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yogyaa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
em being the protactor was kinda predictable but Louisa being em, it wasn't
overall I just didn't feel really connected to the characters and I REALLY didn't like Peter. Altho I will be intrested to read the whole "secret of the golden trio"
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Toxic friendship, and Bullying
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
venetiana's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
(One thing I found really infuriating: the book shoving the school motto down my throat every few pages - I would definitely have remembered with much, MUCH fewer mentions, too. 🙃)
Graphic: Murder and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Classism, Death, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, Adult/minor relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Child death, Drug use, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Toxic relationship
beckycarter97's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Suicide
beca_reads's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Murder, Racism, Suicide, and Suicidal thoughts
sarah984's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The main characters are a group of Asian American students at an exclusive private school, brought together through a mutual friendship of sorts with a popular girl and through what the pov character refers to as "The Incident": something that they had all participated in two years before and sworn to secrecy about. It's obvious what the thing was and the way the narrative dances around it is annoying. The popular girl dies suddenly, and suddenly the friends are being threatened via social media using secrets only the dead girl knew. The resolution to this is ridiculous and some of the secrets are a bit silly.
The better part of the story is the focus on the characters themselves, especially Nancy. As the daughter of immigrants who gave up everything to come to America there is immense pressure to perform, be strong, and reach that elusive American Dream. The way this plays out in Nancy's relationship with her mother was really well done. The other characters are less three dimensional but do illustrate this in various ways.
I liked the ending in the way that it demonstrated who Nancy was at her core - this isn't a game but she's going to win it - but it bugged me that the reader never gets to find out what the big secret is.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Alcohol, Child abuse, Child death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
Minor: Blood, Grief, Medical content, Physical abuse, and Racism