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Going Viral: A Socially Distant Love Story
When Claire Draper's fictional love story goes viral in the wake of a pandemic, the line between reality and fiction is blurred. But will she be able to tell the difference?
Claire is a junior in high school when a worldwide pandemic strikes, and she's in the epicenter of it all in New York City. Suddenly, Claire is forced to isolate with her family indefinitely, which means she won't be able to see her friends or even her girlfriend, Vanessa, in person for a long time.
At first it's not so bad, but the longer the pandemic lasts, the more Claire feels her priorities changing. That's when she looks outside her bedroom window and notices something new: A girl who lives in the building across the street sitting on her fire escape.
So Claire starts writing a story online about a girl who falls for the girl across the street. To Claire's surprise, the story goes viral-and it seems people think it's true. But how true is true? And what if Vanessa finds out? Will Claire be able to manage her newfound internet fame before everything spirals out of control?
Claire is a junior in high school when a worldwide pandemic strikes, and she's in the epicenter of it all in New York City. Suddenly, Claire is forced to isolate with her family indefinitely, which means she won't be able to see her friends or even her girlfriend, Vanessa, in person for a long time.
At first it's not so bad, but the longer the pandemic lasts, the more Claire feels her priorities changing. That's when she looks outside her bedroom window and notices something new: A girl who lives in the building across the street sitting on her fire escape.
So Claire starts writing a story online about a girl who falls for the girl across the street. To Claire's surprise, the story goes viral-and it seems people think it's true. But how true is true? And what if Vanessa finds out? Will Claire be able to manage her newfound internet fame before everything spirals out of control?
304 pages, Paperback
First published November 2, 2021
60 people are currently reading
754 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 161 reviews
November 24, 2021
I saw this at work and thought "oh that does not look good." and I was right! It was not good! Shoutout to every character for being completely two dimensional and also the absolute worst lmfao. Writing-wise, it was also extremely repetitive and fell back on the same descriptions of things over and over. Why is everyone talking "brightly" PLEASE.
April 27, 2023
This whole book reads like it was written by Chat GPT
February 22, 2023
I’m with the majority on this one. The MC is entirely unlikeable, the relationships are toxic, and reading about being in lockdown doesn’t exactly bring back all the warm fuzzies.
It’s quite repetitive, and the Babble posts are garbage. I think a decent third of this book was just text messages (half of those just said ‘OK’), which were not engaging content.
The conflict comes from Claire’s inability to have a single conversation of relevance with anyone, which was weird because we spent the whole time in her head. And she had those thoughts and feelings that would fix everything, but she NEVER ACTUALLY SAID THEM. Then blamed the world when everything came to a head.
I think the pacing was a bit off too. The Clarissa chapters slowed it down for me, though I did like how it was separated out into a different persona. It did a good job of portraying what everyone went through during lockdowns in the height of COVID, but it’s probably going to be one of those books that’s better to read in twenty years’ time in reflection, rather than now when it’s still fresh and everyone knows what happened, because we all did it. This isn’t new or interesting content to anyone anywhere.
It’s quite repetitive, and the Babble posts are garbage. I think a decent third of this book was just text messages (half of those just said ‘OK’), which were not engaging content.
The conflict comes from Claire’s inability to have a single conversation of relevance with anyone, which was weird because we spent the whole time in her head. And she had those thoughts and feelings that would fix everything, but she NEVER ACTUALLY SAID THEM. Then blamed the world when everything came to a head.
I think the pacing was a bit off too. The Clarissa chapters slowed it down for me, though I did like how it was separated out into a different persona. It did a good job of portraying what everyone went through during lockdowns in the height of COVID, but it’s probably going to be one of those books that’s better to read in twenty years’ time in reflection, rather than now when it’s still fresh and everyone knows what happened, because we all did it. This isn’t new or interesting content to anyone anywhere.
May 19, 2023
me and all my homies hate sadie for being an asshole and clarissa for invading privacy and being a creep (a weirdo what the hell was she doing in this book) i cannot believe i actually read this why is it so silly goofy i hate it. sapphic rep turned into wtf. i wish it was straight because then i wouldnt have read it. i hate this book. its giving reddit aita story and the babble posts were the only decent part.
July 31, 2021
4.5/5
A sapphic story during COVID quarantine with a hint of misunderstandings. I was hooked by this description. I had some initial wariness about possibly hating the COVID part of the story, but it turned out to not really bother me. I was lucky enough to be sent an uncorrected ARC from Scholastic in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This book takes place during COVID-19. Claire is at school when her principal informs everyone that, due to the pandemic, they will be moving to online schooling effective immediately. She’s stunned for the day and, while trying to find something else to focus on, she takes to writing about the girl in the fire escape across from her. Her story goes viral online and she finds that she’s no longer able to clearly separate fact and fiction.
I absolutely loved how this story was laid out. For the most part it’s set up where one chapter is Claire’s life, and the next chapter is Clarissa’s (Claire’s) posts on Babble. It was a great way to separate real life from Claire’s experiences with Sadie.
This book was much more than I expected in a couple of ways. The biggest one for me was how it showed COVID. These were teenagers and adults in a big city who were, at least in the case of Claire and her mom, freaked out. I didn’t expect for the story to showcase the annoying effects of COVID lockdown and the various ways that people were choosing to cope. It had Claire become randomly angry at small things and have bad days, things I remember experiencing when lockdown was first happening. I thought it was excellently done and it really helped. I had some initial issues when I couldn’t relate to their lockdown experience at first, but it eventually worked better for me.
Another thing that really stood out to me was the people and relationships. I loved the relationship built between the various people. Everyone in this book was written very realistically, even if at first it didn’t seem like it. No one was portrayed as perfect or horrible. Everyone was their own various shades of grey and it led to really authentic relationships between all the characters. I also don’t think there was a single character we saw that I didn’t like. Even relationships with people we didn’t see felt authentic. Mainly with Claire’s Babble followers and their increasing investment and pushiness into her life as she posts more and more. It was built up really well and portrayed a toxic attitude that a lot of people have online.
I really only had a couple issues. Because I have an uncorrected proof there were a couple of typos and errors, but not many. My other issue was that it took a bit to really get into the swing of the story. It wasn’t a pacing issue; it just took a bit to really hit its stride.
This book was much better than I could have hoped for. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a good read about quarantine that’s not quite a love story.
~ Check out my other reviews on my Blog, Instagram, or Twitter. ~
A sapphic story during COVID quarantine with a hint of misunderstandings. I was hooked by this description. I had some initial wariness about possibly hating the COVID part of the story, but it turned out to not really bother me. I was lucky enough to be sent an uncorrected ARC from Scholastic in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This book takes place during COVID-19. Claire is at school when her principal informs everyone that, due to the pandemic, they will be moving to online schooling effective immediately. She’s stunned for the day and, while trying to find something else to focus on, she takes to writing about the girl in the fire escape across from her. Her story goes viral online and she finds that she’s no longer able to clearly separate fact and fiction.
I absolutely loved how this story was laid out. For the most part it’s set up where one chapter is Claire’s life, and the next chapter is Clarissa’s (Claire’s) posts on Babble. It was a great way to separate real life from Claire’s experiences with Sadie.
This book was much more than I expected in a couple of ways. The biggest one for me was how it showed COVID. These were teenagers and adults in a big city who were, at least in the case of Claire and her mom, freaked out. I didn’t expect for the story to showcase the annoying effects of COVID lockdown and the various ways that people were choosing to cope. It had Claire become randomly angry at small things and have bad days, things I remember experiencing when lockdown was first happening. I thought it was excellently done and it really helped. I had some initial issues when I couldn’t relate to their lockdown experience at first, but it eventually worked better for me.
Another thing that really stood out to me was the people and relationships. I loved the relationship built between the various people. Everyone in this book was written very realistically, even if at first it didn’t seem like it. No one was portrayed as perfect or horrible. Everyone was their own various shades of grey and it led to really authentic relationships between all the characters. I also don’t think there was a single character we saw that I didn’t like. Even relationships with people we didn’t see felt authentic. Mainly with Claire’s Babble followers and their increasing investment and pushiness into her life as she posts more and more. It was built up really well and portrayed a toxic attitude that a lot of people have online.
I really only had a couple issues. Because I have an uncorrected proof there were a couple of typos and errors, but not many. My other issue was that it took a bit to really get into the swing of the story. It wasn’t a pacing issue; it just took a bit to really hit its stride.
This book was much better than I could have hoped for. I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants a good read about quarantine that’s not quite a love story.
~ Check out my other reviews on my Blog, Instagram, or Twitter. ~
January 12, 2025
Great plot, bad execution.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 8, 2023
This book was good I love how they mentioned covid-19 even tho it sucks and its still out there to this day. I feel like their was some writing errors in this book which I don't like. This book is something I wouldn't read again. but overall the book was okay. Also LGBT+ book I love.
February 15, 2023
Overall not a bad book! I would read it again and would prob recommend. I liked the ending too. But the reason I didn’t give it 5 was because I’m still on edge about Vanessa’s personality- even when she explained herself I wish she was nicer to Claire about stuff. And also I felt like it was a little…. empty? Some plot points weren’t as big as they were written as and I don’t really like how Claire and Sadie ended off as. However this book really described life in the pandemic correctly and it was a cosy read. I liked it!
October 15, 2023
A sweet book and truly captures the emotions and the awful circumstances of quarantine. It was just really repetitive. How many times was she in her room doing very similar things?
December 6, 2021
(Contains spoilers)
First off, I'll start by saying that I started reading this book with low expectations. Those expectations were not exceeded. To be completely honest, I didn't hate the plot, although I think it's a little soon for books set in the pandemic, I just was completely and utterly annoyed by the protagonist, Claire
When the pandemic hits, Claire is quarantined in her tiny Brooklyn apartment like everyone else, unable to leave or see her girlfriend. One day, she sees a girl across the street sitting on the fire escape. While forming a friendship/romantic feelings (still unsure because what is this book), she begins writing short stories about it on Babble, a website that is essentially Wattpad and Goodreads wrapped into one. Now for me, this is where my problems with Claire began. Why was she writing these short stories without telling Sadie (the girl on the fire escape)?? Why did she write these stories in a way that made it seem like Sadie had romantic feelings for her??? Why didn't she once mention her girlfriend to Sadie or in the stories?? My least favorite Claire moment was when Vanessa (her girlfriend) and Sadie both found out about the stories and she has this sort of victim complex. She completely turned her friendship with Sadie into her own narrative and aired Sadie's issues and personal details out in a viral internet story... and she expected her to be okay with that? So.... yeah. Not a big Claire fan!! I somewhat liked Sadie though.
Overall, 2/5 stars. Okay plot, hated character. I'm not that good at writing reviews so... this is essentially just a rant about Claire.
First off, I'll start by saying that I started reading this book with low expectations. Those expectations were not exceeded. To be completely honest, I didn't hate the plot, although I think it's a little soon for books set in the pandemic, I just was completely and utterly annoyed by the protagonist, Claire
When the pandemic hits, Claire is quarantined in her tiny Brooklyn apartment like everyone else, unable to leave or see her girlfriend. One day, she sees a girl across the street sitting on the fire escape. While forming a friendship/romantic feelings (still unsure because what is this book), she begins writing short stories about it on Babble, a website that is essentially Wattpad and Goodreads wrapped into one. Now for me, this is where my problems with Claire began. Why was she writing these short stories without telling Sadie (the girl on the fire escape)?? Why did she write these stories in a way that made it seem like Sadie had romantic feelings for her??? Why didn't she once mention her girlfriend to Sadie or in the stories?? My least favorite Claire moment was when Vanessa (her girlfriend) and Sadie both found out about the stories and she has this sort of victim complex. She completely turned her friendship with Sadie into her own narrative and aired Sadie's issues and personal details out in a viral internet story... and she expected her to be okay with that? So.... yeah. Not a big Claire fan!! I somewhat liked Sadie though.
Overall, 2/5 stars. Okay plot, hated character. I'm not that good at writing reviews so... this is essentially just a rant about Claire.
February 8, 2023
the worst book i have ever read it was very 40 year old writing teenagers in the worst way possible the characters were all annoying and rude all the time the mc was a weirdo but was written like you should feel bad for her??
