(You) Set Me on Fire

by Mariko Tamaki

This is a story about college, about fire and also about love.

Allison Lee is seventeen and off to college in the fall. So far, she's been in love once (total catastrophe) and on fire twice (also pretty bad). Both love and fire have left their scars.

Looking a little more burnt chicken and a little less radiant phoenix, Allison takes up residence in Dylan Hall (a.k.a. Dyke Hall) at St. Joseph's College, where she discovers the true gift of freshman year: the opportunity to reinvent yourself. Miles away from the high school she's happy to leave behind, her all-female dorm is a strange new world, home to new social circles and challenges. Allison still feels like the odd girl out ... until Shar appears. Beautiful and blinding, Shar quickly becomes the sun at the centre of Allison's universe, drawing her in with dangerous allure.

Will Allison get burned again? And, if she does, what kind of scars will she earn this time?

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, LGBT, Canada, Queer, Contemporary, Romance

288 pages, Paperback

First published September 4, 2012

About the author

Mariko Tamaki is a Toronto writer, playwright, activist and performer. She works and performs with fat activists Pretty Porky and Pissed Off and the theatre troupe TOA, whose recent play, A vs. B, was staged at the 2004 Rhubarb Festival at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre. Her well-received novel, Cover Me (McGilligan Books) was followed by a short fiction collection, True Lies: The Book of Bad Advice (Women's Press). Mariko's third book, FAKE ID, is due out in spring 2005.

Mariko Tamaki has performed her work across Canada and through the States, recently appearing at the Calgary Folkfest 2004, Vancouver Writer's Festival 2003, Spatial III, and the Perpetual Motion/Girls Bite Back Tour, which circled though Ottawa, Montreal, Brooklyn and Chicago. She has appeared widely on radio and television including First Person Singular on CBC radio and Imprint on TVO. Mariko Tamaki is currently attending York University working a master's degree in women's studies.

[MacMIllan Books]

Reviews

[Jamie (Books and Ladders) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm on the fence about this one but I did enjoy it. I feel like the writing was a bit off for me but the plot and story was really good. I liked that it really showed how first year of university occurs. It was pretty great in that sense but the writing wasn't for me which made it hard to connect with Allison.

I liked the look at making friends in university and what that means for how you start to behave in university. For a lot of people, university is a clean slate and starting over, much like it was for our main character, Allison. I liked that Allison started by hanging out with people that were different from her typical type of people and that she was branching out. But I really connected and understood when she started hanging out with Shar. Shar was what Allison thought she wanted to be: aloof, hating things, and a little rude. She had an air of pretentiousness above her because she seemed like she didn't really care about anything that was happening around her and Allison clung to that. And it was intoxicating because I saw how it would spiral and at the same time I didn't want it to spiral. Their relationship was really interesting to me.

And I think it was well explored but the conclusion was a little too easy for me. I feel like there would have been more fall out and backlash than what occurred. As well, I thought that Allison let it go kind of easily considering how hard she was trying to fight for Shar in the beginning. I also thought think I just wanted more time to see Allison explore herself and her relationships with both friends and university life outside of Shar rather than the hasty epilogue we got. I wanted to really see Allison hunker down and get to work rather than just have her tell us she did that.

Overall I think this was a really good exposition of what it's like to learn to be yourself when you're allowed to be whomever you want to be. And I liked that most people still defaulted into who they always were because that is generally the trend. I just wish there had been a bit more about Allison and how she learned to handle her life on her own. As well, I could not get into the writing style which really distracted me from the actual story. I still would recommend checking this one out!

Read this as part of the #ReadProud Challenge.

Books and Ladders | Queen of the Bookshelves | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'

[Sonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book for a number of reasons. It's a Canadian read. The author seems pretty great. There's girl/girl romance. When I first started the book, I was immediately captured. Personally, I love distinct narration in a voice that actually resembles what goes on in my own head and that's exactly what I found in Allison's. It's dramatic and chaotic, with exclamation points and capitals galore. The narration was easily one of my favourite things about the novel. I really felt it gave me a personal look at Allison's journey and it just felt comfortable, like reading a diary or something.

