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noyastan's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I really loved Alaine's voice, her snark and sarcasm and how she always mixes her stories with other fictional tales, getting wrapped up in her writing! I loved reading from Alaine's POV and getting to sit in her head, seeing her writing and her feelings unfold. I also liked how the authors combined emails, texts, newspaper articles with Alaine's narration.
Alaine takes an unexpected middle-of-the-school-year trip to her parents' home country, Haiti, when a school presentation goes wrong, and spends her time there trying to counter a family curse and understand her distant mother.
While I appreciated the expansive family drama, Alaine's complex relationship with her mother, addressing the difficulties of coming to term with Alzheimer's/illness, and the mystery of the curse, I did not love the ending. Part of it is because some aspects seem rushed, many things getting all wrapped up in the last few sections, but also one huge part that seemed not only unnecessary but cruel. If the novel had ended a bit differently, I would've probably enjoyed it more, but alas.
Alaine takes an unexpected middle-of-the-school-year trip to her parents' home country, Haiti, when a school presentation goes wrong, and spends her time there trying to counter a family curse and understand her distant mother.
While I appreciated the expansive family drama, Alaine's complex relationship with her mother, addressing the difficulties of coming to term with Alzheimer's/illness, and the mystery of the curse, I did not love the ending. Part of it is because some aspects seem rushed, many things getting all wrapped up in the last few sections, but also one huge part that seemed not only unnecessary but cruel. If the novel had ended a bit differently, I would've probably enjoyed it more, but alas.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Dementia, and Miscarriage
Minor: Child abuse
tucker68511's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia, Miscarriage, and Death
kateivy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I absolutely adored Alaine from the very beginning. The authors absolutely excelled at creating a realistic and loveable teen MC.
The epistolary format was awesome; I loved the combination of diary entries, texts, emails, etc. It really kept the book fast paced and showed Alaine's personality.
My only complaint was the organization got a bit wonky in places. Alaine would mentioned something in her diary entry, but there wouldn't be an artifact, so to speak, representing this event until several pages later, which left me feeling like I had missed something. Quite minor!
The epistolary format was awesome; I loved the combination of diary entries, texts, emails, etc. It really kept the book fast paced and showed Alaine's personality.
My only complaint was the organization got a bit wonky in places. Alaine would mentioned something in her diary entry, but there wouldn't be an artifact, so to speak, representing this event until several pages later, which left me feeling like I had missed something. Quite minor!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia
Moderate: Miscarriage
Minor: Sexual assault
mirandareadsca's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Death, and Dementia
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy
shelbyjo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dementia and Miscarriage
Moderate: Death
adriannamarguerite's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Chronic illness, Dementia, Miscarriage, and Mental illness
Minor: Sexual assault
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