January 10, 2022
It was ok. I'm not sure if I would recommend this to everyone I knew but yeah. It's basically a diary like story about a girl who just started her covid experience, she didn't have it its just like the cases and spreading had just started. In some chapters she literally does do a diary and writes about her interactions with this one girl across the street, talks about herself, her feeling, and her mental and emotional health. And the thing about her diary which I just hate personally is the fact that SHE POSTS IT TO RANDOM PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET FOR ANYONE TO READ!! So she's just telling her life at the moment to some strangers and then they make comments and then in the middle they start thinking that this isn't a real thing and she's some 40 year old man in his basement writing these. Also these people are thinking she's in love with this girl from across the street which I assumed she was but she kept on denying it. With that, SHE ALREADY HAS A GIRLFRIEND, and both the girl across the street or her girlfriend DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS STORY!!! WHY?! I don't know. I just think that you shouldn't keep things like this from your significant other, like you should tell them about this from the beginning so when then they don't think you're cheating or something. So that's just something that ticks me off a lot. Some parts are just really confusing too. So in conclusion the beginning of the book was good I guess but I really didn't like the middle and close to the end. Not to be confused with the the actual ending, like the last few pages, that was good. That's all. You can read it if you want. You might like it more that me, maybe not. I don't know. I hope that you all have a great day or night! Bye!
July 21, 2023
This book was the definition of meh. It was very repetitive and most of the time boring. I didn’t like any of the characters or the relationships. It was definitely….interesting…to read a book about Covid (even though they never directly said Covid). It wasn’t similar to my experience in quarantine but it’s interesting to think how other people lived through that time.
February 17, 2022
Obviously a very timely book. The writing isn’t the best, but the story makes some interesting observations related to how the pandemic may influence our views of ourselves, of others, and of our relationships.
June 21, 2023
It was kinda weird reading about an event I literally lived through 3 years ago, but that's kind of what I got into when I bought the book. Overall, it was decent. Nothing super exciting, and I was kinda disappointed with how it ended. Kept me interested for short bursts, but it wasn't anything super special in my opinion.
October 22, 2021
See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/yafict...
GOING VIRAL is an intriguing look into the COVID-19 pandemic - particularly the uncertainty and difficulties of the beginning. When Claire finds out that school will be dismissed for 2 weeks due to the cases, she is shocked - everyone had been saying it was not that bad, but now it is that bad. Her girlfriend, Vanessa, tries to reassure her, but Claire mainly just feels shock.
At home, things are strained. Her parents are trying their best, but her mother is also worried about the virus and about money - her job may be furloughed due to the pandemic changes. Claire is frustrated that Vanessa does not seem to understand how she feels, as she spends her time baking and enjoying time with her family. She is constantly reminding Claire to look into colleges - but how can she do that when the world is falling apart?
Then, Claire notices a girl on the fire escape across the street, and she is so intrigued that she begins writing about her on the social media site, Babble. As the story takes off, Claire's own feelings between distorted, and she is not sure how to proceed in love or life.
What I loved: The book does a really great job of portraying the pandemic and closures, particularly the beginning, which was uncertain and frightening. The variety of reactions is also demonstrated through Claire and her circle as they each find their own mechanisms of coping. In terms of being a book about portraying the real times of the last year or two, the book does a great job of showing these difficulties - the big ones and the small ones. Additionally, the major themes were intriguing around not only the pandemic and coping but also honesty. The f/f relationship rep was also great to see.
What left me wanting more: The flow of the book was troubled by the lack of major epiphanies - except around the importance of honesty, and I wanted a bit more character growth to really believe in the way things concluded. The romance from both sides felt a bit forced, and as that is majority of the book, it was tough to fully buy in to or cheer for. I would have liked greater depth, more resolution of the conflicts and insensitivities, and more about the good times to fully be on board with it all.
Final verdict: Overall, GOING VIRAL is an intriguing look at the pandemic and coping strategies that will resonate with readers who have lived through these challenging times.
Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
GOING VIRAL is an intriguing look into the COVID-19 pandemic - particularly the uncertainty and difficulties of the beginning. When Claire finds out that school will be dismissed for 2 weeks due to the cases, she is shocked - everyone had been saying it was not that bad, but now it is that bad. Her girlfriend, Vanessa, tries to reassure her, but Claire mainly just feels shock.
