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colormecaro's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book definitely gripped me and despite the heavy topic it was an ‘easy’ read. As in, I wanted to keep on reading and almost read it in one sitting. There’s a somewhat superfluous romance subplot that I didn’t see the point of but it doesn’t significantly detract from the plot either. However, ultimately the ending ruined it a bit for me (see spoilers at the end of this review).
From the beginning, it is very obvious what’s going to happen throughout the book. The beauty lies in how it is told. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one of the main characters (except Brian’s grandma Lettie, but while reading I saw myself in her and I imagine her perspective is that of any sane and compassionate person who would read this book, so there was no need to include it) which is often infuriating in a good way, like when the mom is making excuses for her and her husband’s shitty behaviour.
Personally, I also didn’t like the way that the main character Brian’s thoughts were only narrated as video tapes he records. I liked it as a stylistic device but it seemed like there could have been more depth from his perspective and the video tape style created a certain distance and especially at the beginning it feels a bit forced. But then again, the last Brian video tape chapter was perfect.
Early on, I also took a closer look at the table of contents and was curious because the second to last chapter was going to be told from the (incredibly bigoted and emotionally stunted) dad’s perspective. I had high hopes for this but that chapter fell very flat for me and left a very sour taste.
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Death, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Outing, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Eating disorder, Miscarriage, Vomit, and Suicide attempt
lavenderviolin's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Pandemic/Epidemic
starfish422's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Hate crime, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Outing
Moderate: Body shaming, Eating disorder, and Excrement
Minor: Drug use
town_scar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Drug use, Hate crime, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Outing, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, and Alcohol
Minor: Murder and War
remimicha's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Genocide, Homophobia, Infertility, Racism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Abandonment
dianacarmel's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Death and Homophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Excrement, Suicide attempt, and Outing
mothumn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Cursing, Homophobia, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Alcoholism, Death, Hate crime, Racism, Death of parent, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Alcohol
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Miscarriage, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
reading_and_roaming20's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
After watching his boyfriend and the majority of his friends succumb to AIDS, Brian, who has contracted it himself, returns to his small midwestern town to live out his final days. From here, the multi-POV storyline provides a hard look at the widespread homophobia and misinformation at the height of the epidemic.
THE PRETTIEST STAR is honest and holds nothing back, including the brutal physical realities of having AIDS. (Keep this in mind if descriptions of the illness may be too much.) I appreciated that this book didn’t make Brian’s long awaited return home into any sort of fairytale. His family has a lot to reckon with when it comes to their own prejudice and the judgement and outright hatred of a community rich with homophobia and ignorance. It all felt very realistic and was truly heartbreaking.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom as there were certainly some aspects of hope and characters who bring goodness and light to Brian’s life. It makes you want to reach through the pages to give them each a big, long hug. My favorite was Brian’s grandmother, whose unconditional love and support is such a special aspect of this story. Reading about her brought me joy.
This book, this book, this book. It hit me deep in my soul and has stayed with me. The ending had me in the kind of puddle of emotion where you just have to sit in the quiet for a bit to take it all in. Just trying to find an appropriate conclusion to this review has me lost for words, as I’ve found myself back in that place of reflection. So I’ll just say this…I highly, highly, highly recommend you check out this book.
(I would also recommend that you look into content warnings prior to reading.)
Graphic: Homophobia, Terminal illness, Medical content, Grief, and Outing
Moderate: Death, Hate crime, and Suicidal thoughts
jvanfosson's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Terminal illness, and Outing
karlo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Chronic illness, Homophobia, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Drug use, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Racism, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Outing, and Alcohol