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b_robinson 's review for:

The Greatest Thing by Sarah Winifred Searle
2.0
challenging dark emotional sad medium-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

I think that this can be interpreted as an important story, but honestly I found it frustrating and almost hopeless to read at times. It was a lot more intense than I thought it would be, especially considering I went into it thinking I'd get some cute happy vibes. 

Like the detrimentally obsessive thoughts had such a strong presence all throughout, which made me a bit uncomfortable. Lots of internalised fat phobia and a bit of biphobia as well. An eating disorder was displayed through a REALLY unreliable narrator, and while this was sorta discussed, it still felt a bit vague and didn't actually explain clearly to the reader (keep in mind the target audience is young teens moving away from kids graphic novels/comics) that it was disordered eating and something that must be addressed. Self-harming was also evident, and again felt a little under-explained.

So maybe I'm salty that it didn't match the teen fluff that I thought it was going to be, but I do think it's valid to consider that the way some of the more mature issues weren't appropriate for the target reading audience.

There was some good rep though; a bisexual male character, a few wlw's, potentially a gender queer teen (still not quite sure but most likely), and a trans teacher.