But while I liked Allison's voice, there was something about her actual character that just didn't click with me. I completely understood where she was coming from for most of the book -- her past experiences in high school and beyond provide a less than solid foundation for college and the struggles that she faces with her new-found freedom are realistic and believable. But I just didn't like her at all. While that's not necessary for me to enjoy a book, I do like to connect with my characters and that didn't happen with Allison.

A large part of that reason was Shar. Allison, for reasons beyond my comprehension, is utterly enchanted by Shar and they quickly form a very dependant relationship with one another. Then when things start getting kind of dangerous and unpredictable, it just keeps going. Allison doesn't seem to change anything she's doing despite the fact that Shar is clearly not who she thought she was and that there are actually (REALLY NICE) people that keep offering their kindness and friendship to Allison. I just felt like Allison had choices and she ignored them.

With some more character development for Allison, I think I would have enjoyed this one a lot more. It was definitely an interesting change to read about a college setting and the writing was quite nice. While it wasn't a favourite book of mine, I didn't dislike it, and I hope that anyone giving it a try will find it more to their tastes!

Cover Comments: I think it's an okay cover. It matches the story pretty well but I don't love the look of it.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of books, averaging over a hundred a year this past ten years. There are a very few books I cannot put down. This was one of them. From the beginning you could see Allison Lee's life heading towards a train wreck and yet could not stop watching as events unfolded. Mariko Tamaki has written an amazing novel and though being published towards the Young Adult audience will likely garner a much wider following.

This story follows Allison Lee through her first year in a women's residence at university. No, Allison is not your typical frosh (if there is such a thing). Twice in the summer before she started university, she was set on fire, once by someone else and once by herself. In fact, combined they almost prevented her parents from letting her go away to school. Allison wants to start fresh, start new, but she has the glaring burn scar on the side of her neck. So she decides she can be whoever she wants at her new school. Unfortunately she makes some bad decisions and the school year heads downhill fast.

Tamaki does an amazing job of capturing university life; the freedom of being away from home, the transition from regimented high school to come-and-go university classes, to visits to the dean's office. And all this wrapped around the story of Allison finding herself in love again and about to be burned again. It was an amazing read. I highly recommend it.

Read the review and with links to other reviews of books by the authors on my blog Book Reviews and More. And also an author profile and interview with Mariko Tamaki.

[Sena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall: 2/5 stars. A mess, in good ways and bad.

Liked:
- Narration was hilarious at times, shoutout to the chaos that unfolded at the TOWER OF POWER. Meshed well with the college setting seen through Allison's eyes.
- Told the story of a toxic, downwards spiral as promised, with messy drama to top it off.

Disliked:
- Too much exaggeration with tropes. Carly was the saving grace of the story. Both Allison and Shar were hard to like or relate to, which makes me sad, considering how I'd had high hopes given the lesbian, Asian protagonist.
- Despite how the writing style was funny in moderation, it was a bit too much overall. Prose felt unrefined and immature.
- Ending felt rushed and too cleanly resolved, and the introspective tone of the epilogue felt completely out of place.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mariko Tamaki totally nails the voices in this book. I see these characters on campus daily, and some of them live in my home. (You) Set Me on Fire is a frank and humorous, yet tender, addition to the YA genre and recommended for anyone who thinks in alternating moments that they (or everyone else) are an alien species. Which is another way to say everyone should read it.

[Ang Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was debating between 1 or 2 stars for this book. I didn't like ANY of the characters in it. I kept hoping it'd grow on me and there'd be a turning point, but there really wasn't.

[maria☆彡 · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 ayo toxic friendship check! i really hated Shar but the writing was cool.

