This isn't a book to answer all your burning theology questions. This is a book to remind you that it's okay to struggle with those burning questions, that it's okay to struggle with doubt, and a much needed reminder that Christianity is all about sharing the table.

Instead of a true review, I encourage you to read the quotes on Goodreads for this book, or better yet, the entire book, and decide for yourself.


*That said, I still struggle with Rachel's treatment of Julie McMahon. Hopefully she learned a great deal from that incident and seems to address some of those greater issues, at least tangentially, in this book. I've tried to keep my thoughts on this book separate from my thoughts on that issue.

This is an important book. It's a wonderful book. It does definitely sound like it's written by a (then) fifteen year old. There is a part close to the end that doesn't focus on much of anything but making out and some other things that probably won't matter much to Jazz in a few years. I look forward to what Jazz writes in the future, after about ten years, where she can really look back at her privileged life and tell the direction in which she takes it.

This book broke my heart in the most beautiful way. Griffin, Theo, Jackson, and Wade are such wonderful characters. They are the reason why I stuck around with this book, even though the first half was so depressing that I could barely stand it (in true Silvera fashion). The only issue I have with this book is that many YA readers will not realize how unhealthy some of Griffin's "quirks" and coping mechanisms are. This is slightly addressed by the end of the book, but not in a way that would have sunk in with me as a teen.

Spoiler

Griffin sleeping with Jackson just to get back at his dead boyfriend is the prime example of this. As a teen, I would have just felt like this was what the book had been secretly building up to, and I probably would have squealed a little bit for them to get together, instead of hurting for them both at that moment.

[b:They Both Die at the End|33385229|They Both Die at the End|Adam Silvera|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1494333138s/33385229.jpg|49456196] will probably always be my favorite Silvera book, but you can bet your butt I'll read anything and everything by him just as soon as I can get my hands on a copy.

Often confusing. Sometimes thrilling. Sometimes frustrating. Kind of rewarding. Going to stay with me for a very long time.

I just finished this book about a minute ago, and I can't think in complete sentences yet. Maybe in a week I'll be able to again. I'm impressed by the author's ability to tell this story. Not many could pull it off.

A beautiful series of vignettes on a family's life over the course of three generations, this book is something I wouldn't have normally picked up. I'm glad I did. It was beautiful, it was very realistic, and it was occasionally poignant.

Often fascinating, but occasionally bogged down with numbers. Over all this book does a great job explaining how the drug epidemics of the last three decades arose and what people did to stop them and treat those with addiction. With the advent of OxyContin addiction touched the “respectable” families of the rust belt and the Appalachia’s and the Pacific Northwest. The epidemic finally reached a tipping point where people decided to no longer remain silent, but thousands died of overdose before that point.

As an aspiring author, I plan to use this book as a reference tool. It’s very well researched and written.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

Beautiful, poignant, and sad, this book explores what it's like to be raised in an abusively religious family. Pattyn has a distinct voice as a character. I recommend letting her tell you her story, instead of me summarizing it here. The entire book is riveting. My only complaint is that so much happened in just the last few pages that it felt unbelievable compared to the rest. Still, take a minute to sit with it when you're done, and it'll sink in. Like most of Ellen Hopkins' first books, it does end on a cliff hanger, so check out the sequel at the same time as this book so you don't feel the wrath of the book hangover.