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typedtruths's Reviews (1.8k)
“A moth was a caterpillar, once, but it no longer is a caterpillar. It cannot break itself back down, cannot metamorphose in reverse. To try to eat leaves again would mean starvation. Crawling back into the husk would provide no shelter. It is a paradox -- the impossibility of reclaiming that which lies behind, housed within a form comprised entirely of the repurposed pieces of that same past. We exist where we begin, yet to remain there is death... I could not have predicted each version of me that I shifted into, but through my history, one constant has always remained true: change itself... I did not know who she was, the one waiting for me to start moving toward her. I was curious about her, all the same. I was eager to meet her.”
absolutely haunting
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➸ Trigger warnings for
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I have been putting Everything, Everything off for years now. I was certain that the protagonist’s medical condition would be too triggering for me, personally. The more time that passed, though, and the more the hype stayed stubbornly high, I knew that I had to bite the bullet and give it a shot. Turns out that I had no reason to be cautious: this book is not about SCID at all.
Sigh.
I am frustrated and saddened by the ableism of this story and how many of its fans refuse to admit its flaws. While I understand that a lot of readers identified with the biracial main character - yay for that! - or adored Yoon’s writing style, it does not minimise the hurtful message this book conveys. It is an insult to anyone with SCID or severe anaphylactic allergies.
Ignoring the ableism, there was nothing about this story that worked for me.
• Maddy was a bland protagonist and Olly a bland love interest.
• Their relationship took place over an extended period of time - which should have been positive - but they completely lacked chemistry.
• Yoon’s writing style was not as lush and vivid as promised.
• The plot holes bothered me immensely. I cannot deal with them.
• Her mother's mental illness deserved to be addressed properly, calling her 'broken' and leaving it to her is not a solution.
Please also consider checking out Cait @ A Page in View’s #ownvoices review of the SCID representation.
🍂 Trigger warnings for domestic violence, child abuse, mental illness and needles/hospitals.
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Sigh.
I am frustrated and saddened by the ableism of this story and how many of its fans refuse to admit its flaws. While I understand that a lot of readers identified with the biracial main character - yay for that! - or adored Yoon’s writing style, it does not minimise the hurtful message this book conveys. It is an insult to anyone with SCID or severe anaphylactic allergies.
Ignoring the ableism, there was nothing about this story that worked for me.
• Maddy was a bland protagonist and Olly a bland love interest.
• Their relationship took place over an extended period of time - which should have been positive - but they completely lacked chemistry.
• Yoon’s writing style was not as lush and vivid as promised.
• The plot holes bothered me immensely. I cannot deal with them.
• Her mother's mental illness deserved to be addressed properly, calling her 'broken' and leaving it to her is not a solution.
Please also consider checking out Cait @ A Page in View’s #ownvoices review of the SCID representation.
🍂 Trigger warnings for domestic violence, child abuse, mental illness and needles/hospitals.
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Timekeeper was one of those books that is just so much fun and so easy to fall in love with that you don’t want to have to actually think about dissecting it for a review. I know that if I were to put on my more critical eyes and reread this story I would be able to pluck out a few things to complain about but, at this moment, I’m sitting here and beaming because I fell in love with these characters and this world too much to complain.
The characters were just so perfect. Danny, our protagonist, was written so incredibly well. His anxiety and PTSD - following an accident which nearly caused his death - was portrayed perfectly. He was raw and rough at the edges but it made him such a real character in my eyes. I loved that he had a hidden strength inside him that we got to see develop across the story and that his struggles (especially because he was also grieving the loss of his father) were also given proper attention. He really came to believe in himself by the end of the story and well-written character growth/development is my favourite thing of all time (so that made me super happy)! Danny’s short fuse did irritate me a little at times though. He made some impulsive decisions on a few occasion that made me shake my head but I was simultaneously pleased that he flawed enough to give him depth as a character.
