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greta_reads's review
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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
2.5
(sorry, english isn’t my first language) Wow. I really did not know what to rate this book. Because throughout most of it I really, really hated it. But I did not dislike it because of the way it was written or the story itself, but purely because of the fact that it had me in such a depressed and tense mood. The style that the story was written in wasn’t my favorite, but it felt authentic, even though I found it very hard to love the characters even if they were very relatable in part. So overall I‘m very torn, weather to recommend this book or not.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Blood, Child death, Death, Rape, Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic, Domestic abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Suicide attempt, Body shaming, Bullying, Dementia, Dysphoria, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, and War
Moderate: Drug use and Drug abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury
aubreymichelle's review
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
I knew from the beginning it would make me cry, and it definitely did. This book made me cry and then laugh and then cry some more. It made me think about everything. The characters are relatable (especially for those going through hard times) and loveable as well. The author did an excellent job at showing Henry's character growth, as well as the characters around him.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Violence
Minor: Homophobia, Suicide, Miscarriage, and Sexual violence
kascjam's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.0
The main reason I rate this book so poorly is because of the way it was presented to me. At my local library, it was on a shelf titled "Books that will give you hope". I thought to myself, damn, I could use some of that right now. And the title stuck out to me, as well as the blurb, so I checked it out.
I finished this book in roughly a day and a half. Not because I was so enamored by the story or anything, but because it was genuinely so depressing I had to know if there was some shred of hope that might be presented in the end. I cried more times than I could count, which. I guess that counts for something. Points for evocative writing, I guess?
But um, seriously, any depressing thing you can imagine happening to someone, it happens in this book. I'm not even joking. At some point I thought to myself, Jesus Christ. Well, at least it can't get any worse, right? And then it got worse.
Additionally, the scene towards the end with the rich closeted kid attempting to sexually assault Henry felt extremely unnecessary. Like, it's not out of character for the rich kid (I forgot his name) to react terribly and do something crazy, but, I mean. Come on. It was the one thing that I was like, well, at least they didn't go there. And then it did go there.
And the ending? I'm still mad about it. I know the message it that like, the future is uncertain but we should appreciate what we have now, but what a letdown. Granted, as I mentioned before, I was reading this expecting something more inspiring than...whatever that was. But still. So much is still left unanswered -- and this book is somehow like four hundred pages!
Not to beat a dead horse here, but also, why the hell were there randomly scenarios in which the world ends just peppered in throughout the book? (Rhetorical question; I know why.) It was already sad, and it didn't add anything to the story, in my opinion, save for making me break down more than already was. And yes, I probably should have just taken the L and put the book down at some point, but I was so invested and certain the ending would be worth it that I couldn't get myself to.
Maybe under different circumstances, I would've enjoyed this book. I did like the overall concept, to be fair; it was just incredibly depressing for, as far as I could tell, no real reason.
I finished this book in roughly a day and a half. Not because I was so enamored by the story or anything, but because it was genuinely so depressing I had to know if there was some shred of hope that might be presented in the end. I cried more times than I could count, which. I guess that counts for something. Points for evocative writing, I guess?
But um, seriously, any depressing thing you can imagine happening to someone, it happens in this book. I'm not even joking. At some point I thought to myself, Jesus Christ. Well, at least it can't get any worse, right? And then it got worse.
And the ending? I'm still mad about it. I know the message it that like, the future is uncertain but we should appreciate what we have now, but what a letdown. Granted, as I mentioned before, I was reading this expecting something more inspiring than...whatever that was. But still. So much is still left unanswered -- and this book is somehow like four hundred pages!
Not to beat a dead horse here, but also, why the hell were there randomly scenarios in which the world ends just peppered in throughout the book? (Rhetorical question; I know why.) It was already sad, and it didn't add anything to the story, in my opinion, save for making me break down more than already was. And yes, I probably should have just taken the L and put the book down at some point, but I was so invested and certain the ending would be worth it that I couldn't get myself to.
Maybe under different circumstances, I would've enjoyed this book. I did like the overall concept, to be fair; it was just incredibly depressing for, as far as I could tell, no real reason.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Self harm, Bullying, Suicide attempt, Rape, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Miscarriage
bwch13's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault, Bullying, Violence, Homophobia, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Miscarriage, Abandonment, Dementia, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
louisallama's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
In theory this sounds like the kind of book I'd eat right up but unfortunately it wasn't. My two main issues are that I didn't connect with the characters, and that I wasn't satisfied with the way the book handled the world ending in 144 days. This book was by no means bad, it just wasn't for me.
I think I found it very hard to connect with Henry is because the book felt quite juvenile. Usually I'm fine with YA but for whatever reason it really didn't work for me this time. I'm not sure why but I was just completely uninvested in Henry's life and emotions. He has multiple very big and real problems that are poinient even to adults, and yet he never got past feeling like a whiny teenager to me.
The other problem is that there are a whole slew of deep, existential questions that could come of finding out that aliens have given you the choice to stop the world from ending in 144 days and this book explores basically none of them. I understand that it was more used as a vehicle for Henry deciding whether he wanted to live, without the trauma of making an actively suicidal main character for the whole book, but he ends up being very blasé about it. The closest we got to Henry asking these questions of himself, was him asking the extremely obvious, "am I going to push the button" throughout the book, as well as asking every character what they would do if they knew the world was going to end but they could stop it, both of which are resolved every time within a paragraph or two. I would think that this is something that I would agonise over, especially if I wasn't fully swayed one direction or the other. And while Henry's life truly is a steaming pile of garbage, linking this back with not feeling connected to him, I never actually felt like he was suicidal at any point, or ever had any conviction to press or not press the button.
I think I found it very hard to connect with Henry is because the book felt quite juvenile. Usually I'm fine with YA but for whatever reason it really didn't work for me this time. I'm not sure why but I was just completely uninvested in Henry's life and emotions. He has multiple very big and real problems that are poinient even to adults, and yet he never got past feeling like a whiny teenager to me.
The other problem is that there are a whole slew of deep, existential questions that could come of finding out that aliens have given you the choice to stop the world from ending in 144 days and this book explores basically none of them. I understand that it was more used as a vehicle for Henry deciding whether he wanted to live, without the trauma of making an actively suicidal main character for the whole book, but he ends up being very blasé about it. The closest we got to Henry asking these questions of himself, was him asking the extremely obvious, "am I going to push the button" throughout the book, as well as asking every character what they would do if they knew the world was going to end but they could stop it, both of which are resolved every time within a paragraph or two. I would think that this is something that I would agonise over, especially if I wasn't fully swayed one direction or the other. And while Henry's life truly is a steaming pile of garbage, linking this back with not feeling connected to him, I never actually felt like he was suicidal at any point, or ever had any conviction to press or not press the button.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Dementia, Physical abuse, Abandonment, Bullying, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Self harm, Miscarriage, Cursing, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Pregnancy
teaselkie's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Bullying, Suicide, Toxic relationship, and Mental illness
Moderate: Rape, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Injury/Injury detail, and Dementia
brianna_reading5's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
this book got into some really deep, complex topics and, while i don’t think every topic was thoroughly explored to its fullest extent, most of it was really wonderful and powerful to read. i really felt this journey that henry goes through alongside him, and the way his grief manifested into so many different facets of his life just really struck a chord with me. the whole “we’re all gonna die someday” message is not something particularly new, but i think this novel was able to hone in on that message better than most other YA books i’ve read - and i think the whole button situation really allows for that. also i felt so bad for henry the whole time like he really just could not catch a break i’m very happy with how things ended for him
do check tws before reading! this book gets a bit darker than i’d originally anticipated
do check tws before reading! this book gets a bit darker than i’d originally anticipated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Death, Grief, and Suicide
Moderate: Miscarriage and Rape
lovelymisanthrope's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
3.0
I picked this up as a buddy read with a friend.
"We Are the Ants" follows a teenager named Henry. Over the past few years Henry has been abducted by aliens. On one of his most recent abductions, the aliens have told him that Earth will blow up in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button. But the world has not been kind to Henry, and with some much sickness and heartbreak, why should he push the button?
I think if I had picked this up five years ago, I would have loved it, unfortunately, this book just did not have that punch I was expecting. The plot, themes, and mannerisms of the main character really reminded me of "Going Bovine" by: Libba Bray, and once I had that in my head, I just could not enjoy the story because it did not feel original too me.
I respect what this book did, and I think the themes and topics discussed are important and done so in a profound way. One of the big topics is suicide. Henry had someone very close to him commit suicide and it has really haunted him ever since. I have not seen a ton of media highlighting how suicide impacts those left behind, and how they work through their feelings of grief and arrive at a state of acceptance. This book shows Henry going through his process to get through this dark time, and it highlights how other characters who were impacted by this death have to deal with their grief in their own ways.
I would recommend this book to a young adult looking for a book that packs a punch and makes you question what makes life worth living.
"We Are the Ants" follows a teenager named Henry. Over the past few years Henry has been abducted by aliens. On one of his most recent abductions, the aliens have told him that Earth will blow up in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button. But the world has not been kind to Henry, and with some much sickness and heartbreak, why should he push the button?
I think if I had picked this up five years ago, I would have loved it, unfortunately, this book just did not have that punch I was expecting. The plot, themes, and mannerisms of the main character really reminded me of "Going Bovine" by: Libba Bray, and once I had that in my head, I just could not enjoy the story because it did not feel original too me.
I respect what this book did, and I think the themes and topics discussed are important and done so in a profound way. One of the big topics is suicide. Henry had someone very close to him commit suicide and it has really haunted him ever since. I have not seen a ton of media highlighting how suicide impacts those left behind, and how they work through their feelings of grief and arrive at a state of acceptance. This book shows Henry going through his process to get through this dark time, and it highlights how other characters who were impacted by this death have to deal with their grief in their own ways.
I would recommend this book to a young adult looking for a book that packs a punch and makes you question what makes life worth living.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Bullying, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Suicide, Domestic abuse, Blood, Violence, and Sexual harassment
mary_jinxedit's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Grief, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Suicide attempt
vicixyz's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Grief, Suicide, Homophobia, and Outing
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Rape, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship