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A review by powerpuffgoat
When We Were Magic by Sarah Gailey
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
3.0
I knew it was a young adult book when I picked it up. That said, the opening paragraph did not hold anything back.
"I DIDN’T MEAN TO KILL Josh Harper.
Really, I didn’t. It’s just that I was nervous, and condoms are more complicated than I was expecting, and one thing led to another and—well.
Now there’s blood everywhere and he’s dead."
Unfortunately, I didn't find the rest of the book as enticing. The pace was pretty slow, the main character was lins of meh, and the writing was subpar.
It's not all bad, though! There's plenty of LGBTQ+ and POC representation, which was so refreshing. I can't remember a single book I read as a teenager that had as much diversity. Sadly, the author failed to flesh out these character beyond quite boxy descriptions. I also felt that perhaps there were too many characters in this ride-or-die friend group.
I think I would have enjoyed this book as a young girl, but I don't feel that it's one of those YA novels that an older reader would appreciate.
"I DIDN’T MEAN TO KILL Josh Harper.
Really, I didn’t. It’s just that I was nervous, and condoms are more complicated than I was expecting, and one thing led to another and—well.
Now there’s blood everywhere and he’s dead."
Unfortunately, I didn't find the rest of the book as enticing. The pace was pretty slow, the main character was lins of meh, and the writing was subpar.
It's not all bad, though! There's plenty of LGBTQ+ and POC representation, which was so refreshing. I can't remember a single book I read as a teenager that had as much diversity. Sadly, the author failed to flesh out these character beyond quite boxy descriptions. I also felt that perhaps there were too many characters in this ride-or-die friend group.
I think I would have enjoyed this book as a young girl, but I don't feel that it's one of those YA novels that an older reader would appreciate.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Blood
Minor: Child death