Colton was such a little cinnamon roll. If you love August from [b:This Savage Song|23299512|This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1)|Victoria Schwab|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445529989s/23299512.jpg|42855493], you’ll love Colton all the same! They both have this magical quality to them - after all, Colton is a clock spirit - but he still managed to have this wholesome human side to him as well. I loved that Colton was a little naive and uncertain at times. It was realistic that he didn’t have a big, vibrant or dominating personality seeing that he had lived by himself for a very long time and had never even left his tower before/experienced life beyond its borders. I love his thirst for knowledge and stories and that that he also had this slightly alarming, primal side to him as well (like we saw when he got jealous). It reminded us that we could never quite forget that he wasn’t quite human.
Both the platonic and romantic relationships in this book were handled so well. Danny’s relationship with Cassie was on point. I always love seeing a believable f/m best friendship with no hints of romance. Cassie was so supportive of Danny and, as a whole, she was quite a lovely addition to the story’s cast. I hope she gets even more of a spotlight in the sequel. The romance was also just…
Colton and Danny were literally the most adorable little things! The development of the relationship was perfectly paced but I also loved seeing their struggles, as cruel as that sounds. Colton’s nature as a clock spirit came with a lot of difficulties and they both had to compromise to make their relationship work. It was nice to see them both work through their problems and I cannot wait to see how it is going to fair in the sequel.
The storyline was just fascinating. It's based on the premise that time itself is tied to physical clock towers. Time can be fractured, twisted, manipulated and even Stopped if you tamper with your local clock tower, meaning that if you were to steal a numeral from a clock face that hour would actually go ‘missing’ in time too - as in, time would skip from one o’clock to three o’clock if you stole the two. I don’t know about you but I have never read a concept like this before. I found it absolutely fascinating! I loved that it intertwined with this new mythological lore and that, as a result, time always played a monumental role in shaping English culture. Exploring this world was so illuminating and enthralling. I was hungry for answers so the fact that our protagonist, Danny, was a clock mechanic (which allowed us to explore the clocks further) worked perfectly. There was never a moment where I was bored or lost. I was completely glued to my seat, flipping through this story with ease. It was a definite page-turner.
The one thing that I think could have been improved upon is the time setting. The Victorian era is a rich period of history and somehow this story didn’t quite capture its atmosphere like I would have hoped. What the author said in the author's note was perfect and solved so many queries I had but at the same time, I think this story may have worked better if it had been set in a fantasy world that drew inspiration from the Victorian era instead. Some of the liberties the author had to take were just a little too far-fetched and combined with the fact that this story had magical creatures of a sort - clock spirits - it just would have made more sense for the story to have a unique world as its setting.
Overall?
This was such a fun and delightful read. It was gritty and raw at the same time as being entertaining and feel-inducing. I loved all of the characters and the plotline. I struggled with some aspects of the world-building but as a whole, I’m thoroughly impressed with Sim’s storytelling. For a debut author, she has so much potential and I hope to see more works of her out soon - both within this world and outside.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
The characters were just so perfect. Danny, our protagonist, was written so incredibly well. His anxiety and PTSD - following an accident which nearly caused his death - was portrayed perfectly. He was raw and rough at the edges but it made him such a real character in my eyes. I loved that he had a hidden strength inside him that we got to see develop across the story and that his struggles (especially because he was also grieving the loss of his father) were also given proper attention. He really came to believe in himself by the end of the story and well-written character growth/development is my favourite thing of all time (so that made me super happy)! Danny’s short fuse did irritate me a little at times though. He made some impulsive decisions on a few occasion that made me shake my head but I was simultaneously pleased that he flawed enough to give him depth as a character.
Colton was such a little cinnamon roll. If you love August from [b:This Savage Song|23299512|This Savage Song (Monsters of Verity, #1)|Victoria Schwab|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445529989s/23299512.jpg|42855493], you’ll love Colton all the same! They both have this magical quality to them - after all, Colton is a clock spirit - but he still managed to have this wholesome human side to him as well. I loved that Colton was a little naive and uncertain at times. It was realistic that he didn’t have a big, vibrant or dominating personality seeing that he had lived by himself for a very long time and had never even left his tower before/experienced life beyond its borders. I love his thirst for knowledge and stories and that that he also had this slightly alarming, primal side to him as well (like we saw when he got jealous). It reminded us that we could never quite forget that he wasn’t quite human.
Both the platonic and romantic relationships in this book were handled so well. Danny’s relationship with Cassie was on point. I always love seeing a believable f/m best friendship with no hints of romance. Cassie was so supportive of Danny and, as a whole, she was quite a lovely addition to the story’s cast. I hope she gets even more of a spotlight in the sequel. The romance was also just…
Colton and Danny were literally the most adorable little things! The development of the relationship was perfectly paced but I also loved seeing their struggles, as cruel as that sounds. Colton’s nature as a clock spirit came with a lot of difficulties and they both had to compromise to make their relationship work. It was nice to see them both work through their problems and I cannot wait to see how it is going to fair in the sequel.
The storyline was just fascinating. It's based on the premise that time itself is tied to physical clock towers. Time can be fractured, twisted, manipulated and even Stopped if you tamper with your local clock tower, meaning that if you were to steal a numeral from a clock face that hour would actually go ‘missing’ in time too - as in, time would skip from one o’clock to three o’clock if you stole the two. I don’t know about you but I have never read a concept like this before. I found it absolutely fascinating! I loved that it intertwined with this new mythological lore and that, as a result, time always played a monumental role in shaping English culture. Exploring this world was so illuminating and enthralling. I was hungry for answers so the fact that our protagonist, Danny, was a clock mechanic (which allowed us to explore the clocks further) worked perfectly. There was never a moment where I was bored or lost. I was completely glued to my seat, flipping through this story with ease. It was a definite page-turner.
The one thing that I think could have been improved upon is the time setting. The Victorian era is a rich period of history and somehow this story didn’t quite capture its atmosphere like I would have hoped. What the author said in the author's note was perfect and solved so many queries I had but at the same time, I think this story may have worked better if it had been set in a fantasy world that drew inspiration from the Victorian era instead. Some of the liberties the author had to take were just a little too far-fetched and combined with the fact that this story had magical creatures of a sort - clock spirits - it just would have made more sense for the story to have a unique world as its setting.
Overall?
This was such a fun and delightful read. It was gritty and raw at the same time as being entertaining and feel-inducing. I loved all of the characters and the plotline. I struggled with some aspects of the world-building but as a whole, I’m thoroughly impressed with Sim’s storytelling. For a debut author, she has so much potential and I hope to see more works of her out soon - both within this world and outside.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
I have heard literally nothing but the highest of all praises for Stacey Lee’s novels. Everyone seems to simply adore her stories and writing so I knew that I would have to give something of hers a chance sooner rather than later. I didn’t think that there could be a better place to start than with The Secrets of a Heart Note whose premise I had already been salivating over for a while. Unfortunately, while I can honestly see why so many people adore her, this particular book just did not impress me as much as I would have liked.
Mim was a fantastic protagonist. Under pressure from her domineering mother, she is a somewhat awkward and timid character but also incredibly relatable. She struggles with balancing high school and her home life while also forging friendships that actually matter and performing her duties as an aromateur. I loved that there was such a focus on her development as an individual. I always felt that I understood her motivations and actions, even if I didn’t necessarily agree with them. She was such a solid presence in my mind and the time the author spent on making her voice so distinctive and alive was certainly not lost on me. The fact that her relationship with her mother - which was quite tense at times - remained so central and integral to the overarching storyline but never took unnecessary preference also made me happy. While I did find myself frustrated with how Mim’s mother treated her and the pressure she placed on her to follow in her footsteps, the development of this relationships was practically flawless. It felt raw and realistic without being overpowering, and added to Mim’s developed as our protagonist - such a bonus! I think it’s fair to say that no one - no matter their overall thoughts on the book - can claim that Mim was in any way an underdeveloped protagonist.
