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claire_not_rebecca's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Do I dare say I actually liked this way more than the first one? To me, I felt like this novel had so much heart and so much love just pouring out of it, I kind of wanted to cry the entire time. This is so genuinely loving, and all of these people are just trying their best to be family before they can't anymore, and I loved it. I also spent the last 15-20% genuinely shocked at the ending which is not something that normally happens to me! It was missing a certain specific sparkle to be rated 5 stars, but it definitely got close.
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Homophobia, Blood, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage
purplee_rain89's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
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
5.0
Just like the first book, this story was so heartbreaking, yer incredibly beautiful. I really loved the way it was written; I felt like I was in the situations the characters were in myself and was really able to feel with them. Orion and Valentino's love story might be tragic but in contrast to the first book, it was so beautiful to see one of them live on with the help of the other. I also love how Adam Silvera portrayed the concept of "change the things you can and accept the things you can't change" perfectly, e.g. with Scarlett not being able to see Valentino for one last time and his parents never truly accepting him and loving him as they should. But he still got all the closure he could from their last phone call and the fact that both Scarlett and Valentino found a family with Team Young had something really hopeful about it and I'd like to think that they ho on to heal from his death together.
Another great thing was all the connections you had to the first book! Like Valentino and Orion meeting the younger versions of Rufus and Mateo and even Rufus family, especially his mom who obviously played a big role. Plus, Dalma being the creator of the Last Friends app was beautiful as well.
Just like with the the first book, I found this story to be really inspiring and somewhat motivating to think of life differently and not take it for as granted as we're used to. It really is a whole different perspective to see life through the eyes of someone who knows their death is basically around the corner and it gets you to think about your own views and how maybe you shouldn't wait to do the things you want to do. You need to actually LIVE and to be alive for as long as you can. I could go on and on about how beautiful I think these books are but I'd never finish, so just a huge thank you to Adam Silvera for writing these amazing stories (and also for all the queer and Latino representation in it) <3
Graphic: Child abuse, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Outing
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, and Abandonment