Tash Hearts Tolstoy

I really, really enjoyed this book. I devoured it in a blink. The characters were well-fleshed out (though there were one too many conflicts for my liking), the writing was really digestible and at times, profound, and I just had a fun time.
Sure, it was predictable and pretty standard YA but I need just that sometimes. Also, Tash is asexual!!! Even though she is not where I am on the spectrum, I still loved the representation. Even apart from that, this gets brownie points for ALL the representation. It is quite a diverse story in all spheres.
None of the characters were too likable, which is fine, because I don't like saints anyway. This also deals with some heavy topics so check out the content warnings in case you are bothered by that. I really enjoyed the Unhappy Families parts of this book, which was A LOT. All in all, a pretty solid read!

I really, really enjoyed this book. I devoured it in a blink. The characters were well-fleshed out (though there were one too many conflicts for my liking), the writing was really digestible and at times, profound, and I just had a fun time.
Sure, it was predictable and pretty standard YA but I need just that sometimes. Also, Tash is asexual!!! Even though she is not where I am on the spectrum, I still loved the representation. Even apart from that, this gets brownie points for ALL the representation. It is quite a diverse story in all spheres.
None of the characters were too likable, which is fine, because I don't like saints anyway. This also deals with some heavy topics so check out the content warnings in case you are bothered by that. I really enjoyed the Unhappy Families parts of this book, which was A LOT. All in all, a pretty solid read!

3.5, actually.
See, it's not a bad book. It really isn't—I swear. It's just not for me, I guess. Although I liked the story, empathized with the characters, and really, truly loved the ending, the pacing was completely off, IMO. It felt like nothing happened for the most part of the story, and I didn't feel like picking it up a lot of the time.

I like that this book exists, though. It's so important to have diverse voices and stories about diverse characters. I had never read anything with asexual characters before, and I understand how great it is that this book is out. For this reason, I was tempted to award it an extra star, but I wouldn't be fair to myself if I did that.

This is a lighthearted, truthful, beautiful, and loving YA story. If that sounds like it's something right up your alley, be my guest to Tash Hearts Tolstoy. I don't think you'll regret reading it.