What let me down - and what really made this story a bust for me, personally - was the romance. I did not get attached to Court as a character. While he was undeniably sweet, he was also… boring? I don’t think we ever really got to know him on an intimate level or at least, I could never personally get a read on him. I don’t know if that was the writing and his characterisation or maybe something on my end. Either way, I found him a forgettable character as a whole and a dull love interest for such an amazing protagonist like Mim. This also made it hard for me to care enough about them together to ship them so while they had some sweet moments, I never got onboard with the romance like I would have hoped.
This was not helped by the fact that this story had the one trope I hate more than anything: the ‘bitchy/bullying girlfriend’ trope. You know the one where the love interest already has a girlfriend so to make it okay that our MC is interested in him - and to make our protagonist seem better in comparison - the LI’s girlfriend is either the dumb/vain cheerleading type or a bitchy mean girl/bully. In this story, Court does not have a girlfriend persay but a ex-girlfriend with an ego who bullies our protagonist and her best friend. I seriously hate this trope with a passion! It comes across just as cheap and shallow as a poorly written villain. No one likes a villain when all they do is evilly cackle as they plan to blow up the whole world for no good reason. For the same reasons, I don’t like antagonists without proper motivations and I really don’t like poorly developed female character who perpetuate stereotypes. This was a major problem for me.
The plotline was also a little bit too… all of the place. I wished the story had focused on one thing and ran with it. I liked that Mim’s relationship with her mother was central to the story and I wouldn’t have minded if we solely focused on that. I think adding in friendship drama, blackmail, secret potion-making escapades and romance was a bit too much at times. Maybe just because it felt like Mim’s excursions were excuses for romantic scenes with Court rather than anything else (and I had no investment in their relationship)? I just wish that the storyline had been more streamlined.
With all that being said, I absolutely adored the aromateur and potion-making aspects of this story. My God, Lee’s writing was just so vivid in these sections! I could practically smell/taste the plants she was describing. I loooved this part of the story so much, and for that alone, I would have been happy to give this book a chance. I did struggle to understand the aromateur culture and the purpose of their rules, especially the one where the cannot profit of their gift. I’m not sure how they were expected to make enough money to live comfortably? But the actual idea of everyone having a distinctive smell and being about to tap into these and weave potions from plant life is just… I love it so much! I would honestly read a boring old handbook about this if Lee published it.
Overall?
The Secret of a Heart Note was my first Stacey Lee book but definitely not my last. I adored her writing style and the vividness of her descriptions. She created an amazing protagonist in Mim who I couldn’t help but adore but while I completely fell in love with some aspects of the story, I really did not connect to Court or the romance. This plummeted my overall enjoyment of the story and made it hard for me to read. I do still recommend this one to readers who think it sounds like their sort of thing but I’m hoping Lee’s backlist titles will be more my thing.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
Mim was a fantastic protagonist. Under pressure from her domineering mother, she is a somewhat awkward and timid character but also incredibly relatable. She struggles with balancing high school and her home life while also forging friendships that actually matter and performing her duties as an aromateur. I loved that there was such a focus on her development as an individual. I always felt that I understood her motivations and actions, even if I didn’t necessarily agree with them. She was such a solid presence in my mind and the time the author spent on making her voice so distinctive and alive was certainly not lost on me. The fact that her relationship with her mother - which was quite tense at times - remained so central and integral to the overarching storyline but never took unnecessary preference also made me happy. While I did find myself frustrated with how Mim’s mother treated her and the pressure she placed on her to follow in her footsteps, the development of this relationships was practically flawless. It felt raw and realistic without being overpowering, and added to Mim’s developed as our protagonist - such a bonus! I think it’s fair to say that no one - no matter their overall thoughts on the book - can claim that Mim was in any way an underdeveloped protagonist.
