A review by emilyorrwhat
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry

funny lighthearted mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

Overall, it’s just fine. It was fun to get immersed in the 80s in New England and was good for a casual read, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone for the following reasons:

 I found the writing style hard to follow. I read it over the course of a few months, so it was hard to track the nuances of each character.

I also felt that the ending was a bit lazy. It felt like there a lot of build up, just for it to end the way it did.

Maybe I’m alone in this, but I also thought the representation felt a bit performative at times?
For example, Sebastian — the  stereotypical flamboyantly out kid — becomes a drag star. I did really like the storyline between Julie’s mom and Heather Houston’s mom, but other representations fell flat for me.


I also found it really strange how the end of the book tries to justify an adult/minor relationship? Maybe I’m out of pocket for taking that away from the ending, but the whole “oh Coach Mullins was only in his early 20s so it’s actually not that bad!” Tidbit at the end really threw me for a loop, especially since the rest of the book felt like it was pretty progressive?? It was giving Aria and Ezra Pretty Little Liars vibe and I was not a fan



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