[David]

Brings back memories of living in university residence for the first time. Though I was an elevated grad student (higher education as well as living on the top floor) I did get to see the first-years at party, get up regularly in the middle of the night for false fire alarms, leap out of the way of vaulting football players, and 'enjoy' the dining hall menu. This novel is mostly about a first-year relationship that went seriously wrong; my first-year relationship went seriously right (we're still married) so, again, my experience was kind of 'in the same part of town but living in a different house' from the centre of this novel. Tamaki manages to capture a style and tone appropriate to freshman days despite being nearly 30 at the time of writing: good memory, I suppose... or not as many parties as her protagonist attended! I kept hoping for a slightly different kind of resolution re the antagonist, but must conclude that what Tamaki has presented seems entirely plausible.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was a pretty cool book

[Vikki VanSickle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two things really struck me about this book. First, what a talent we have in Mariko Tamaki. Having read the graphic novel Skim, created with her cousin Jillian Tamaki, I knew I would be in good hands, but her first person narrative blew me away. Allison is an angry, wounded person and an excellent observer. I didn’t always agree with her, but I believed her, with one exception. I never really bought why Allison was drawn to Shar. I understand the allure of the aloof, beautiful, enigmatic friend, but not enough time was spent developing their relationship or describing Shar’s intoxicating qualities for me to 100% believe that Allison would be as devoted to her as she was.

This brings me to the other thing I loved about this book, which was the theme of toxic friendships. Every girl I know has had one female friend in their life who was toxic. Maybe she was the queen bee of your group of friends, or someone you knew forever so you tolerated her behaviour because of your shared history. Whatever the reason these friends are usually fun, exciting and make you feel special and indestructible one moment and then are completely dismissive or cruel the next. She is the kind of friend who helps you get ready for a date and then flirts with the object of your affection in front of you to see if ‘he’s good enough for you.’ While Allison and Shar’s relationship has romantic overtones (at least on one side), I would argue their relationship is more an example of toxic girl friendships than a romantic relationship gone awry.

I’m so glad Tamaki went there- not a lot of YA writers do, or at least not with such authenticity and grit. I sometimes wonder if YA readers can relate to the endless romantic relationships they are fed through contemporary YA fiction, but I know for a fact that a lot of teen readers could benefit from reading about toxic friendships. Sometimes you need to read about something before you can identify it in your own life. (You) Set Me On Fire could go a long way in enlightening some girls on the subject of bad girl friendships.

This was an uncomfortable but addictive read. I found myself cringing inwardly at many moments and wanting to tell the protagonist that she would get through the upheaval of first year.The overall metaphor of being burned (romantically and literally) felt a bit forced, and the story was strong enough that it didn’t require an overarching metaphor to pull it all together.

Fans of older literary YA, such as Why We Broke Up, Speak, and Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone will appreciate this harsh but unforgettable narrative.

[Christa Seeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally posted at More Than Just Magic

Earlier this year I read In One Person by John Irving – the story of Billy Abbot who has crushes on the wrong people. I think Billy and Allison Lee would have a lot to talk about.

You Set Me on Fire is one of those books that manages to be both dark and funny at the same time. There’s a dry sort of humour at work here, and there were a number of times when I caught myself laughing even though the scenario I was laughing at was cruel, or sad – or a bit of both. There’s this sort of spiral of darkness going on here, and it made the book extremely compelling. You wanted everything to turn out ok for Allison, but a part of you also wanted to see how bad things can get.

Though Allison is only seventeen she is in her first year of college and I found I could relate to that experience a lot. I think college – at least the first year of it – can be a bit of a dark time for a lot of people. I never understood those people who seemed to adjust to this massive change in their life with such perkiness and ease. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my time at university, but it did take some getting used to. People experience homesickness, many break up with their high school boyfriends, classes are a lot harder. There’s a lot of identity crisis going on and it’s easy to lose track of yourself, or make a few too many poor decisions. I think a lot of people will easily be able to relate to Allison and the other characters in this book.