What let me down - and what really made this story a bust for me, personally - was the romance. I did not get attached to Court as a character. While he was undeniably sweet, he was also… boring? I don’t think we ever really got to know him on an intimate level or at least, I could never personally get a read on him. I don’t know if that was the writing and his characterisation or maybe something on my end. Either way, I found him a forgettable character as a whole and a dull love interest for such an amazing protagonist like Mim. This also made it hard for me to care enough about them together to ship them so while they had some sweet moments, I never got onboard with the romance like I would have hoped.
This was not helped by the fact that this story had the one trope I hate more than anything: the ‘bitchy/bullying girlfriend’ trope. You know the one where the love interest already has a girlfriend so to make it okay that our MC is interested in him - and to make our protagonist seem better in comparison - the LI’s girlfriend is either the dumb/vain cheerleading type or a bitchy mean girl/bully. In this story, Court does not have a girlfriend persay but a ex-girlfriend with an ego who bullies our protagonist and her best friend. I seriously hate this trope with a passion! It comes across just as cheap and shallow as a poorly written villain. No one likes a villain when all they do is evilly cackle as they plan to blow up the whole world for no good reason. For the same reasons, I don’t like antagonists without proper motivations and I really don’t like poorly developed female character who perpetuate stereotypes. This was a major problem for me.
The plotline was also a little bit too… all of the place. I wished the story had focused on one thing and ran with it. I liked that Mim’s relationship with her mother was central to the story and I wouldn’t have minded if we solely focused on that. I think adding in friendship drama, blackmail, secret potion-making escapades and romance was a bit too much at times. Maybe just because it felt like Mim’s excursions were excuses for romantic scenes with Court rather than anything else (and I had no investment in their relationship)? I just wish that the storyline had been more streamlined.
With all that being said, I absolutely adored the aromateur and potion-making aspects of this story. My God, Lee’s writing was just so vivid in these sections! I could practically smell/taste the plants she was describing. I loooved this part of the story so much, and for that alone, I would have been happy to give this book a chance. I did struggle to understand the aromateur culture and the purpose of their rules, especially the one where the cannot profit of their gift. I’m not sure how they were expected to make enough money to live comfortably? But the actual idea of everyone having a distinctive smell and being about to tap into these and weave potions from plant life is just… I love it so much! I would honestly read a boring old handbook about this if Lee published it.
Overall?
The Secret of a Heart Note was my first Stacey Lee book but definitely not my last. I adored her writing style and the vividness of her descriptions. She created an amazing protagonist in Mim who I couldn’t help but adore but while I completely fell in love with some aspects of the story, I really did not connect to Court or the romance. This plummeted my overall enjoyment of the story and made it hard for me to read. I do still recommend this one to readers who think it sounds like their sort of thing but I’m hoping Lee’s backlist titles will be more my thing.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
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The Girl from Everywhere was a book I had wanted to read for a long time. The premise, with its promise of time-travelling pirates and maps, sounded ridiculously perfect… unfortunately, it just did not hit the spot for me. Like a lot of other reviewers, I had a massive problem with the execution of this premise. These characters are not really pirates to start with but the time travel lore, which was really what I was here for, was a blurry, glazed-over mess. I did like the idea of using maps to travel through time and space, and using a pirate ship to channel that was even better, but the lore was too underdeveloped for my tastes. I had too many questions! I know that Nix is unfamiliar with the actual process of Navigating - and I can forgive the fuzziness of that for that reason - but the lack of time-travel discussions or guidelines was what let this down for me. Nix was meant to be the ship’s historian and the crew’s need to change their dress and mannerisms (etc) when they travelled indicated that there was some need to blend into the timeline. What were the repercussions if they didn’t though? It never discussed how they could interact with the people and places in the past without affecting the future, despite Nix’s fear that she may be erased from history. The story had such potential but brushing over the particulars of the time travel lore (in this particular story) made me too frustrated. I wanted so much for more from the story.
The fact that the plotline was oddly paced also made it hard for me to get engaged in the story. I did enjoy the book in general, and while I was somewhat attached to the characters and interested in seeing where the story was going, I never found myself completely immersed. The heist aspect of the story should have been thrilling since it is so much up my alley, but I never found myself particularly invested. I found the story was too busy skating around the time travel contradictions and romantic tension to focus on the unfurling action. It was really disappointing.
