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thereadingchallengechallenge's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Decided to reread this after finding out a movie's been made of it. It's still a beautifully emotional story. Mason Deaver has always known just how to spin a story that tugs at the heartstrings.
abbyk505's review against another edition
5.0
so so cute and important and I just. this book means so much to me. made me cry and also made me laugh and smile and gush with how cute the romance is.
mjtal's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- 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
fynn_jls's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Eating disorder, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, and Transphobia
whendevreads's review against another edition
5.0
When I purchased this book, the cashier was so excited. She looked at the book and said: “I love this book. I actually made that display, by the way. We only have 3 copies and I wanted to make sure people saw them. So I set them out.”
It was one of those moments that in retrospect, I absolutely see where she was coming from. If I was in her position, I absolutely would be trying to get everyone to read (and buy) this book. The writing and the plot are simple and concise, but somehow also so poignant and evocative. It’s a book I will probably be thinking about for a very, very long time & it is one that I will absolutely read again. It honestly is climbing pretty high on my favorites list as we speak.
I wanted to straight up sob throughout almost the entirety of this book. Ben is so pure and my heart is broken for them. I truly can’t explain what I felt when I read in the first few pages that they were outside in snowy, thirty degree weather without a coat or even shoes on. I wish I could wrap them up in a hug and tell them that it will all be okay. It’s one of the first times in a long time that I have connected & resonated with a character to the degree that I have with Ben. The anxiety, self-deprecation, insecurity, familial issues… they were all presented in such a real & relatable way. I’m not going to get into detail about how much I liked Nathan or any of the other characters because I feel like the focus needs to be on Ben. Normally I hate when the romance is in the final 20 pages of the book but once again this story is above all a coming of age, finding yourself and becoming true to that version of you, kind of story. What Ben needed was to come to terms with who they are and how to live as true to themself as possible. They needed a friend’s support, not a relationship. Which is why, once they really started to heal & become true to themself, they were able to explore a relationship with Nathan, but that meant their story was coming to a natural conclusion.
Is the book perfect? No, and it doesn’t have to be. It is still such a good story & has much-needed enby representation. Becky Albertalli was absolutely right when she said: “Heartfelt, romantic, and quietly groundbreaking. This book will save lives.”
It was one of those moments that in retrospect, I absolutely see where she was coming from. If I was in her position, I absolutely would be trying to get everyone to read (and buy) this book. The writing and the plot are simple and concise, but somehow also so poignant and evocative. It’s a book I will probably be thinking about for a very, very long time & it is one that I will absolutely read again. It honestly is climbing pretty high on my favorites list as we speak.
I wanted to straight up sob throughout almost the entirety of this book. Ben is so pure and my heart is broken for them. I truly can’t explain what I felt when I read in the first few pages that they were outside in snowy, thirty degree weather without a coat or even shoes on. I wish I could wrap them up in a hug and tell them that it will all be okay. It’s one of the first times in a long time that I have connected & resonated with a character to the degree that I have with Ben. The anxiety, self-deprecation, insecurity, familial issues… they were all presented in such a real & relatable way. I’m not going to get into detail about how much I liked Nathan or any of the other characters because I feel like the focus needs to be on Ben. Normally I hate when the romance is in the final 20 pages of the book but once again this story is above all a coming of age, finding yourself and becoming true to that version of you, kind of story. What Ben needed was to come to terms with who they are and how to live as true to themself as possible. They needed a friend’s support, not a relationship. Which is why, once they really started to heal & become true to themself, they were able to explore a relationship with Nathan, but that meant their story was coming to a natural conclusion.
Is the book perfect? No, and it doesn’t have to be. It is still such a good story & has much-needed enby representation. Becky Albertalli was absolutely right when she said: “Heartfelt, romantic, and quietly groundbreaking. This book will save lives.”
butterfly_bombshell's review against another edition
5.0
A great story. I learned a lot about non binary people.
judeandolin's review against another edition
2.0
I was very excited about the prospect of a nonbinary lead character, but I feel like that's the only remarkable thing about this book. It was cute and all but it felt empty. So many scenes were just dull school scenes or the friends at a bowling alley or something to that effect.
The main character was also just very difficult to like; they were moody and unappreciative of every effort people made to help them, be friendly to them, etc. I think this was done to achieve a slow burn romance feeling but it just made them feel like a self absorbed jerk. I really have no idea what lead to the romance between the two leads, because their chemistry was just... bleh.
The main character was also just very difficult to like; they were moody and unappreciative of every effort people made to help them, be friendly to them, etc. I think this was done to achieve a slow burn romance feeling but it just made them feel like a self absorbed jerk. I really have no idea what lead to the romance between the two leads, because their chemistry was just... bleh.
mar_ss's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5