Further more Allison is an incredibly sympathetic character. She has been through a lot. She’s bitter and lonely and in way too deep with Shar. This is a toxic friendship if I ever saw one, but I appreciated how complicated Mariko Tamaki made it as these things are almost never purely black and white. There was a bit of a romantic angle to it. But I actually think it was more about relationships in a more general sense. I think Tamaki made a strong point about the inequality of certain relationships and how damaging they can be – both mentally and physically. As a result I think LGBTQ or not will find traces of their own past relationships in this story.

Recommendation: You Set Me on Fire is a dark yet comical novel about toxic friendships, being on your own and finding the strength to be yourself. Overall this is a compelling and dangerous story that doesn’t pull any punches. Recommended for anyone who’s ever been made to feel small or insignificant by a partner or friend and those who remember the good old days of trying to find yourself after high school.

[Beverly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead but I don’t wanna put up the spoiler tag cuz this book is so hilariously bad that you don’t wanna read it but you’d maybe want to read my review of it.

This was a fun read but it was so… bruh moment

The author really gave zero fucks and said “let’s write the most unlikeable love interest ever.” Shar is such a hater, she hates on everybody, and the other characters don’t really like her. She’s the type of girl you and your friends talk shit about cuz she’s genuinely psychotic. She only befriends Allison cuz she thinks the burn marks on her face are cool. She’s so woe is me… she’s just SO UNLIKEABLE. But it was lowkey relatable how Allison kept making excuses for her just cuz she was hot lol.

I liked the other characters a lot, particularly Carly and Johnathon. Johnathon was just this funny nerd with a weird way of talking that even made Allison want to roll her eyes. And when he was reading a textbook for fun and had sticky notes labelled JIs and he was like “Those are my JIs. Johnathon’s Insights!” I was cracking tf up. Also, I loved that it turned out Carly was gay too, cuz the audience usually expects the perky side character girls to be the annoying but well-meaning straight girl. Carly was actually sooo cute. It’s crazy how Carly, who’s a side character, is gay, but the main love interest is straight. Like that’s actually so weird for a lesbian book.

Also when Shar ended up getting with a guy and Allison set his room on fire… bruh 💀 This book is messy from start to finish but maybe that’s what makes it so much fun. The writing style is very YA and super easy to read, it reminds me of the kind of thing I’d blow through if I read this in middle school. There are a lot of words emphasized in all caps which feels kind of juvenile.

Oh yeah by the way, this book was published in 2012 and you can tell it was published in 2012. First of all I was in middle school in 2012 and it feels very reminiscent of YA books written back then. But secondly, it’s a little problematic. Particularly how Shar makes a joke out of people with eating disorders, and Allison explicitly says she hates the word lesbian. If this was published now (the author is pretty established on BookTok with Laura Dean) TikTok and Twitter would be throwing hands.

Me and my friend went to this free queer book event hosted by Aesop (the hand soap store), and this is the book I picked out. I can’t believe Aesop would willingly show this book to real life lesbians??

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this one! It's set in college, which is unusual for YA. It's been a while since I was in college, but it all rang very true to me--the way the first years clump together and form shallow friendships very quickly, the depressing and excessive drinking, boys peeing all over the place, stupid parties, the way some people are studying really hard and other people aren't at all and the two groups can hardly understand each other, the way hanging out with your friends is much more important than your classes. The way you are willing to toss your life down the toilet in a codependent frenzy to take care of seriously damaged people.

The main character, Allison Lee, who's literally been burned twice, falls in with a beautiful, fascinating, temperamental, mean girl named Shar. I liked how at the start of the book Allison is not super-excited about the fact that she's into girls, because it seemed very contemporary and realistic. Like, not some angsty 1950s "filled with shame and fear" kind of thing, just a touch of "eh, it's hard to get away from homophobia, internalized and otherwise, when you are seventeen." This is the kind of book where you are allowed right into the head of a tortured but funny character. Would love to read more of Tamaki's work. I also loved the textured book cover. I notice that Razorbill often has terrific covers.

