Reviews with content warning for Alcohol - The Sky Is Everywhere

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The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

5 reviews

clovetra's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

this was a nice little book honestly, but as someone who's lost someone close to them, it fell a bit... odd? incorrect? like once the end of the book comes sure lennie says something like "my sister will always be with me", and that grief is permanent, which i liked. but

it didn't feel like lennie felt that? idk it felt like she was awful and then got everything she wanted. i felt like she should've faced some reprocussions - sure her sister dying is probably the biggest reprocussion & she was grieving, she shouldn't be punished,

but idk it felt a bit unrealistic and that peeved me a tad.
now i haven't lost a sister (only child things). but i did lose my dad. and with a book so centred on grief, the way lennie expresses her grief, i felt like it was very unrealistic. like yeah i know that everyone expresses grief in varying ways, but oh my god

hooking up with ur sister's boyfriend? girl what the fuck? i know she explains it too by saying something like "when im with toby our hearts rebuild bailey" or some shit but im sorry i could not look past that.

. just because someone is grieving does not mean their shitty behaviour gets to be excused, and i think that's what im most hung up on.
i also didn't like how

easily joe forgave lennie. sure yeah they're in love whatever but tbh i would've preferred it if she ended up alone! girl get away from relationships! she doesn't even know who she is without her sister, and instead she filled the void with toby and then joe.

i also felt like the characters kind of fell flat? lennie is very much the main character but other than that, i feel like the characters needed a bit more fleshing out. and honestly the character who was fleshed out (lennie), i found insufferable.
i think that's my main issue - not that lennie was a bit of a shit person throughout this book, but that i didn't feel any sympathy for her. like usually i can love-hate a protag like this. idk why but with nelson's other book <i>i'll give you the sun</i> i found this to be an issue with me as well - the characters were so incredibly self-destructive and awful to everyone around them i couldn't function. like no redeemable traits in lennie for me.
overall though i felt like this book was quite realistic in the way the characters express their grief, but i don't know i just did not like lennie. i don't know if that was nelson's intention but all i know is i was not live laugh loving as much as i hoped i would be :(

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keiwald's review

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emotional funny hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A book about life and grief and life after grief told in a fun messy way only human are. The author is always good at symbolism, imagery, metaphors, and expressing emotions is complex ways. The varied texture of story vs reading the main characters poems are also a beautiful touch.

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ashlikes's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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mothfaun's review

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emotional funny inspiring sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Content Warnings

gabbygarcia's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring lighthearted sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a beautiful book! I love Jandy Nelson's writing style--it's so clear that she has an MFA in poetry. I love how she mixes some of the most beautiful and reflective sentences with hilarious sentences. She has some of the most creative, quirky, and fun characters I've ever read, and they're all so full of life and interesting to read about. I can see how her style and voice has developed from this book to I'll Give You the Sun, which is a bit better in my opinion (in terms of poetic writing style, characters, etc). Glad I finally got to this beautiful book! Beautiful story on grief, loss, and living.

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