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mariahistryingtoread's review against another edition
1.0
Spoilers incoming
TW: drug use, drug addiction, drug withdrawal, death due to drug addiction
There are a few problems with Roxy, but the biggest one - the one that makes the whole venture pointless in the end - is that despite trying to build a mystery about who will die it's obvious from the moment you know what the drugs are (so pretty much the synopsis) who is going to die.
As a general rule, no one dies from Adderall abuse. Does it happen? Absolutely. Anything can happen. But, is it likely? Not terribly, so unless you're abusing multiple drugs (which is avoided here as it's a contest) and/or have other health conditions. Oxycontin is an opioid; the opioid crisis is a crisis for a reason. While Adderall abuse is a real thing, people certainly die from it, and there are a significant amount of Adderall abusers out in the world, opioids are a whole different ball game.
Therefore, it is abundantly clear from the moment the book starts where it's going to end. The book tries to drum up tension and suspense around it, but it simultaneously emphasizes constantly how Addison (Adderall) has to work double time to push Ivy while Isaac easily falls further under Roxy's (Oxycontin) thrall. The book literally is named after Oxycontin - like how much more obvious could it be?
It would be one thing if this book was simply a tragic tale of a teenager getting addicted to painkillers and the anthropomorphization of drugs is the gimmick to draw the reader in. But, it's marketed as a mystery when there is no mystery here.
I also took issue with the drugs as human shaped vessels thing for 2 reasons.
One, it didn't have a logical consistency to it. Addison is ridiculed for never having taken someone to the 'VIP Lounge,' i.e. causing an overdose. This is literally impossible as someone somewhere has to have died from an Adderall overdose before. It's not common, but that doesn't mean it can't happen, which means Addison has to have done it before, even if he didn't push for it to happen like he was with Ivy.
Two, ShustermanX2 remove all culpability from drug abusers. It is originally presented as if the drugs (as people) are not literally there, and any conversations that are had manifest as thoughts by the users. When Roxy tells Isaac his girlfriend is selfish, Roxy is not literally doing that in the 'real' world, Isaac's thought patterns are being affected by drug use. However, on the plane of existence Roxy lives on, that runs parallel to Isaac's, she is talking directly to him.
This execution makes sense and places the onus on the person taking the drugs while still acknowledging the insidious way drug usage can cloud judgment.
But, later in the book, Ivy is in a situation where she comes into contact with Crys (crystal meth). Addison does whatever he can to keep her from doing it because he's trying to win the bet. He succeeds, but Crys explicitly tells him he 'let' Ivy go as a courtesy to Addison.
This is where the concept falls apart.
Ivy is a person with autonomy and agency. Crys shouldn't be able to make her do crystal meth. Especially when her current drug of choice is Adderall. That isn't even a hard drug. That's like deciding you can totally handle a baby after taking care of a fish for a week.
I'm sure some people do make leaps like that, so that part is fine. It's the framing that doesn't work; if Crys is able to control his influence, then any person who has ever decided to try crystal meth or was unable to quit no longer can be held accountable for that decision. The same goes for addicts who have deeply hurt those they love or committed crimes or heinous acts to pursue their drug of choice. According to Roxy, it's never their fault since Crys apparently can choose to let them go or not.
Similarly, when Isaac resolves to quit and goes through withdrawals Vicodin - as a favor to Roxy - is able to push Isaac to relapse by making Isaac think to check for a leftover pill hidden on his floor. Is it really Isaac's responsibility for relapsing when Vicodin - as a separate entity capable of seeing Isaac's room to know that there are leftover drugs in the first place - is purposely spurring a line of thought?
When Ivy is on the verge of taking a harder drug - I think cocaine? I can't remember - Addison asks Al (ie Alcohol) to make her throw up to draw her away. So they're totally in charge of biological function as well? No decision, even on a genetic level, is apparently a human beings' own.
You could argue that when you develop a drug addiction or alcohol dependency, the substance does take control of you to a certain extent. I just don't think it works in this case because ShustermanX2 have made the drugs actual 'people', which introduces too much ambiguity. If someone else is truly determined to ruin your life regardless of what you do, it is impossible to stop it; how can anybody stop using a drug if its desire to see you destoyed, per Roxy's worldbuilding, completely supersedes yours in every way?
The interludes of other drugs were unnecessary. I did not need nor care about MJ's feelings on becoming above board now (legalization of Marijuana). They also had a tendency to be written overly stylized, which did not appeal to me. Outside of the Vicodin drop-in I mentioned above, none of them mattered to the central plot.
The one part I did enjoy - Roxy tragically falling in love with her mark - was ruined since apparently she does this every single time someone is hooked on her. She just forgets over and over because oxycontin has a memory loss component. So the book isn't even depicting a unique situation like it suggests. It's just another day for her.
It made me question the entire premise in the first place: why does Addison even bother when she wouldn't remember if he won anyways? Their little wager was based on Isaac specifically, which means Addison won't be able to bring it up to her
And count me as another person who would have appreciated a glossary. I didn't need one because I did not actively care what any drug was doing or who they were, still, it's the principle.
I don't believe many teenagers would respond to this book in the least. I know I'd have hated it as a teenager. It barely touches on what being a teenager is like or the difficulties they currently face. It was the same generic high school tropes used twenty years ago. If you swapped them into college, very little would have to change. Ivy and Isaac lack so much in terms of real-world application or identity.
The book would have been better if Isaac had not relapsed at the end but began a treatment program. Then leave the ending open-ended regarding his ultimate outcome. If it explored the entire cycle of drug addiction, then, at the very least, it would have some educational merit.
And the worst sin of all - it's boring.
TW: drug use, drug addiction, drug withdrawal, death due to drug addiction
There are a few problems with Roxy, but the biggest one - the one that makes the whole venture pointless in the end - is that despite trying to build a mystery about who will die it's obvious from the moment you know what the drugs are (so pretty much the synopsis) who is going to die.
As a general rule, no one dies from Adderall abuse. Does it happen? Absolutely. Anything can happen. But, is it likely? Not terribly, so unless you're abusing multiple drugs (which is avoided here as it's a contest) and/or have other health conditions. Oxycontin is an opioid; the opioid crisis is a crisis for a reason. While Adderall abuse is a real thing, people certainly die from it, and there are a significant amount of Adderall abusers out in the world, opioids are a whole different ball game.
Therefore, it is abundantly clear from the moment the book starts where it's going to end. The book tries to drum up tension and suspense around it, but it simultaneously emphasizes constantly how Addison (Adderall) has to work double time to push Ivy while Isaac easily falls further under Roxy's (Oxycontin) thrall. The book literally is named after Oxycontin - like how much more obvious could it be?
It would be one thing if this book was simply a tragic tale of a teenager getting addicted to painkillers and the anthropomorphization of drugs is the gimmick to draw the reader in. But, it's marketed as a mystery when there is no mystery here.
I also took issue with the drugs as human shaped vessels thing for 2 reasons.
One, it didn't have a logical consistency to it. Addison is ridiculed for never having taken someone to the 'VIP Lounge,' i.e. causing an overdose. This is literally impossible as someone somewhere has to have died from an Adderall overdose before. It's not common, but that doesn't mean it can't happen, which means Addison has to have done it before, even if he didn't push for it to happen like he was with Ivy.
Two, ShustermanX2 remove all culpability from drug abusers. It is originally presented as if the drugs (as people) are not literally there, and any conversations that are had manifest as thoughts by the users. When Roxy tells Isaac his girlfriend is selfish, Roxy is not literally doing that in the 'real' world, Isaac's thought patterns are being affected by drug use. However, on the plane of existence Roxy lives on, that runs parallel to Isaac's, she is talking directly to him.
This execution makes sense and places the onus on the person taking the drugs while still acknowledging the insidious way drug usage can cloud judgment.
But, later in the book, Ivy is in a situation where she comes into contact with Crys (crystal meth). Addison does whatever he can to keep her from doing it because he's trying to win the bet. He succeeds, but Crys explicitly tells him he 'let' Ivy go as a courtesy to Addison.
This is where the concept falls apart.
Ivy is a person with autonomy and agency. Crys shouldn't be able to make her do crystal meth. Especially when her current drug of choice is Adderall. That isn't even a hard drug. That's like deciding you can totally handle a baby after taking care of a fish for a week.
I'm sure some people do make leaps like that, so that part is fine. It's the framing that doesn't work; if Crys is able to control his influence, then any person who has ever decided to try crystal meth or was unable to quit no longer can be held accountable for that decision. The same goes for addicts who have deeply hurt those they love or committed crimes or heinous acts to pursue their drug of choice. According to Roxy, it's never their fault since Crys apparently can choose to let them go or not.
Similarly, when Isaac resolves to quit and goes through withdrawals Vicodin - as a favor to Roxy - is able to push Isaac to relapse by making Isaac think to check for a leftover pill hidden on his floor. Is it really Isaac's responsibility for relapsing when Vicodin - as a separate entity capable of seeing Isaac's room to know that there are leftover drugs in the first place - is purposely spurring a line of thought?
When Ivy is on the verge of taking a harder drug - I think cocaine? I can't remember - Addison asks Al (ie Alcohol) to make her throw up to draw her away. So they're totally in charge of biological function as well? No decision, even on a genetic level, is apparently a human beings' own.
You could argue that when you develop a drug addiction or alcohol dependency, the substance does take control of you to a certain extent. I just don't think it works in this case because ShustermanX2 have made the drugs actual 'people', which introduces too much ambiguity. If someone else is truly determined to ruin your life regardless of what you do, it is impossible to stop it; how can anybody stop using a drug if its desire to see you destoyed, per Roxy's worldbuilding, completely supersedes yours in every way?
The interludes of other drugs were unnecessary. I did not need nor care about MJ's feelings on becoming above board now (legalization of Marijuana). They also had a tendency to be written overly stylized, which did not appeal to me. Outside of the Vicodin drop-in I mentioned above, none of them mattered to the central plot.
The one part I did enjoy - Roxy tragically falling in love with her mark - was ruined since apparently she does this every single time someone is hooked on her. She just forgets over and over because oxycontin has a memory loss component. So the book isn't even depicting a unique situation like it suggests. It's just another day for her.
It made me question the entire premise in the first place: why does Addison even bother when she wouldn't remember if he won anyways? Their little wager was based on Isaac specifically, which means Addison won't be able to bring it up to her
And count me as another person who would have appreciated a glossary. I didn't need one because I did not actively care what any drug was doing or who they were, still, it's the principle.
I don't believe many teenagers would respond to this book in the least. I know I'd have hated it as a teenager. It barely touches on what being a teenager is like or the difficulties they currently face. It was the same generic high school tropes used twenty years ago. If you swapped them into college, very little would have to change. Ivy and Isaac lack so much in terms of real-world application or identity.
The book would have been better if Isaac had not relapsed at the end but began a treatment program. Then leave the ending open-ended regarding his ultimate outcome. If it explored the entire cycle of drug addiction, then, at the very least, it would have some educational merit.
And the worst sin of all - it's boring.
oliviaskyec's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
vfinney444's review against another edition
5.0
I was surprised to find a new Neal shusterman on our shelves unread so I decided to take it home. At first I was lost, trying to match code names to the characters, but this book is a unique and important take on drug addiction among teens.
c_ab_bage's review against another edition
4.0
The concept definitely carries this book, and that’s not a bad thing. The different perspectives were so intriguing to read and added an interesting, and varied outlook on the subjects of addiction.
While I’ve don’t have ADHD and have never been on Adderall, it seems from my perspective that the matter was handled well. Going into this I was worried that it might be villainized or misunderstood, but to me it seemed that it was responsibly written. The different perspectives were a very vital contribution to this point.
Overall, the story lacked on the humanity side of things. As much as I loved hearing from out various drugs, I thought the focus was a bit too much on them and not enough on the humans, the people we can relate to. (I also found some of the names for the drugs to be hard to decipher without internet use)
In the end, though, it was a truly unique and thought-provoking novel- exactly what I expected from the Shustermans.
While I’ve don’t have ADHD and have never been on Adderall, it seems from my perspective that the matter was handled well. Going into this I was worried that it might be villainized or misunderstood, but to me it seemed that it was responsibly written. The different perspectives were a very vital contribution to this point.
Overall, the story lacked on the humanity side of things. As much as I loved hearing from out various drugs, I thought the focus was a bit too much on them and not enough on the humans, the people we can relate to. (I also found some of the names for the drugs to be hard to decipher without internet use)
In the end, though, it was a truly unique and thought-provoking novel- exactly what I expected from the Shustermans.
bluejaybooks's review against another edition
I'm sure it was intentional, but this whole book was basically me saying "Don't do it, no!" to the characters over and over again
vielzitrone's review
dark
tense
fast-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
4.25
ambrozia's review against another edition
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
4.0
La première partie du livre, je me suis dit : s’il y avait une catégorie WTF, ce livre serait dans le top de mon classement. J’ai eu du mal à concevoir les pov des drogues sur plusieurs chapitres. Quand j’ai lu le premier interlude, je me suis demandé si les auteurs n’avaient pas carrément consommé les drogues qu’ils décrivaient. Je me suis dit : c’est un livre Young adult, ça ? Mais c’est malsain, non ? C’est censé faire de la prévention ou de la romantisation ?
Puis j’ai continué. J’ai lu cette descente dans l’addiction en essayant de deviner qui allait perdre. Et tout du long, j’ai douté de mon choix. J'ai eu un ressenti d’effroi, de malaise et en même temps de compassion. Et j’ai vu quel était le but de ce roman.
J'ai commencé à même l'apprécier. Et la plume... parlons de cette plume. À la fois poétique et morbide. Qui passe d'un point de vue à l'autre et qui s'adresse tout à coup à nous, le lecteur. L'emprise des drogues qui s'infiltre en nous, au point qu'on s'attache presque à elles. On développe de l'empathie autant pour elles que pour ses victimes.
Ce livre était un mélange de subtilité, de métaphore et de paradoxe. Comme les drogues au final, non ? Et ce que je peux vous dire, c'est que ce livre était autant addictif que son propre sujet..
entre_paginas_infinitas's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Es interesante el estilo que han escogido los autores para contar la historia, ya que aquí algunos objetos inanimados se representan como personas con sentimientos y aspiraciones, y todos interactuan con los personajes humanos. Es extraño y a veces difícil de entender, pero creo que es una forma distinta de escribir.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Drug use
Moderate: Alcohol and Addiction