Okay, criticism time. One weird thing: in the back cover copy it says, "Allison takes up residence in Dylan Hall (aka Dyke Hall) at St. Joseph's College. . ." I can't remember a single reference in the book to the dorm being called Dyke Hall. Am I really such a poor reader that I missed this? Or did it never happen, and if so, why is it on the back of the book? Surely there's a better way to indicate gay content than to write about random stuff that's not in the book? Also, a big unresolved thing is Shar's sister and the whole question of why Shar is the way she is. One character tries to wrap it up by saying that people are strange, and maybe Allison will never know. I get it, that's often true. But this is a novel, not real life, so it'd be nice to get some kind of hint at the least.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this novel about college, fire, and love. The voice of Allison Lee, who has fallen in love once and been set on fire twice before ever making it to college, is great. I found myself laughing out loud frequently. That said, the further along into the novel I got, the clearer it became that this wasn't merely a light read. For Allison, adjusting to life in college isn't easy, and there were times that I was really upset for her because she deals with some pretty manipulative personalities at St. Joseph's - a school she chose precisely because there was no one from her high school there and everyone she knows is several states away.

Readers who appreciate post-modern novels will enjoy this one, which blends references to pop culture, especially movies and music, with mythological figures like the phoenix (surprise, surprise given Allison's experience being set on fire twice before the novel begins) and historical figures like Joan of Arc (again with the fire references). The metaphors are well constructed whether they're used once or extended throughout the novel as with the idea of fire. Through the narrative, Mariko Tamaki shows that the problem with bullying that Allison faced in high school doesn't just go away for her or many of her fellow students, making this novel more realistic than some other books that seem to insist upon a happy ending. Allison doesn't get one of those fairytale, happily-ever-after endings, but there is something hopeful about it, too.

Highly recommended, and as a bonus, it's written by a Toronto-area author. Yay!

[Edie · Rating 5 out of 5]

UGH what even to say about this book? I loved it, it was real and dark and thrilling and twisted in a way that almost everyone has experienced. Allison's struggle with being alone and feeling lonely is one that I understand very well. The anger, as well, though I've never had the guts to do anything about it. Every single character in this book is heartbreaking and I feel like I understand where they're coming from even if it's a little twisted.

It is a beautiful, heartbreaking story about an extremely destructive relationship between two young girls who really had no one else to turn to. (To borrow the words of Rihanna: "[They] found love in a hopeless place") It's the story of crying for help and not quite getting the answer that you need. It's about making the same mistake over and over again only to learn that really there's no right answer. It's about the line (or lack there of) between friendship and love. It's about the futility of labels and words and definitions where feelings are involved. And of course it's about surviving (everything, even yourself at times).

Really, truly, I enjoyed this book to the core. I finished the entire book in a few hours, I could not put it down! I seriously recommend this to any queer young asian-american girl looking for representation.

Mariko Tamaki is a brilliant writer and I feel like she captured the voice of a socially awkward, lonely, yearning, edged-out, lovesick, queer young adult in a way that many writers try to achieve but ultimately fall short.

[Miss Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh goodness. Okay see I spent this morning catching up on my readings for International Issues in Human Rights. And while I really love the class and I feel like I learn a ton it deals with monumentally depressing subject matter. D: Seriously, spend a couple of hours reading about global neoliberal capitalism and see if you're not consumed with the helpless desire to find some way to burn the whole system down. (That would provide a neat segue into the book but I'm not done yet so hold that thought). So after my morning I really wanted to immerse myself in a YA book and not think about anything to do with the world or my classes for a couple of hours.

Probably I should have known better than to pick a book with fire in the title.

(you) set me on fire is a really well written book! It's easy to relate to Allison, psychologically she rings very true. In this particular case that was rather unfortunate for me because Allison spends the vast majority of the book caught up in an increasingly toxic friendship and her refusal to end it made me want to cringe away from the book frequently. No stop Tamaki, I don't want to see the weakest parts of myself reflected right now! I just wanted my fluffy YA reinvention novel! There's a bit of redemptive light at the end but still. This is really not the book to be reading when you're looking to cheer yourself up. 3 stars

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this twice now, and it's even better the second time.

