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gonsiorc's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
signediza's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bargainbinkazbrekker's review against another edition
3.25
I knew i wasn’t going to necessarily enjoy this book going into it but i still read it because i was interested to see how the author would tackle a book like Steinbeck’s Of mice and men. It’s one of those books that thousands have had to read and it holds a place as one of those infamous yet deeply problematic classics. Tackling a classic that’s over arching theme and plot is based in ableism and borderline eugenics is a challenge in if itself, by itself, and that’s where this book lost me. It was tackling so much in so few pages: Ableism, Gun violence, Gun control, School shootings, White Supremacy in spaces and communities of color, Familial strain, violences against disabled people, and advocacy. I was getting whiplash from trying to understand what the author was trying to say about each and every social issue but there was just not enough time and pages to get a fully fleshed out understanding of the authors full message.
The novel did manage to handle its disabled character with so much more respect and autonomy than the original text and Georgia is an excellent main character to follow, even if i was iffy about following an able bodied protagonist who basically speaks for our disabled character, Leo. But it’s handled respectfully and you can feel how much Georgia loves and cares for Leo, and how she takes time to understand him and his commutation style, etc.
I think this would’ve have been a fantastic novel for me had the author either limited the amount of social issues they attempted to address or hand more pages to expand on each of them to give them the nuance and time they deserve.
I’m sitting at a solid 3 to 3.25 out of 5 stars. It’s good, but I have a couple qualms.
librerika's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
sad
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? No
4.0
Solid update of of mice and men but man what a brutal ending... I mean I knew it was coming but I was hoping the author would pull a these violent delights style twist or something
jess_segraves's review
challenging
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
oldandnewbooksmell's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Trigger Warnings: Racism, classism, disabled slurs and bullying
Georgia is a Korean-American high school junior who just moved to a new town in the suburbs so that her brother, Leo, who has significant developmental disabilities, can get better assistance. At her new school, she makes friends with members of the hagwon that runs in the back of the Korean barber shop. Her parents have a rough relationship due to the strain of raising Leo and Georgie does everything she can to help be a caretaker of her brother.
I slightly remember reading Of Mice and Men in high school - not every detail, but I remember the ending, so I was very curious to see how this book would go.
This book definitely deals with a lot that I honestly wasn’t expecting. Georgia takes on a lot of responsibilities in the caretaking for Leo and I was always forgetting he was the older brother - even though she talks about how he’s a big, strong young man. I’m glad her parents were aware of the situation though and had brought it up to her a few times in the novel because it does take a toll on her for sure.
I enjoyed this book more than I expected to. I was rooting for Georgia and Leo and even though in the back of my mind, I kind of knew what would happen, I was still shocked at how the ending played out. It did come a little quickly for me, but I still liked the open-ending of it too.
This won’t be a book for everyone, but I still think it’s an important book that covers a lot of topics you don’t read about often.
*Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for a digital advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Racism and Ableism
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