard to read. Uff. The love for something and the urge to create vs. the pressure not only from the outside, from other people having expectations of you, but also from yourself and your own expectations.
It's hopeful, though. It gave me hope that I will some day overcome my art block and pick up a pencil again.
I love reading about protagonists who draw/write. I love reading about fandoms. And I didn't expect to find both here. Both topics are also so well done. So many of the themes in this story are important to me, and I wish I had something like this book when I was a teenager. It still hit way too close sometimes and made me feel too many things.
Especially the last 20% were... a lot and hard to read. Uff. The love for something and the urge to create vs. the pressure not only from the outside, from other people having expectations of you, but also from yourself and your own expectations.
It's hopeful, though. It gave me hope that I will some day overcome my art block and pick up a pencil again.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
shivani_n's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
i thought the book was pretty good, but the main character eliza?? i could nOt deal with how rude she was. i know she has social anxiety which is completely valid, but she treats everyone (including her parents who are just trying to be nice and be a part of her life) like crap and she's so self-centred.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Death
fictionalfay's review against another edition
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying and Mental illness
cinderellagirl's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Mental illness
miszne99's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
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
*Reread*
This book is so beautiful. I gave it 5 stars before and I still agree with my younger self.
"My emotions have been wrung out like a wet washcloth. Like someone cut me open, scrubbed my insides with a stiff brush, and sewed me back up again."
Yup, that explains my feeling when I read this book. It's so beautiful that it hurts. I may not be in the position that I was before but I'd to stop and calm myself before continuing. It's simple but also heart-wrenching.
Side note: I'm not interested in reading the Monstrous Sea snippets. I think even without it, I still understand the story.
This book is so beautiful. I gave it 5 stars before and I still agree with my younger self.
"My emotions have been wrung out like a wet washcloth. Like someone cut me open, scrubbed my insides with a stiff brush, and sewed me back up again."
Yup, that explains my feeling when I read this book. It's so beautiful that it hurts. I may not be in the position that I was before but I'd to stop and calm myself before continuing. It's simple but also heart-wrenching.
Side note: I'm not interested in reading the Monstrous Sea snippets. I think even without it, I still understand the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Panic attacks/disorders
lizsmartie13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Tough… tough one. When I started reading this, I was overjoyed. For the first time since <i>Fangirl</i> by Rainbow Rowell, I felt like I was reading a book that really understood fandom and creators. Francesca Zappia manages to capture the lovable cringe that is online fandom in a way that so many other authors utterly fail to do. I also felt like Eliza and Wallace were SO realistic, as teens but specifically introverted teens with anxiety.
I only started to struggle right at the beginning of the third act, after The Reveal. I understand Eliza’s perspective but I think the way she blames her parents for what happens without acknowledging that it probably would have been different if she’d talked to them the hundreds of times they begged her to REALLY irked me. The narrative got close to understanding this a couple times but never fully committed to it and it was very frustrating. Am I just too old for YA? I think if it had addressed the ways Eliza fucked up a little bit more, it could have been truly great.
I only started to struggle right at the beginning of the third act, after The Reveal. I understand Eliza’s perspective but I think the way she blames her parents for what happens without acknowledging that it probably would have been different if she’d talked to them the hundreds of times they begged her to REALLY irked me. The narrative got close to understanding this a couple times but never fully committed to it and it was very frustrating. Am I just too old for YA? I think if it had addressed the ways Eliza fucked up a little bit more, it could have been truly great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Mental illness
bethanylyndsay25's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
neverendingbooklist's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
sad
slow-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
4.0
This was going to be a five star read for me until the last 30%. This was SO frustrating. Wallace didn’t go see Eliza to make sure she was okay and to make up, he went to her house because he wanted something from her and never asked if she was okay or noticed that she was depressed and mildly suicidal.... I just can’t get over that, and I didn’t like them together after that, which is so sad because until that point, Wallace was my favorite character!! On another note, Eliza witnessing her brothers standing up for her to their parents was so heartwarming <3
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
lareads_03's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I really loved this book! It was a little juvenile for my taste but it still held my interest and I enjoyed the story itself. It talks about a lot of Mental Health topics most people shy away from. It brings them to light in a very real way. It is also a love story, but above all it is Eliza’s story about finding herself. I absolutely loved every second of it! I cannot recommend enough. TW:This book talks about serious mental health issues. SUICIDE is mentioned multiple times throughout the story!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying, Grief, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide