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mbkarapcik's review against another edition
4.0
I am a big fan of Jen Lancaster's memoirs -- very few writers make me laugh out loud. Her novels are mildly entertaining, but just not as strong. I always wondered how she would handle a young adult novel, and after reading this book, I think she's found her new niche. She understands teens, and created sympathetic characters worth following. My only issue was the references to 1980s teen movies like John Hughes' oeuvre. I'm not sure that today's teens appreciate them in the same vein that my generation of the Gen Xers do, which is a shame. Despite this, I enjoyed the book, and am looking forward to her next teen book!
_rachelreads_'s review against another edition
4.0
This was a solid first venture into the YA genre for Jen Lancaster. It was a bold and relevant choice to tackle the issue of teen suicide in the novel. But given the weighty subject matter, I still felt that Lancaster's characters were largely one-dimensional and not especially likable. They seemed rip right out of a John Hughes's movie, and I was hoping for more nuance. Each character seemed to fulfill a stereotypical role in a teen movie and while there was some character development towards the end, it felt a little too pat. Certainly it was a quick read and Lancaster suffuses the novel with some of her signature wit, but it was also full of typos. Worth a read for YA or Lancaster fans, but it's not the best of its kind.
ello_mehry's review against another edition
3.0
Read this one as an audiobook and found it an enjoyable listen. I'm just starting audiobooks, so I liked that each character had a different narrator. I grew up a couple hours outside the area where this book is set and I am very familiar with the sentiments described in the book, so I related a bit to the story. That and being surrounded by young adults with all these worries. Overall the book was...fine. Unsurprisingly, there were a lot of references to John Hughes and the book felt like it was written by someone who grew up with those movies. Which leads me to consider who this book was written for...gen Z will certainly not relate and it's a bit old for old Millenials and young Gen-X'ers.
doublearegee's review against another edition
4.0
Let me start by saying this was a powerful book. The message was well delivered and the emotions were rawly felt, but I felt like she never figured out the characters' voices. Narrative frequently felt wonky and only the character of Mallory felt like she was reasonably well written, but that might be because the author modeled her after herself.
ninavesc's review against another edition
5.0
Honestly, It's Heartbreaking and Heartwarming at the same time. It Shows things people like to ignore. Most people pay no mind to suicide but the book actually found a way to help them. Its a great Book.
ashley_po's review against another edition
4.0
This is pretty much a 5 in my book. I had a tough time remembering which character was the voice of which chapter, which is really my only reason for a downgrade. As a teacher, I have seen the impact student death has on a school, especially when it is self inflicted. This is a topic no one really talks about, and hopefully this helps.
luckycharmedlovesbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Another fresh reminder that you never know what someone else may be going through. Spread kindness. Remind others they matter. Have a little compassion.
Typically I am not a huge fan of the POV switching throughout a book, but this is so well written I didn't notice it. Definitely recommend reading this book. Then pass your copy along to someone else who needs to read it.
Typically I am not a huge fan of the POV switching throughout a book, but this is so well written I didn't notice it. Definitely recommend reading this book. Then pass your copy along to someone else who needs to read it.
sc104906's review against another edition
1.0
Stephen, Owen, Kent, Mallory, and Simone all live in an upper class suburb of Chicago. This town thrives on the concept of "keeping up with the Jones's," which has resulted in a history of suicide clusters. The summer before this school year, a new suicide cluster has begun. The characters are reeling from the loss of their classmates and working to ways to keep more from dying.
I had a hard time with believing the voices within this book. Many of the perspectives did not feel like teenagers, with outdated pop culture references and teenager boys saying things that were completely unrealistic. In fact, many of the male characters felt very similar to the queen bee female character. I felt that the motivations behind certain character's motivations needed to be better developed. For example, how can Mallory be a complete jerk, but also be a great peer counselor, it didn't seem to fit. I also felt that there was not a balanced portrayal of suicide, it was more dark comedy mixed with statistics. This book wasn't for me, but might work for Lancaster's typical adult readers.
I had a hard time with believing the voices within this book. Many of the perspectives did not feel like teenagers, with outdated pop culture references and teenager boys saying things that were completely unrealistic. In fact, many of the male characters felt very similar to the queen bee female character. I felt that the motivations behind certain character's motivations needed to be better developed. For example, how can Mallory be a complete jerk, but also be a great peer counselor, it didn't seem to fit. I also felt that there was not a balanced portrayal of suicide, it was more dark comedy mixed with statistics. This book wasn't for me, but might work for Lancaster's typical adult readers.
resslesa's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing -too large for most teens (435 pages!) and too many perspectives -none of whom I cared about. I love Jen Lancaster but felt this just missed the mark. Important subject (high pressure expectations for teens leading to increased suicide in wealthy communities ) but this is not the book to communicate that to teens at least for me. Alas. Full disclosure -read 100+ pages than skipped to the end but just didn't see it getting any better.
whimsicallymeghan's review against another edition
4.0
The town of North Shore is best known for its prestige of sending teens to ivy league colleges. Everyone there strives for greatness or has it thrusted upon them. All the parents in this town care more about how their kids look on paper, then what they’re actually interested in, and it’s starting to wear these kids down. It’s gotten to the point that there are multiple suicides a year. When another happens, the students of North Shore High School have had enough and they decide to band together to start helping one another, instead of competing against each other. This was a really tough read. There were chapters that were just so heavy, that breaks needed to be taken in order to get through it all. This reader almost didn’t know if they would make it through the whole book, but they had a feeling in the back of their mind that once it got as dark as it did, that there would be some light. This dealt with really intense, yet very important topics, in which the reader really appreciated. It was so good to see these characters not give up on each other, when that would have been the easy solution. The things that these characters went through felt really real, from the stress of trying to fit in, trying to get into your top school, trying to meet all these crazy demands by having an exorbitant amount of schoolwork and extracurricular activities, to falling in love for the first time, to falling out of love for the first time – it all felt genuine and relevant. Some of the characters felt a little more irritating to read, especially the parent figures in this, why were none of them supportive to their kids?!, but watching as they each grew from the circumstances and became better selves was rewarding to read. The plot itself was good in the sense that it spoke volumes in the way society puts pressure on teenagers to have their lives all figured out by the time they’re ready go to college, as if not going to college or waiting to go is the end of the world. This showed the ugly realities of what can come from too much pressure, but what can also come from trying to save each other, too. This was fast-paced in some parts, slower in others, but it worked well for the type of story. The writing was good, this author liked to use the same phrases over and over, which got old quick. As well, the reader didn’t think it was believable that all the characters said the same things. In the end though, this was a powerful book with a strong message, just be sure to check trigger warnings before diving in.