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mriou310's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol
graceheartsbooks's review against another edition
4.75
I loved the romance a lot and Wes learning to grapple with his past and the person he wants to become—figuring out who he is and learning that he doesn’t just have to be one thing or be defined by other people’s expectations. This was just such a beautiful and needed book❤️
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Homophobia, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Racism, and Car accident
jerrysaywhaaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
This book felt like it was written by one of the following people (or a combination of all of them):
1. Someone who either wanted to be or wanted to be with a punk bad boy in high school, but in a very “I can fix him” way.
2. A school counselor (think Mr. Frond from Bob’s Burgers) who really wanted to connect with the youths and show the importance of therapy.
3. A writer on Glee who was mad this script was rejected for an episode.
Although I think a lot of topics covered in this book are important to discuss, I don’t think it was done well and the bad parts of the book heavily outweigh the good parts. The author added a lot of weird and extra details to the story; had a pretty shaky and at times inconsistent timeline for the story; and sometimes felt like they had no sense of reality and actual consequences for character’s actions.
The story has too perfect an ending to wrap everything up too quickly (which is surprising with how slow and boring the first half of the book is).
And one *minor* spoiler that I need to rant about:
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Car accident
Minor: Transphobia
luvey_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Cursing, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Racism
vagaybond's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Car accident, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Drug use, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Classism
The protagonist's abusive father (who was/is a cop) chased the protagonist and his mother in a car, bumping the fender multiple times and driving the two of them off a cliff. The protagonist was 7 and was disabled by it, both with a leg issue and with PTSD triggered once in the book, by driving at night.marmaladereads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
When he meets Tristan at a holiday performance of the Nutcracker, Wes instantly develops a massive crush, but Tristan is a goodie two shoes ballerino, and Wes feels like he has to reform his image to be "good enough" for Tristan.
I really loved Wes and his character arc. He's a great unreliable narrator who makes all the wrong choices but doesn't stop trying to do better.
What I hated, however, was the relationship between Wes and Tristan. Tristan is a sweet character but he and Wes don't really work together. Their relationship is on again, off again and is a constant cycle of fighting and then big gestures and love proclamations, I didn't see a lot of tender moments between them that felt healthy and like a solid relationship foundation. If you love an angsty, drama filled romance with a lot of big emotion, you'll probably love this, but for me it felt a bit too unhealthy to be the start of a lasting relationship.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
shamelesslyash's review
2.75
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Alcohol
azllyz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Bullying and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia and Alcohol
Minor: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Car accident
lettuce_read's review
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Drug use
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Car accident
Minor: Child abuse
ianreadsbookssometimes's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism and Homophobia
Minor: Toxic friendship