Scan barcode
rachelditty's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was amazing. I'm so glad I picked this up. Wow. I'm honestly really surprised more people haven't rated this higher. Knowing Chris Crutcher was a teacher and family therapist, I'm not shocked at all that he wrote about school-age kids having to deal with extremely real and scary topics. I think he did a great job of handling these kids and their stories. I cared about every single one of them, and TJ's voice was so real. That's a teenager. I want what's best for him. This was an incredible read. Would highly recommend. (The audiobook was a great listen.)
Quotes I liked:
"He looks ashamed. How messed up is that? You get treated like shit, then have to be ashamed that you're the kind of person people treat like shit." (30:38).
"And what kind of a fucked up world is this? You should have to be a lot more than decent to be a kid's hero." (2:51:37).
"It doesn't matter who you are. You could be a pretty little cheerleader who looks like she owns the world, or you could be that funky little guy on your swim team that Mike hates so much, or you can be me. Deal is, if you've been treated bad, you're gonna have to find a way to get over it." (4:42:57).
"'God mom,' I say. 'Sometimes there's just no place to put this.' 'Well,' she says, 'if there's no place to put it, maybe we don't need to put it anywhere.'" (6:31:03).
Quotes I liked:
"He looks ashamed. How messed up is that? You get treated like shit, then have to be ashamed that you're the kind of person people treat like shit." (30:38).
"And what kind of a fucked up world is this? You should have to be a lot more than decent to be a kid's hero." (2:51:37).
"It doesn't matter who you are. You could be a pretty little cheerleader who looks like she owns the world, or you could be that funky little guy on your swim team that Mike hates so much, or you can be me. Deal is, if you've been treated bad, you're gonna have to find a way to get over it." (4:42:57).
"'God mom,' I say. 'Sometimes there's just no place to put this.' 'Well,' she says, 'if there's no place to put it, maybe we don't need to put it anywhere.'" (6:31:03).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racism, Racial slurs, Death of parent, and Child death
Moderate: Murder, Ableism, Bullying, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Car accident, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Sexual violence, Body shaming, and Sexual harassment
spookystag's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Drug abuse, Addiction, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Ableism, Bullying, Hate crime, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Drug use, Gore, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Violence, and Racism
Minor: Body shaming
More...