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wkmcconnell's review against another edition
1.0
I picked this up on a whim from the library, and the author is a really good writer. I was engaged with the characters, and the story was interesting. But the sexual issues were not dealt with in a healthy way at all, and I fear for any young impressionable person who happens to read this book and somehow think that the attitudes and behaviors portrayed are okay or normal.
morethanthepages's review against another edition
1.0
Recommendation: If you're absolutely set on reading this book borrow it from the library because it's not worth spending money on.
Review: The story itself is really a combination of several different plot lines that don't really match. It's randomly chopped together. Truthfully could have been a good story if two of the plots had been separated into different books. Multiple plots aside, the author ignores the fact that a girl raping a guy (yes rape) is justifiable. Then the characters are able to magically move past it. It doesn't acknowledge that fact that it's actually horrific what happened and that suddenly the boy is okay with it and "move on". I say B.S. to that. There was potential for this book but it dropped off into a cavity of a unpromising story.
Review: The story itself is really a combination of several different plot lines that don't really match. It's randomly chopped together. Truthfully could have been a good story if two of the plots had been separated into different books. Multiple plots aside, the author ignores the fact that a girl raping a guy (yes rape) is justifiable. Then the characters are able to magically move past it. It doesn't acknowledge that fact that it's actually horrific what happened and that suddenly the boy is okay with it and "move on". I say B.S. to that. There was potential for this book but it dropped off into a cavity of a unpromising story.
sducharme's review against another edition
2.0
This was not for me. I'm ok with reading about teens making stupid choices but this girl is just off the chart self-centered, clueless, and impulsive. She's so frustrating to watch because she's all over the place - I could never believe her motives or understand her choices. The boy, Oliver, made more sense but the bizarre sleeping disorder was more interesting than his awake personality.
amyckan's review against another edition
5.0
I'm giving this book a 5 star review because I stopped reading for 1.5 months. This book brought me back from it and I loved it so much. The way it wasn't too predictable, but still let me have moments of guessing correctly. And the way it portrays having a best friend who you're in love with, and not ending too sad or too happy.
corieob's review against another edition
4.0
I was provided a copy of Althea and Oliver by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was so excited to read this book, and my good friend Jaime and I decided to read together I was EVEN MORE EXCITED. This is completely a book to share with a friend.
I have such a soft spot for stories where the characters have grown up together, but this book was so much more complex then that. The characters are so well written and you can feel the connection between them.
Oliver's illness is almost another character in this story and the reason for the shift in friendship, for the first time in over 10 years Althea has to learn to be on her own. While learning to deal with being an individual vs a pair Althea also is exploring her deepening feelings for her best friend.
I don't want to give to much away but I love how the supporting characters are also well thought out and add so much to the relationship.
I did have some issues with the romantic relationship between them, I understood where the author wanted to get them it just felt the outcome didn't actually fit with the actions and even feelings of the character. I don't want to spoil but I feel like the ending left a little to be desired. Or maybe this book just brought out so many great emotions my judgement is clouded haha! This was a smart and emotional tale about true friendship and life. I really did enjoy this story.
I was so excited to read this book, and my good friend Jaime and I decided to read together I was EVEN MORE EXCITED. This is completely a book to share with a friend.
I have such a soft spot for stories where the characters have grown up together, but this book was so much more complex then that. The characters are so well written and you can feel the connection between them.
Oliver's illness is almost another character in this story and the reason for the shift in friendship, for the first time in over 10 years Althea has to learn to be on her own. While learning to deal with being an individual vs a pair Althea also is exploring her deepening feelings for her best friend.
I don't want to give to much away but I love how the supporting characters are also well thought out and add so much to the relationship.
I did have some issues with the romantic relationship between them, I understood where the author wanted to get them it just felt the outcome didn't actually fit with the actions and even feelings of the character. I don't want to spoil but I feel like the ending left a little to be desired. Or maybe this book just brought out so many great emotions my judgement is clouded haha! This was a smart and emotional tale about true friendship and life. I really did enjoy this story.
luisasm's review against another edition
3.0
This was a well written book, with complex characters and an interesting and realistic plot line, with a variety of important themes discussed. But it's highly unpleasant to read. It's so desolate. It's drastically pessimistic, the characters are sometimes easy to hate, the relationships toxic, the realities uncomfortable. There are happy moments, but they're cloaked in alcoholism and drug addiction. I guess it's truthful, but it does sometimes romanticize those things. I also had complaints about the possible rape that happens, which is practically dismissed by everyone, but I guess that's realistic too, unfortunately. You wish desperately things will work out, but in the end they don't. Almost nothing is resolved. It's all so realistic, and while I appreciate the truth in fiction, I personally read books to escape a little. The biggest problem I had was that we got almost no evidence that Althea and Oliver were friends at all. In fact, almost everything we see of them seems unhealthy and unsettling. It's barely surprising that things don't work out. It's well written, don't get me wrong. But it's no fun to read.
rachelwrites007's review against another edition
4.0
There are so many good things to this book. So much I loved. I felt that the last third left something to be desired, but overall I will read whatever/anything Cristina Moracho writes. This is almost a "modern day" Francesca Lia Block (minus the magical realism). Brav-freaking-oh. (also my crack-shipper brain is running rampant. Coby/Althea! Nicky/Mack! I want to write ALL THE FANFIC. Oops?)
freyamoongana's review against another edition
2.0
Glossed over rape scene + victim blaming + sexism + repeated violence = not what I was expecting or hoping for. However, this is a great book for anyone who thinks men can't be sexual assault victims and it's ok for women to beat the crap out of men.