I was definitely the characters that made the story so enjoyable. I was a massive fan of all of them, obviously excluding Blake’s father. I thought that he was a very mild antagonist. He did not have much of a personality, let alone any sort of menacing presence in the story. While he did force our characters down a path they did not necessarily want to be on, he was not nearly as villainous or manipulative as he needed to be. Kashmir was obviously my favourite character. I think he was everyone’s favourite! I loved that he was a little morally grey with his kleptomaniac nature but his sassy charm was irresistible. I definitely shipped him with Nix but I felt that the actual romance - particularlytheir kiss - was incredibly underwhelming. The rest of the crew were also fantastic. Bee was hilarious, and I liked how accepting everyone one was of her ghost-wife, Ayen. I did not connect to Slate on a personal level but I always enjoy complex parent-child relationships. Nix and Slate’s relationship was far from traditional but it was interesting and well-written so I appreciated it for what it was.
I do need to address the love triangle situation, though. It was as unnecessary and ridiculous as every other love triangle. It caused needless drama and made me roll my eyes on multiple occasions. However, unlike seemingly every other reviewer, I genuinely liked Blake. I did not think he lacked a personality like everyone else does. In fact, I found him sweet, caring and funny. If Kashmir had not been on the scene, I would have happily shipped him with Nix. I liked that he was an awkward flirt, sweet-natured, not racially prejudiced like so many of his historical counterparts, and made efforts to befriend Nix. Most importantly, he tried to help her out when he thought she was in danger. Kashmir made a big deal out of it but in the end, the situation looked dodgy and Blake stepped in to try and help Nix - that’s what being a good friend is all about. Yes, he obviously liked Nix. Was it his fault that Kashmir did too and Nix was still coming to terms with her feelings about Kashmir? No, not in the slightest. He did nothing wrong - unlike sooo many YA love interests I can name - so I did not find him irritating in the slightest. I actually rather liked him.
Overall?
I enjoyed The Girl from Everywhere but I was disappointed by the execution of the premise. The plotline dragged and skimmed over the most interesting parts: the heist, the time travel, pirates. I thought the ending was all kinds of meh and storywise I was expecting a lot more. The characters did largely make up for it, though. I loved our protagonist and both of her LIs as individuals. The love triangle did annoy me but Bee, Rotgut and Slate definitely distracted me from that irritation (for the most part). I definitely plan on picking up the sequel as soon as possible and I am definitely interested in seeing what Heilig will come up with next.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
The fact that the plotline was oddly paced also made it hard for me to get engaged in the story. I did enjoy the book in general, and while I was somewhat attached to the characters and interested in seeing where the story was going, I never found myself completely immersed. The heist aspect of the story should have been thrilling since it is so much up my alley, but I never found myself particularly invested. I found the story was too busy skating around the time travel contradictions and romantic tension to focus on the unfurling action. It was really disappointing.
I was definitely the characters that made the story so enjoyable. I was a massive fan of all of them, obviously excluding Blake’s father. I thought that he was a very mild antagonist. He did not have much of a personality, let alone any sort of menacing presence in the story. While he did force our characters down a path they did not necessarily want to be on, he was not nearly as villainous or manipulative as he needed to be. Kashmir was obviously my favourite character. I think he was everyone’s favourite! I loved that he was a little morally grey with his kleptomaniac nature but his sassy charm was irresistible. I definitely shipped him with Nix but I felt that the actual romance - particularly
I do need to address the love triangle situation, though. It was as unnecessary and ridiculous as every other love triangle. It caused needless drama and made me roll my eyes on multiple occasions. However, unlike seemingly every other reviewer, I genuinely liked Blake. I did not think he lacked a personality like everyone else does. In fact, I found him sweet, caring and funny. If Kashmir had not been on the scene, I would have happily shipped him with Nix. I liked that he was an awkward flirt, sweet-natured, not racially prejudiced like so many of his historical counterparts, and made efforts to befriend Nix. Most importantly, he tried to help her out when he thought she was in danger. Kashmir made a big deal out of it but in the end, the situation looked dodgy and Blake stepped in to try and help Nix - that’s what being a good friend is all about. Yes, he obviously liked Nix. Was it his fault that Kashmir did too and Nix was still coming to terms with her feelings about Kashmir? No, not in the slightest. He did nothing wrong - unlike sooo many YA love interests I can name - so I did not find him irritating in the slightest. I actually rather liked him.
Overall?
I enjoyed The Girl from Everywhere but I was disappointed by the execution of the premise. The plotline dragged and skimmed over the most interesting parts: the heist, the time travel, pirates. I thought the ending was all kinds of meh and storywise I was expecting a lot more. The characters did largely make up for it, though. I loved our protagonist and both of her LIs as individuals. The love triangle did annoy me but Bee, Rotgut and Slate definitely distracted me from that irritation (for the most part). I definitely plan on picking up the sequel as soon as possible and I am definitely interested in seeing what Heilig will come up with next.
Review copy provided by the publisher for an honest review.
I don’t know why but everytime I look back on this story, I think of Wade. He really made an impact on me but I seem to be one of very few that even liked him. Honestly, my heart aches justing thinking about him. He was the awkward third wheel friend for the majority of his life but he pretended to be cool with it so he didn’t make things awkward for his friends - and because he was scared of losing them if he spoke up. He was crushing on Griffin but kept it to himself because he knew how much Griffin was in love with Theo and didn’t want to screw that up for him. He listened to his whining for months and was silently supportive and selfless because that’s what good friends do. He had to carry so much baggage for the majority of his childhood because he didn’t want to burden his friends who were too self-absorbed to see he was hurting. He was mocked constantly by Theo but put up with it because they were friends and friends don’t say things like on purpose, right?
Wade was also the only one who told Griffin that he should try and get help for his OCD (in a non-condescending way). He was the only one who pushed him, challenged him, and didn’t allow his mental illness to go unchecked. I know that it was amazing that Jackson automatically slipped into Griffin’s routines to make him feel more at ease but it was Wade - and literally only Wade - that tried to help him be more than his compulsions, who tried to help him. While I don’t believe it is inherently wrong to have OCD, we cannot forget that it is a mental illness, and when it begins to interfere with someone’s quality of life, it is not healthy. In this story, at this point, Griffin’s compulsions were having a negative affect his life and Wade was literally the only person who showed him he could do something about it, that he could take control and be more than his mental illness. He reassured him that his ‘quirks’ were not who made him Griffin. It was not worth sufferings from his compulsions to be ‘different’. Wade was the only one that got that in the whole story.
… and then, the end happened and I was crushed. I wanted more for him. He deserved more. I really hope that the other characters take a long, hard look at Wade and make an effort to be more like him.
Wade was also the only one who told Griffin that he should try and get help for his OCD (in a non-condescending way). He was the only one who pushed him, challenged him, and didn’t allow his mental illness to go unchecked. I know that it was amazing that Jackson automatically slipped into Griffin’s routines to make him feel more at ease but it was Wade - and literally only Wade - that tried to help him be more than his compulsions, who tried to help him. While I don’t believe it is inherently wrong to have OCD, we cannot forget that it is a mental illness, and when it begins to interfere with someone’s quality of life, it is not healthy. In this story, at this point, Griffin’s compulsions were having a negative affect his life and Wade was literally the only person who showed him he could do something about it, that he could take control and be more than his mental illness. He reassured him that his ‘quirks’ were not who made him Griffin. It was not worth sufferings from his compulsions to be ‘different’. Wade was the only one that got that in the whole story.
… and then, the end happened and I was crushed. I wanted more for him. He deserved more. I really hope that the other characters take a long, hard look at Wade and make an effort to be more like him.
Wow. That was much better than I anticipated. I'm actually kind of emotional right now?