At home, things are strained. Her parents are trying their best, but her mother is also worried about the virus and about money - her job may be furloughed due to the pandemic changes. Claire is frustrated that Vanessa does not seem to understand how she feels, as she spends her time baking and enjoying time with her family. She is constantly reminding Claire to look into colleges - but how can she do that when the world is falling apart?
Then, Claire notices a girl on the fire escape across the street, and she is so intrigued that she begins writing about her on the social media site, Babble. As the story takes off, Claire's own feelings between distorted, and she is not sure how to proceed in love or life.
What I loved: The book does a really great job of portraying the pandemic and closures, particularly the beginning, which was uncertain and frightening. The variety of reactions is also demonstrated through Claire and her circle as they each find their own mechanisms of coping. In terms of being a book about portraying the real times of the last year or two, the book does a great job of showing these difficulties - the big ones and the small ones. Additionally, the major themes were intriguing around not only the pandemic and coping but also honesty. The f/f relationship rep was also great to see.
What left me wanting more: The flow of the book was troubled by the lack of major epiphanies - except around the importance of honesty, and I wanted a bit more character growth to really believe in the way things concluded. The romance from both sides felt a bit forced, and as that is majority of the book, it was tough to fully buy in to or cheer for. I would have liked greater depth, more resolution of the conflicts and insensitivities, and more about the good times to fully be on board with it all.
Final verdict: Overall, GOING VIRAL is an intriguing look at the pandemic and coping strategies that will resonate with readers who have lived through these challenging times.
Please note that I received an ARC from the publisher. All opinions are my own.
June 23, 2022
I originally picked up this book looking for an LGBTQIA+ romance to get me out of my reading slump. Unfortunately, I chose the wrong book to do so. “Going Viral” was not well written as it uses repetitive language. The book reuses the same descriptive words over and over again.
Let’s start off with the plot. I was a little iffy about reading a book that takes place in COVID. I just wasn’t sure it would be interesting enough. But, after reading the back I decided I’d give the book a try. The plot had potential- a love story taking place in a time where we have to social distance. The book did not execute this correctly, though. I got bored pretty quickly and I wasn’t sure if the romance was intended to be between Sadie and Claire or Vanessa and Claire.
Another issue I had was the characters. The book consists of five important characters- Claire, (our protagonist), Claire’s mom, Claire’s dad, Vanessa (Claire’s girlfriend), and Sadie (the girl Claire sees from her apartment window). Claire was not a likeable protagonist. She didn’t have nearly enough gratitude for her parents, who were clearly trying their best to provide for her, she borderline cheated on her girlfriend, she posted Sadie’s private information on the internet, and she was overall a bad character. My main issue was her actions. She’d claim that she loved Vanessa and felt bad that she didn’t tell her about Sadie, and then she’d proceed to write a romantic story about her and Sadie on Babble.
Vanessa wasn’t the best either. She would pressure Claire to get her future figured out when Claire wanted to take her time with this. She was also very judgemental towards Claire’s family. Two examples of where we see this are when she got angry with Claire for not taking family yoga “seriously” and when she pressured Claire to try more complicated recipes even after Claire made it clear that she didn’t feel comfortable bothering her mother with those types of recipes. Furthermore, she constantly invalidated Claire’s feelings about the pandemic. She told her to stop “overreacting”. Claire had every right to her feeling towards the lockdown. Yet, Vanessa made her feel bad about these emotions and made her feel a need to apologise, although Claire was entitled to her own feelings. Although, unlike Claire, we are able to see that she just wants what’s best for her girlfriend’s future.
I’ve always been a fan of “morally grey” characters but Vanessa and Claire were just not likeable. They were in a toxic relationship that lacked communication.
I will say that Claire’s parents and Sadie were fairly likeable characters, though.
Overall, I would not suggest reading “Going Viral”. It was a waste of my time.
