Parris

This book completely fascinated yet utterly destroyed me. I've never read something written quite like it, the narration style and frequent upfront foreshadowing and jumping around through time really worked for me. I struggled reading the last 50 pages or so through many tears, but the book was not only sad. There were so many scenes of love, curiosity, laughter, bewilderment. A lot of heart was put into this book and I'll never forget it.

Yo this book FUCKED ME UP. I was captivated from start to finish, and this complete feeling of unease and fear kept creeping in with every page. The less I say about the book the better; everyone needs to read this asap! Iain Reid's writing had me confused, second guessing myself, wondering what, who, when, where, WHY over and over, but get this, not in a frustrating way. More like in a brain signals firing, “...wait, but didn't, but she just said, huh... WHAT!!!” kind of way. It felt so good. The writing was just so good.

Now that that's out of the way, I present three quotes from the book that ultimately have nothing really to do with the story, but were just completely HILARIOUS to me due to being so damn tonally opposite to book's heavy suspense vibes, that I just had to save them:

“Most people want to get married. Is there anything else that people do in such huge numbers, with such a terrible success rate?”

“Maybe it's just me, but it feels like this whole meal has been a little weird.”

“The only place open this late is Dairy Queen. But they'll definitely have some nondairy stuff.”

As exhilarating as a taxi ride through New York City! (As a Canadian I don't actually know if this is true.) I got invested in both Arthur and Ben's stories pretty quickly, but was more pleasantly surprised by the strong side characters! Almost every character got “screen time” and provided interesting dynamics to the two boys.

I think first love or your first serious relationship can rarely be perfect. You navigate your way through your partner's and your own baggage as you discover each other, and life's always there to throw you some curveballs. As much as I was rooting for the two's happy ending, I also wanted Arthur and Ben to learn more about themselves through the process. (Welp, time to read the second book once I get my hands on it!)

I liked this quite a bit. I won't lie and say that I got everything there was to get; the writing is a bit abstract at times, almost like an inside joke you're not supposed to understand. But i think there's a lot to learn from the author's experience. The portal is what we need it to be, it can help us cope just as much as it can make us lose ourselves.

I want to treasure the connections I have to people in the real world over the scrolling glimpses of faces that I'm not even sure I wanted to see in the first place.

Hmm. The first half of the book got me invested, though slowly and, at times, losing my interest. The second half sped along, as the big reveal and wrap up played out. But, man... this book has tone issues. The stakes are never high. Things that should be HUGE issues are quickly passed over by characters, while other things that don't really matter get fixated on. There's a bit too much tell and not enough show. Characters spill their guts and state 100% their motives with minimal prodding, and it just didn't feel satisfying when big truth bombs were dropped.

Lastly, I feel like this book did not do enough to condemn heinous, criminal behavior. It dabbles a toe into “racism is bad” but more than once did serious issues get shuffled under the rug because “I don't want to hurt my friends' feelings.” If more responsible action was taken by the protagonist, more character development and thus a more emotionally rewarding story would have been possible.

It was okay. While it had some sugary sweet moments, things always seemed to work out a little too well; problems solved almost minutes after popping up. While Milo's character was more complex and showed growth throughout the story, I felt Jasper's character was fumbled. Although he had his “revelation” when seeing Milo's sketchbook, I couldn't quite buy it.

Japser's lesson to learn—not doing everything for your partner and respecting them enough to make their own decisions, even if they are not what you consider to be best—is such an important lesson to have a happy, healthy relationship. But I felt that lesson and Jasper's growth wasn't fully explored, and he would sometimes say or think very judgmental things, even in the final chapters, that proved he hadn't learned at all.

Lastly, I need to stress this: Feeling scared to come out, not wanting the whole world to know your sexuality, feeling uncomfortable showing public displays of affection... these feelings are all completely valid. You should not come out because you want to make your partner happy; you need to do it for yourself. Of course, the topic of being out while in a relationship is something you need to discuss with your partner early on when the relationship starts. Being on the same page is important. But I really hope younger readers don't unanimously take Jasper's being proud of Milo “pushing beyond his comfort zone” as a sign that all LGBTQ+ relationships need to progress like this.

While clearly not in the majority of readers, the first 70% of this book invoked very little emotion in me. Achilles and Patroclus' relationship was strange, and I never really understood what it was about them that made them loved by the other, so fiercely. My heart hurt more for the women in this book, most of all Thetis and Briseis. While I understand that the work is a tragedy, I wasn't moved at the conclusion. Gah, i feel so heartless and wondering why this is the only M/M book i've read this year that did not make me feel all the wonderful emotions. I'm going with three stars, and will admit that maybe this book was just not for me. I still recommend it to anyone who is interested in the premise.

More like a 3.75. This book did so many things right, and thought it was difficult to get through (some passages are dense, word soup) I think it was worth it in the end. The book is a slow burn. Though necessary to set up the plot and flesh out the characters and their motivations, the first 50% of the book absolutely drags, I really had to push through. Also, this whole book really is a huge metaphor for a bunch of things, ain't it? Looking forward to looking up some discussions on this book after finishing this review!

What a great sequel! Definitely a lot more serious, tonally, than the first book, but so much growth from all the characters and little bursts of fun between the heavier scenes. I love the the main four so, so much. I think this book covers a lot of different topics, and while I didn't feel every topic was covered as deeply as others, this book will resonate with many different people. I am extremely thankful for the representation, done carefully and tastefully, throughout the book, and really wish it was a standard for all books. Can't wait for the third and final book, ESPECIALLY with a last page like that. Total goosebumps.

