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alsoapples'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? No
3.0
Graphic: Rape, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, Classism, Racism, Toxic relationship, Cultural appropriation, Drug abuse, Drug use, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Violence, Transphobia, Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Addiction
blue_txt's review against another edition
2.0
I've never wanted to experience fictional leftist in-fighting.
I don't enjoy books with thought-experiment based plots, so I knew it wasn't going to be a great read for me. I guess I expected more from the characters since the plot was so paper-thin.
Graphic: Addiction, Biphobia, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Classism, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Violence, Suicide, War, Death, Confinement, Racism, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Transphobia, and Xenophobia
decie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Classism, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Violence, and Drug use
Moderate: Colonisation, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Death, Grief, and Racism
Minor: Transphobia, Rape, War, Suicide, and Suicide attempt
chaoticreadingclub'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
I must admit, during the first quarter of this book I struggled. The first person narration from Maddie with her constant self-deprecation was, initially, frustrating and fatiguing. Halfway through the novel, however, I realized that I had grown attached to the plot and the characters (even Maddie). Once I finished the novel I understood the various reasons why Maddie developed the way she did, and how her experience not only reflected poor-self esteem and an insecurity with her orientation to white privilege, but also to her mental health. I feel fortunate that this book was my first read of 2024, because now I have a book that I can definitively recommend for the rest of the year. This novel has a special kind of momentum that left me feeling compelled, informed, somewhat devastated, but ultimately inspired.
What I liked most:
-Gestas. He was a very quality character because the author wrote him with authenticity and conviction that remained consistent throughout the novel.
-The concept of Gore winning the 2001 election, rather than George W. Bush Jr. was engaging as a concept. The author managed to maintain the world that he had built, while managing to convey that systemic and social issues would remain the same because of what the United States, and capitalism, was built upon: protecting white supremacy.
Moderate: Violence, Sexual violence, and Police brutality
isitnaptimezo'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Rape
Moderate: Addiction, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death, War, Transphobia, Violence, Racism, and Sexual content
mxfahrenheit's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Confinement, Death, Sexual assault, Suicide attempt, Drug use, Police brutality, Vomit, Drug abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Rape
Moderate: Classism, Violence, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Colonisation, and Deadnaming
Minor: Body shaming, Animal death, and Animal cruelty
emilyeslomski's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, War, Addiction, and Rape
alienskiesabove'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? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Police brutality and Violence
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Death, Alcoholism, Drug use, Rape, Drug abuse, and Sexual assault
Minor: Grief, Homophobia, Medical trauma, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, and Blood
free_the_bookshelf'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
4.5
This book was so good, for what it tries to do. If you are curious about how this timeline would relate to reality, this is a fun illustration of that. It’s interesting to see how things aren’t so different, since a lot of society’s problems are systemic.
I really enjoyed the parallels that Sim pulls between their timeline and reality. You would think that with a War on Climate Change, the US would be a utopia, but of course, capitalism exists, so we can’t have nice things. And the ending, perfect for each character. If you are looking to read about a revolution, this right here should be your jam.
The only reason I couldn’t give this book a 5 out of 5 stars, is the narrator, Maddie Ryan, so really annoying. She’s meant to be a way to view and learn about all the intricacies of social justice, but it comes off like she’s never left her house in her life. Maddie’s naivety makes the book come off a kind of preachy. The story arc does make sense for her character, but if this book was told from a 3rd person perspective, I wouldn’t have missed her at all.
Graphic: Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Addiction, Alcohol, Violence, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Alcoholism
sky130's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Drug use, and Racism
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Violence, War, Rape, and Addiction
Minor: Colonisation and Deadnaming