See initial review below:
So here’s the short version of this review: I loved queer Toronto-based author Mariko Tamaki’s latest book, (You) Set Me on Fire. If you’re not convinced by the awesome title alone that this young adult novel is worth checking out, then I don’t know—something is weird there. Please read it. Especially if you’re a teenager. But even if you’re not. Tamaki is so talented at channeling and representing the voice of a seventeen-year-old girl. Seriously. The entire book, told from the main character Allison’s perspective, is spot on. Like, fucking dead on. The whole time. In fact, looking at the way I’m writing this paragraph, I feel like the style has rubbed off on me, which is kind of cool and shows how mesmerizing Allison’s particular voice is...

See the rest of my review here: http://caseythecanadianlesbrarian.wor...

[Trigger Warning Database]

Trigger & Content Warnings

Alcohol consumption
Drug abuse
Burn scars

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite book of 2012.

[Haumea Geth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very conflicted on this one. I don't know if I'd say it was good... But is was very engaging, and I did end up enjoying it. I didn't actually really get into it until about halfway through, and my two complaints at that time mirrored a lot of the other complaints other people mentioned in their reviews.

Firstly, the writing style came across as very juvenile, and for a good while, I found it extremely irritating. However, in hindsight, it almost feels like that was the point. *Allison, especially early on, is infuriatingly juvenile. It feels like you're actually supposed to be yelling at her for her moronic decisions. But - and I don't know if this may actually just be because I got used to it or not - it did feel like the childishness in the writing style was slowly toned down over the course of the book, as Allison started to clue into her situation and mature. (*Non-spoiler comment: It reflects the maturity level of the main character.)

The other complaint a lot of people had was that they didn't find Allison relatable in any way. I felt this way at first too, but I quickly noticed that she's probably not supposed to be relatable. In the beginning, she doesn't really have any kind of personality. *All of her flashbacks and monologues are entirely about other people and how they've reacted to her. We don't even have any idea of what her most basic preferences are. We know she's a lesbian, and that she was bullied. That's it. This isn't a terribly uncommon struggle for kids her age though - not having figured out who they are as a person. This is especially contrasted in Carly's character, who is going through the same phase in growing up, but goes about it in a completely different, much healthier way. Allison doesn't actually start to think about herself much until the very end of the book. Her thinking shifts from, "Maybe I can be someone others will like," to, "Maybe I'll be able to grow as a person."
(*Non-spoiler comment: She's going through that part of growing up where you don't really know who you are, so of course there's nothing to really relate to in Allison herself. It's more that struggle that's meant to be relatable, if you can catch it (it's never stated outright).)

These were things that initially made it a slight struggle to stick with this book. At first I was just sticking with it because it was an easy read, and the drama was entertaining. It was only halfway through the book that I understood that these two annoyances were, I think, intentional, and I got sucked into the story proper. It was satisfying to see Allison actually complete her character arc and change as a person by the end of the book. It was satisfying to see that she finally did connect to the positive side characters you, as the reader, were desperately telling her to go and talk to instead of Shar since the beginning. All in all, I think I would actually read this book again. I was originally thinking it would end up in my neighbourhood's mini library, but now, I'm satisfied to say that it's going to be going back on my shelf among the other books I've enjoyed.

[Courts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read YA quite frequently, though it's mostly fantasy or sci-fi, rarely contemporary so (You) Set Me on Fire was a bit of a surprise.

There have been books from first person perspective that have rung false to me because the language didn't work; an illiterate peasant girl in 1600 would not have a vocabulary that expansive. However, (You) Set Me on Fire feels like a real teenager is relating her experiences of her first year at university: extremely informal, stylized, even truncated in places. I loved it, it pulled me in, made me connect to the protagonist, Allison, because she felt that much more real.