This book. This freaking book. This is the most I have ever laughed out loud while reading a book. No one does hilarious, sarcastic, utterly absurd dialogue like T.J. Klune. This is my third time giving a book of his five stars, and I think I'll be doing it again in the future. I just fell in love with all the characters, the story managed to be funny, warm, and loving while also touching on some important topics. It's books like these that make me understand the importance of representation in literature. Now excuse me while I flip open the next book.

A third of the way into the book the eye rolling began. Two thirds in and it was happening nearly every page. This book is a quick read, a page turner, but it's really sloppy and I'm frustrated that the really interesting premise was just so poorly executed. Every character is extremely static. Bad people are extremely villainous. Good people are extremely just and logical. There is no in between. Female characters are portrayed extra badly, described always negatively as being either too fat, too gossipy, too bitchy, etc. No one acts like a real person would, and the dialogue or way that characters confessed information was so unrealistic; it was laughable. The following line actually made me want to set down the book forever: “”I feel that you need to be taken care of. I find myself wanting to take care of you.” ...are you for real? Who talks like this! And the big twist could not only be seen a mile away, but was not nearly enough to save the frustrating time spent getting there. Not a fan, will think carefully before reading another book by the same author.

It was... ok? There were some neat things that happened, and I so believe I somewhat grasp what happened, both physically and mentally, but... it was a little bit of a miss for me. It's a neat little book, but not really my cup of tea.

A little at a loss for words. A beautiful book, an important book. I was on a journey with each of these characters, and felt each time they struggled with their own brutal histories and challenges afterwards. As many others have said in their reviews, this book should be mandatory reading for all Canadians. Michelle Good, thank you.

Yeah, that's a pass from me. While wanting to know the big reveal kept me flipping through the pages quickly, 80% of this book can be summed up as “driving in the snow is dangerous.” Characters frequently choose the worse of two options for very logically-flimsy reasons. Ending was also messy and not satisfying.

4 stars, dedicated solely to the growth of Ari, and his relationship with his parents. Watching Ari slowly come out of his shell and open up to his parents, while they learned how to open up to him, was so touching and moved me deeply. As for Ari and Dante... The mountain of five star reviews for this book made for high expectations, and it just didn't do it for me. If you can allow me to be just ever so petty, i'm really salty that the book ended right where it did; that didn't feel quite fair at all.

Sigh. This book was pure delight from start to finish. Once again, TJ Klune just demonstrates his mastery of creating a warm and loving space within his books. I laughed and cried, and had this stupid smile on my face the whole way through. Five stars!!

Straight, white people problems - The book. The twists were good, but not good enough to be worth the (most times) not very interesting build up. All the characters are dislikable, and yes, that was clearly the intention, but it equates to long runs of pages where you're thinking “I don't care about any of these people...” The climax came and went a little too quickly, and of lot of conversations you'd want to hear after the dust settles just didn't happen. All in all not bad, but not satisfying either.

This book now holds a very, very special place in my heart. I can't even begin to describe the feelings I went through while reading... this book makes me want to be a better person and I am now more able to understand when people say “treasure the moment.” Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to read every single other book TJ Klune has written.

Let's call this more of a 3.5 instead. I was super into the book for the first half, my mind running wild with all the possibilities for what happened. After all, “one of us is lying” right? But once all was revealed, I was a little... whelmed. Plot aside, I really got invested in each character; they all felt like relatable, real teenagers. I'd say go for it if you're interested in the synopsis.

I hate that I feel like I need to justify my 5 star rating. Look, the book just completely sucked me in. I was on board with every clue, I loved getting whisked around to different locations, I felt my heart tug every time Avery was alone with Jameson and Grayson... what a wild ride! Absolutely cannot wait for book three.

EDIT: This won a pulitzer? Is this a joke?

Yeah, that's gonna be a no from me. My eyes would frequently glazed over the wordy descriptions of the different environments, references to words and people I didn't know. Less as a character is so plain, i didn't care for most of his romantic interactions, if you could even call them that. And that ending... was I supposed to feel something? 2 stars but could honestly be 1.5 too. Next.

The book is honestly a little bit of a mess. I enjoyed most of it, though again, it had some problems just as the second book did. Was looking for a smidge more of an ending considering it's the finale of a trilogy. Either way, it was a pleasant, acceptable ride.

To be honest, this book is a bit of a mess. I feel like there is a huge disconnect between the characters during Carry On and the duration of this book. Like each of them took two steps back and forgot the lessons they learned in the previous book. The pacing of the plot was so weird... super slow in parts that didn't matter, and then completely breezing through scenes that were the most important. The back and forth “he would be happier off without me” between Snow and Baz was just... irritating. But despite the book not being that great, I love the characters and that's what will keep me coming back and reading the third book. You might be disappointed (I was) but it's still a chance to spend more time with the characters you love.

If someone asked me what it means to “paint a picture with words” I would show them this book. Utterly beautiful. I was sucked in from beginning to end, and even though sometimes I didn't “get” the metaphor, it still never failed to pull at my emotions. What a great fucking book.

I can't tell if I did or didn't enjoy my time with this book. The author's writing is definitely brilliant, but I just couldn't keep up with the melancholy and sadness that seeped through each page. Some depictions of the loneliness that we all feel at some point in life, or that feeling of futility when life deals you a bad hand of cards, really resonated at times. But then I caught myself glossing over pages at a time realizing that I couldn't relate to these characters and didn't share the same views. Which is ok, and I'm glad I got to try to understand something foreign. The book is by no means bad, but maybe it's just not for me.