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davidbythebay's review against another edition
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
I am truly in awe of SDH and all of his books I've so far read, including this one. Taking a shrinking universe concept, he has created a masterful work that I say is best to go into blindly. SDH is a genius whose praises I cannot sing more loudly. The elements of mental health are all over this book, as with his other works, and he handles them beautifully. The fact that Ozzie, our main character and narrator, is LGBTQ+ is never once the focus. I really appreciate how SDH tells a story with gay characters and not a story about gay characters. This one in particular could have worked with any main character - any race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. - and it would still be the same impactful story. Here we have Ozzie (gay) with a missing boyfriend, and a few other characters including his best friend Lua who uses he/she pronouns depending on their mood and dress. And it never is treated as an odditiy or dressed in a neon sign with sequins calling attention to the diversity and representation of the characters. Lua is just Lua in all his glory and I live for it.
I absolutely LOVE SDH's humor! I love it when a book makes me laugh or giggle and I did both with so many humorous lines and thoughts.
My one gripe with this novel is the ending was a bit quick. We get some explanation for the state of affairs - shall we say - but some things aren't fully explained. In the last chapter - and I'm being vague to avoid spoilers, but those who have read this will hopefully get what I'm saying - there is at least one character that has a large roll in the bulk of the novel and is dealt with rather quickly. I think I understand what happened there, but I just wanted a touch more explanaition of this circumstances we end on. I may add a spoiler to clarify this, or I may not. I'm omitting that for now.
SDH is absolutely a favorite author of mine - one I just discovered this year, 2022, and have devoured many of his works so far - and I look forward to reading his books more and more. I want to say this is like a 4.75 star, because of my gripe, however I have to speak my heart and say it's a lovely 5 star book I look forward to digesting and probably rereading in the future several times. Brilliance doesn't begin to even describe how I feel about this.
I absolutely LOVE SDH's humor! I love it when a book makes me laugh or giggle and I did both with so many humorous lines and thoughts.
My one gripe with this novel is the ending was a bit quick. We get some explanation for the state of affairs - shall we say - but some things aren't fully explained. In the last chapter - and I'm being vague to avoid spoilers, but those who have read this will hopefully get what I'm saying - there is at least one character that has a large roll in the bulk of the novel and is dealt with rather quickly. I think I understand what happened there, but I just wanted a touch more explanaition of this circumstances we end on. I may add a spoiler to clarify this, or I may not. I'm omitting that for now.
SDH is absolutely a favorite author of mine - one I just discovered this year, 2022, and have devoured many of his works so far - and I look forward to reading his books more and more. I want to say this is like a 4.75 star, because of my gripe, however I have to speak my heart and say it's a lovely 5 star book I look forward to digesting and probably rereading in the future several times. Brilliance doesn't begin to even describe how I feel about this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual assault, Self harm, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, and Rape
Moderate: Homophobia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, and Medical trauma
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Gore
mnm718's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Adult/minor relationship, Transphobia, and Medical trauma
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