A review by betweentheshelves
When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert

emotional sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

 Thanks to Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this to review! While I hadn’t read any of Gilbert’s books previously, this one hits on subjects that I often read a lot about. There are a lot of heavy topics dealt with in this book, and Gilbert tackles them head-on, making them feel real.

First, the cons. There was something about the voice that felt off to me, which I couldn’t quite pinpoint. There were periods of time that went by really quickly, and there were also sections where it seemed like Beth was telling this story from a time in the future. I think there were just sections that didn’t seem to transition well, which threw off the voice for me.

However, what is done well is Beth’s feelings and anxiety. She has panic attacks throughout the book and they feel realistic. There are some great discussions about mental health to be had throughout the book. What I also appreciated was Beth’s deep-seated fear about things changing because it’s definitely something we can all relate to. Keeping close with her friends from high school is her way of keeping some sort of comfort when everything else is changing.

There are also a lot of great conversations about Asian culture in this book. Beth is distanced from it, while Jason is not. Beth feels like she’s missing out on something because of this and it really leads to some great discussion.

All in all, this is a really in-depth novel that will give you a lot to think about. Not the most light-hearted, but important all the same. 

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