Let’s start off with the plot. I was a little iffy about reading a book that takes place in COVID. I just wasn’t sure it would be interesting enough. But, after reading the back I decided I’d give the book a try. The plot had potential- a love story taking place in a time where we have to social distance. The book did not execute this correctly, though. I got bored pretty quickly and I wasn’t sure if the romance was intended to be between Sadie and Claire or Vanessa and Claire.
Another issue I had was the characters. The book consists of five important characters- Claire, (our protagonist), Claire’s mom, Claire’s dad, Vanessa (Claire’s girlfriend), and Sadie (the girl Claire sees from her apartment window). Claire was not a likeable protagonist. She didn’t have nearly enough gratitude for her parents, who were clearly trying their best to provide for her, she borderline cheated on her girlfriend, she posted Sadie’s private information on the internet, and she was overall a bad character. My main issue was her actions. She’d claim that she loved Vanessa and felt bad that she didn’t tell her about Sadie, and then she’d proceed to write a romantic story about her and Sadie on Babble.
Vanessa wasn’t the best either. She would pressure Claire to get her future figured out when Claire wanted to take her time with this. She was also very judgemental towards Claire’s family. Two examples of where we see this are when she got angry with Claire for not taking family yoga “seriously” and when she pressured Claire to try more complicated recipes even after Claire made it clear that she didn’t feel comfortable bothering her mother with those types of recipes. Furthermore, she constantly invalidated Claire’s feelings about the pandemic. She told her to stop “overreacting”. Claire had every right to her feeling towards the lockdown. Yet, Vanessa made her feel bad about these emotions and made her feel a need to apologise, although Claire was entitled to her own feelings. Although, unlike Claire, we are able to see that she just wants what’s best for her girlfriend’s future.
I’ve always been a fan of “morally grey” characters but Vanessa and Claire were just not likeable. They were in a toxic relationship that lacked communication.
I will say that Claire’s parents and Sadie were fairly likeable characters, though.
Overall, I would not suggest reading “Going Viral”. It was a waste of my time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2022
This book was fine,
Things I liked:
1. The general plot of the story was great! I loved the thought of a socially distant love story, even though it’s been 2 years since COVID 19 it’s nice to see how other people communicate. Or coped with the virus. (I’m pretty sure though, if you were to write a story on the girl next door . . . Maybe get to know her, ask her if it was okay)
Things that I thought were a little off:
1. Why didn’t she change her name? Post these posts on a new account so that her girlfriend didn’t find out. I don’t understand.
Things I liked:
1. The general plot of the story was great! I loved the thought of a socially distant love story, even though it’s been 2 years since COVID 19 it’s nice to see how other people communicate. Or coped with the virus. (I’m pretty sure though, if you were to write a story on the girl next door . . . Maybe get to know her, ask her if it was okay)
Things that I thought were a little off:
1. Why didn’t she change her name? Post these posts on a new account so that her girlfriend didn’t find out. I don’t understand.
October 13, 2021
it was okay. in all honesty, it wasn’t that interesting?
i’ve read better wlw novels (which this didn’t even seem like? it seemed like this exact thing could happen with straight, mlm, other types of couples, too). i don’t get huge “vanessa and claire are dating” vibes. they didn’t seem to have much of a relationship besides vanessa taking charge of claire and claire liking having a girlfriend purely for physical touch. it could work out as friends (minus the kissing and such).
sadie wasn’t too interesting either; actually, none of the characters seemed like they had much about them beneath surface appearance. just like blank people that had emotions and thoughts shoved on them for the story, not interesting people with a ton of likes and dislikes. i probably couldn’t fill out a character info sheet if i had too. the characters in the 90 page novella i’m reading in class have more personality.
spoilers:
this book had two very predictable endings, and while it wasn’t the one i expected, the real ending wasn’t good. by good i don’t mean… well, it worked out for everyone, but it wasn’t good for me to read. we all knew they would find out at some point. it made me want to just stop reading, it was so boring. like, okay now everyone is happy, but what’s the plot twist? where’s the surprise ending? i don’t want to read a book if nothing exciting happens. i wouldn’t read a sequel.
