A review by juliarose11
Solitaire by Alice Oseman

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book felt very flat, which may have been intentional to help portray Tori's depression. However, this led to a flat narrator, one-dimmensional/almost non-existent side characters as a whole, and areas within the book that appear to be missing in order to truly understand the storyline. This combined with the strange plot of
the Solitaire group (particularly the sudden burning down of the school)
made the book hard to really enjoy. Tori at times was relatable and I do appreciate Oseman working to portray mental illness to hopeful bring more awareness to it. However, the lack of really acknowledging the fact that mental health problems are serious and need/deserve support concerns me. I can see how younger audiences could read this book and see the portrayal of mental illness and see it as normal (in the sense that everyone feels this way, so it must not be a problem/deserve attention and help). 
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