I expected the ending, but only because this book was already so realistic. That list, though.

I have ugly cried so much while reading this book... And then that ending and that list. I cried myself dry. Why is this not required reading for every student in fucking America?!

It's been a minute since a book make me feel quite so many emotional extremes AND made me ugly cry several times. And if nothing else, this book should be read for those reasons. But most importantly, it's a powerful book and so well written.

This was a very insightful look into our school systems, the politics surrounding out school systems, and the crazy thing going on where we "reform" our public schools in ways that both have not been proven to work and actively do harm to our students! I'm looking forward to picking out a book or two for future reading from some of the works cited in the sources of this book.

It's hard to write a character that is so flawed and regularly makes the wrong decisions that make situations harder and still make them understandable and relatable. Not because those things aren't understandable and relatable, but because people often don't want to see themselves that way. I imagine it's even harder when tackling difficult topics like Angie Thomas does in her books.

Bri is a teenage girl. She's not perfect; she's got a smart mouth, a quick mind, and some attitude - none of that would really be remarkable. But she's in a "white" school and she isn't white. Everything she does seems to be scrutinized and that wears on your very being over time.

I ugly cried through parts of this book just like I did through "The Hate U Give" and I loved every moment of it. This author is officially on my "auto-buy" list for future books.

Wonderful and enjoyable as always.

My full review is here on my personal website. I'll post a few excerpts here, though:

5.0 out of 5.0 stars

The very worst thing about this book is when the giant eagle rescues Frodo and Sam. Why the hell didn’t Gwaihir just help them destroy the ring in the first place?

The very best thing about this book is when Frodo fails at the last step and Gollum saves the day, so to speak.

My full review is here on my personal website. I'll post a few excerpts here, though:

5.0 out of 5.0 stars

The very worst thing about this book is Gollum. I know his history and whatnot, but he gives me the heebie-jeebies!

The very best thing about this book is the journey and all the characters and species we meet. Tolkien’s world is soo incredibly detailed and wonderful!

This book was wonderful. The way it is written makes me truly wonder how our world today here in real life would be if there had never in history existed a stigma around who an individual loves.

Everything about this book was delightful from the backstory to the magic to the dragons to the characters. I'm looking forward to rereading it in the future and I'm adding the author's other books to my to read list.

Oh my Nokley that was so good!!!!!

I'm starting the second book right now and I'm in love!

This was delightful. The style of writing, Byx, Tobble, everyone!!! The world was fantastic and I loved all the different species! And it was so hard to put down!