also, what’s with the different synopsis in the goodreads and the actual book? “clarissa’s” story isn’t about two random girls becoming friends from afar, or one girl faking for another from afar. first of all, it’s literally like 50 feet. it said so. second of all, it’s sadie and claire’s lives, it’s not like claire took inspiration from their interactions and made new characters. third of all, it’s hinted that claire might like sadie, but she also loves her girlfriend (conflict?). it’s clear claire isn’t satisfied with them just being friends (despite having a girlfriend). on the other hand, claire isn’t falling for sadie. again, she. has. a. girlfriend. it’s just confusing and inaccurate. that’s all.
i’ve read better wlw novels (which this didn’t even seem like? it seemed like this exact thing could happen with straight, mlm, other types of couples, too). i don’t get huge “vanessa and claire are dating” vibes. they didn’t seem to have much of a relationship besides vanessa taking charge of claire and claire liking having a girlfriend purely for physical touch. it could work out as friends (minus the kissing and such).
sadie wasn’t too interesting either; actually, none of the characters seemed like they had much about them beneath surface appearance. just like blank people that had emotions and thoughts shoved on them for the story, not interesting people with a ton of likes and dislikes. i probably couldn’t fill out a character info sheet if i had too. the characters in the 90 page novella i’m reading in class have more personality.
spoilers:
this book had two very predictable endings, and while it wasn’t the one i expected, the real ending wasn’t good. by good i don’t mean… well, it worked out for everyone, but it wasn’t good for me to read. we all knew they would find out at some point. it made me want to just stop reading, it was so boring. like, okay now everyone is happy, but what’s the plot twist? where’s the surprise ending? i don’t want to read a book if nothing exciting happens. i wouldn’t read a sequel.
also, what’s with the different synopsis in the goodreads and the actual book? “clarissa’s” story isn’t about two random girls becoming friends from afar, or one girl faking for another from afar. first of all, it’s literally like 50 feet. it said so. second of all, it’s sadie and claire’s lives, it’s not like claire took inspiration from their interactions and made new characters. third of all, it’s hinted that claire might like sadie, but she also loves her girlfriend (conflict?). it’s clear claire isn’t satisfied with them just being friends (despite having a girlfriend). on the other hand, claire isn’t falling for sadie. again, she. has. a. girlfriend. it’s just confusing and inaccurate. that’s all.
July 29, 2024
Representation: It's complicated.
Trigger warnings: Pandemic
Score: One out of ten.
Okay. Going Viral by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc didn't deserve three or two stars. One will do. I'm glad the library took it off the shelf.
Rubbish. Disappointing. Underwhelming. I can use all these words to describe Going Viral. There are too many problems. I'm surprised I didn't give it a DNF. It underwhelmed me. It was one of the worst books I've read.
It begins when Claire is at school. A pandemic, COVID-19, hits New York. She must isolate. I lived through COVID, so it hit close to home. It would've been fine if Cicatelli-Kuc published it in the future. COVID is a mere historical footnote by then. However, she published it in 2021. I don't want to read about lockdowns and isolations.
Claire lives with her family and I didn't like the way they talked. It felt too bubbly and bright. It crossed the line into toxic positivity. COVID killed so many, so it's nothing to make light of.
Claire struggles to talk with Sadie. Claire writes a romance about her without her knowing it on Babble, a Wattpad equivalent. Claire was unlikable but her actions irritated me.
Claire's story goes well at first. It falls apart when people criticise it. They demand a face reveal. Her story was about a romance between fictional characters Sadie and Clarissa. It's a story in a story. Claire wrote it poorly. I couldn't connect to any character in both stories. People forgave Claire too easily for her actions.
Trigger warnings: Pandemic
Score: One out of ten.
Okay. Going Viral by Katie Cicatelli-Kuc didn't deserve three or two stars. One will do. I'm glad the library took it off the shelf.
Rubbish. Disappointing. Underwhelming. I can use all these words to describe Going Viral. There are too many problems. I'm surprised I didn't give it a DNF. It underwhelmed me. It was one of the worst books I've read.
It begins when Claire is at school. A pandemic, COVID-19, hits New York. She must isolate. I lived through COVID, so it hit close to home. It would've been fine if Cicatelli-Kuc published it in the future. COVID is a mere historical footnote by then. However, she published it in 2021. I don't want to read about lockdowns and isolations.
