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azileotulp's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Anyway... wow. This book wrecked me. I knew it would, just like the first one did, but my goodness. I'll just start off with the things I liked... which was basically everything? I think the biggest criticisms I've seen for this book and the first one are that there's no plot to them, which has never bothered me. I love a character-driven book, especially when the characters are as great as these. Valentino and Orion are adorable and work great together. I loved their dynamic.
I loved all the connections to the previous book too. I tried to find a list of all of them, but sadly haven't been able to. I did keep the first book near me at all times while reading this one just so I could try to find them.
I liked a lot of the side stories too.
Even though that was an issue for me, it didn't really take away from my enjoyment too much. There were, however, two things that prevented this book from being perfect. One, the slang. Oh my goodness, I had the same problem in the first book too. I don't know if it's just really bad at first and gradually gets better throughout the book, or if I just got so used to it from how often it was used in the beginning. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate slang in books, but I do hate it in this book. At times, it feels like it was written by a 60-year-old trying to be hip and trendy, even though the actual author is pretty young. Really, that's my biggest problem with the book. I cringed far too often reading some of this. The only other thing I didn't enjoy was the slow start. When I read the first book, I was instantly attached to Mateo, seeing a lot of myself in him, and Rufus grew on me fairly quickly. While reading this book, I don't think I truly cared for Valentino or Orion that much until I was almost halfway through the book. I can't really explain why didn't work for me at first, but they just didn't.
Even though I have my issues, I still can't say how much I enjoyed this book. I don't think I'll ever be okay again, but I said the same thing after I read the first book. (Yes, I keep bringing up the first book, but cut me some slack. I'm still mourning.) If you're looking for a book with a grand plot and adventure, this isn't for you. But if you want to see some gays fall in love before tragedy strikes (not a spoiler, you read the title), then you've come to the right place.
Graphic: Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Grief, Homophobia, Medical content, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Car accident, Death of parent, Blood, and Violence
Minor: Alcohol, Sexual content, Child abuse, Suicide, and Infidelity
- Both of Orion's parents died in the 9/11 attacks. This is mentioned frequently.asipior's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Grief, Terminal illness, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual content
fpcat99's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Death of parent, Gun violence, Terminal illness, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, and Murder
lugotthecinema's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Death of parent, Blood, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Car accident
Minor: Cursing, Religious bigotry, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mass/school shootings, and Medical content
alexbrandis's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence, Alcoholism, Cursing, Cancer, and Car accident
purplee_rain89's review
- 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
Just like the first book, this story was so heartbreaking, yer incredibly beautiful. I really loved the way it was written; I felt like I was in the situations the characters were in myself and was really able to feel with them. Orion and Valentino's love story might be tragic but in contrast to the first book, it was so beautiful to see one of them live on with the help of the other. I also love how Adam Silvera portrayed the concept of "change the things you can and accept the things you can't change" perfectly, e.g. with Scarlett not being able to see Valentino for one last time and his parents never truly accepting him and loving him as they should. But he still got all the closure he could from their last phone call and the fact that both Scarlett and Valentino found a family with Team Young had something really hopeful about it and I'd like to think that they ho on to heal from his death together.
Another great thing was all the connections you had to the first book! Like Valentino and Orion meeting the younger versions of Rufus and Mateo and even Rufus family, especially his mom who obviously played a big role. Plus, Dalma being the creator of the Last Friends app was beautiful as well.
Just like with the the first book, I found this story to be really inspiring and somewhat motivating to think of life differently and not take it for as granted as we're used to. It really is a whole different perspective to see life through the eyes of someone who knows their death is basically around the corner and it gets you to think about your own views and how maybe you shouldn't wait to do the things you want to do. You need to actually LIVE and to be alive for as long as you can. I could go on and on about how beautiful I think these books are but I'd never finish, so just a huge thank you to Adam Silvera for writing these amazing stories (and also for all the queer and Latino representation in it) <3
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Grief, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Murder, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Outing, Terminal illness, Violence, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Car accident, Child abuse, Death, Homophobia, and Medical content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Misogyny, and Gun violence
Minor: Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, and Alcoholism
sterreks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Grief, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Chronic illness, and Cursing
Minor: Homophobia
ashmak06's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Murder, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Grief, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, and Medical content
Moderate: Chronic illness, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Cursing, and Car accident
Minor: Sexual content
teawitchontravel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Grief, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Mass/school shootings, Gun violence, Death, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Medical content, Outing, Murder, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Infidelity and Alcohol
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Bullying, Car accident, Cursing, Infidelity, Mass/school shootings, Blood, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Gun violence, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Violence, Child abuse, and Death