jthuctran's reviews
17 reviews

They Both Die At The End by Adam Silvera

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emotional hopeful reflective sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

 i cried fr. it just hit in ways i could never imagine. perfect incorporation of a slight futuristic world with a grounding sense of what it means to live. it kind of makes me think deep abt what i would do if i knew it was my last day. it's unrealistic to fall in love in one day, but the development was so beautiful i could disregard that fact and just enjoy the story for a bit. made me go through many emotions and it'll for sure be on my mind for a couple days. 
the only major downside of the book was the random snippets of side characters. idk why they were included???? 
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On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

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

5.0

 love this one. the sadness and sorrow and heartbreak got to me. the development of little dog, the complications of communicating with his mother was certainly touching - did get very very confused at the family member connections, maybe bc i read too fast and tend to skim over many details lol. i just ..... it really resonated with me and i'm thankful to have read this. definitely gonna reread to properly absorb the story once more.
trevor's death made me so sad
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When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

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emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.75

really touching piece - started off slow but did pick itself up. got me asking lots of questions abt living life; the point of everything if one day we could just die there and then. the slow descent into illness and meeting death, the slowly creeping sadness of the inevitable ending; it did really get me in my heart. the view of life was portrayed so beautifully 
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Butterfly Yellow by Thanhhà Lại

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

 the incorporation of english in vietnamese phonetics was kind of confusing but......heart warming? lee roy mvp for sure, i loved his character to pieces
and i wonder whether he came back in december
. i love how the romance wasn't at the forefront. hằng's story was so touching and heartbreaking and beautiful - everything that these people went through just breaks my heart every time i think about it. the ending was appropriate too - it wasn't picture perfect but it was realistic and that's what made it so good. 
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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

GOD I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. the short chapters made it feel like i was reading faster than i was. the plot felt so refreshing and the pace was perfection. ari and dante's individual journeys and the blossoming of their characters was just breathtaking. i feel like many teens can relate to ari's narrative and i love that. this book made me feel heard.
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The Committed by Viet Thanh Nguyen

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

the continuation from the sympathizer was seamless. i love this book but not as much as i love the first. at times so much happens and youre left thinking "wait, what the fuck??" for a while, until you reread the part and finally absorb the events. the book waits for no one. honestly it's all just one big mind fuck. the ending left me SO CONFUSED.
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The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

 a lot to think about. it was overall a meaningful read - something that'll stick with me for a long time.  

the big critique i have with this is that the middle section aka the bulk of the book
(where he goes to work on that film abroad, and later gets injured at his mother's fake grave)
felt as though it was just one big filler episode. i didn't quite see the point in it, there was some meaning in it but it felt like it dragged on for longer than it should have, and i was praying and praying for it to be done with.
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