(You) Set Me on Fire is about Allison Lee, a friendless, awkward maybe-lesbian who is starting her first year at university. Despite all sorts of girls desperate to befriend her, Allison still feels out of place and is drawn to another outsider, Shar. Shar is captivating and easily wraps Allison around her pinky finger, for better or worse.

So much of the novel felt familiar for me. I think everyone has had a manipulative, narcissistic friend before, one that we remained friends with far longer than was healthy out of love, devotion, hope. There's a universal appeal in that while also portraying the very lesbian experience of trying to differentiate between friendship and romance when the other party doesn't want you to ever manage to figure it out.

Oh, I also really liked her slightly awkward but sweet friend Jonathon, because I knew several boys just like him at uni.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

"This is a story about college, about fire, and also about love."

Alright. So. This novel grabbed me from the opening line. (See above - were you not absolutely besotted with that sentence as well?) The first page was 10+ stars, but my interest in the story itself began to wane about three-quarters through the novel. Allison, the protagonist, was just plain sad, hurt and confused. She made terrible choices, which I initially thought was going to establish a baseline for character growth and development, but the plot line plateaued to an unsatisfying denouement. She made awful decisions over and over - to a point where it didn't really make sense anymore and I was straight up weary and heartbroken for her. (Maybe that was a clever device planned out by Tamaki and the entire point of this book?) Regardless, I was into this read until the end.

[Jessica Desouza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was easy to comprehend and I liked the author's writing style, it was like actually reading the inner monologue of a girl (about) my age. That being said, the book was complicated to say the least. I'm not sure if it is about how the main character, Allison, was at fault for anything or if that is open to my interpretation. I felt as if it would be easier to digest the story if the audience really knew about Allison's past, even if we learned about it at the end. Nonetheless, I do recommend this book for anyone who likes a dramatic/funny story and doesn't mind getting a little sad at the end!

[Blair · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book after getting it on Christmas from a friend, maybe I don't get it, if you got it, that's okay.

But I just couldn't like this book. I read the whole thing hoping it'd get better but it didn't. The only character I really liked was the kid in the top hat.

The dialogue was funny, especially the part where the main characters dad asked if she had scurvy, but that couldn't fix the overwhelming confusion I had reading this. The pacing felt kind of off and I just didn't really understand the whole point of the book

I didn't even buy the book but I feel sorry for my friend for making this purchase.

[Sarah Thornton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was... Basically my college experience, with slightly more fire.

Her fringe was just singed hair from the stove.

I'm kind of shattered, to be honest. From the outside you can see the warning signs, you can see the toxic, unhealthiness of the situation.
And it struck because I immediately recognised these characters.

The story itself was unsettling, and the protagonist seemed aimless. I kept hoping for some secondary characters to be developed but they remained in the background.

God, even the puke-filled halls.

[milla · Rating 4 out of 5]

on a whim, i picked this book out of a collection i'd been given by someone or other many years ago, and ended up finishing the whole thing literally in one sitting. it felt like a movie from 2003 you'd find as a DVD at a garage sale, and you ended up liking way more than you thought you would for its unexpected depth. i would totally recommend if you want a book that feels like eating a whole bag of sour gummy candy.

[Hong · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tense and uncomfortable book with a truly likeable narrative voice. It was a fast read, and overall I enjoyed it--but I was waiting for some real meditation on consequence, both in Alison's personal and academic lives. I wanted just a little more from her. I wanted it to be just a little bit more queer. You know?

[Virgowriter (Brad Windhauser) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brisk, engaging read. Could have used a little more character development, but you could feel—in key moments—protagonist’s longing for Shar.

[kavya ♡]

dnf @ 30%
i just. this was neither specifically interesting nor relatable enough to ME for it to draw me in

[Laurel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why on earth did Shar fall in love with the protagonist? She is so miserable and difficult to like. Manic pixie dream girl somehow likes boring protag trope.