Claire lives with her family and I didn't like the way they talked. It felt too bubbly and bright. It crossed the line into toxic positivity. COVID killed so many, so it's nothing to make light of.
Claire struggles to talk with Sadie. Claire writes a romance about her without her knowing it on Babble, a Wattpad equivalent. Claire was unlikable but her actions irritated me.
Claire's story goes well at first. It falls apart when people criticise it. They demand a face reveal. Her story was about a romance between fictional characters Sadie and Clarissa. It's a story in a story. Claire wrote it poorly. I couldn't connect to any character in both stories. People forgave Claire too easily for her actions.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2024
I had mixed feelings about this novel, but overall I enjoyed it and am glad that I read it. I was surprised at times (not sure if I would call it plot twists, but not sure what else to call it) which isn't honestly that common so that was some big points in favor of this novel. I liked the characters, even when I didn't like them. This was a novel full of a lot of imperfect people going through a stressful and unprecedented time, and I think that it captured that experience well.
I have not read (or watched on movies or TV) very much at all about the Covid-era quarantines. I didn't realize this until I found this novel, and it was an interesting point. This was a very unique period of time and I think preserving a record of that experience is important. It is a unique setting in a lot of ways which made this one stand out to me. The plotline took advantage of the setting very well, and the end result worked.
As I said I had mixed feelings. I liked this novel, but I didn't love it. I am glad I read it. It's a low 4-stars for me. I think this is the perfect novel for certain people to read, although I'm not positive who those people are.
I have not read (or watched on movies or TV) very much at all about the Covid-era quarantines. I didn't realize this until I found this novel, and it was an interesting point. This was a very unique period of time and I think preserving a record of that experience is important. It is a unique setting in a lot of ways which made this one stand out to me. The plotline took advantage of the setting very well, and the end result worked.
As I said I had mixed feelings. I liked this novel, but I didn't love it. I am glad I read it. It's a low 4-stars for me. I think this is the perfect novel for certain people to read, although I'm not positive who those people are.
November 27, 2023
literally what was this. the whole book sounded like it was written by AI. the main character is annoying and unlikable, consistently victimizing herself. at the beginning it was alright, they talked about the anxiety COVID brought and the struggle with remote school. but, by the end the main character's reasoning for being creepy is just weird. overall the book was SUPER repetitive and not a great read. do not recommend.
December 27, 2024
It was very slow paced and I was just always waiting for something more to happen. I always found myself bored when I was reading it and just didn’t think it was overall worth reading.
April 11, 2023
So let me start this off by saying, the book itself is a 2/5 but the reasons I docked a star have already been voiced a thousand times, but I still want to share my thoughts on it.
First off, characters. Oh my god, I hated the characters. Claire is selfish. She cheated on her girlfriend, and who she cheated on her with she opened up to after like 4 days of knowing. Sadie (the girl she cheated with,) later said that she opened up to everyone the way she did with Claire, but Claire did not know that, but still went out of her way to share every bit of information she knew about Sadie with thousands of randos. Also I hated the fact she was so confident in her writing, because not only was it repetitive, it was blatantly ignoring her duties as a girlfriend for this girl she just met. She also made up this idea that Sadie liked her, and while I admit that was influenced by Babble comments, she says multiple times she shouldn’t take any comments to heart/seriously, then continues to do so.
Vanessa was ALMOST likable. No sorry, that’s a lie. Vanessa is the most toxic girlfriend I’ve read about (and that’s considering Jamie from If He Had Been With Me). She constantly rode Claire about her future, even thought she was just as unsure as Claire. She also dissed her family multiple times for not being able to do yoga right or make homemade brownies, which is so stupid. The part that frustrates me the most about her though, is the invalidating. She constantly ignores and invalidates Claire’s obvious anxiety, then pretends she’s the best girlfriend and didn’t deserve Claire’s anger.
I think the worst relationship in the book was Claire’s and Vanessa’s just because of the constant tension and fights that they would pretend never happened/not address until once at the end.
I have nothing to say about Sadie, she was a meh character, but one of the best in the book, (which is very sad).
Secondly, the writing of the book.
The plot was cute and fine, but the writing and execution sucked. It was repetitive, “I look at my gray curtain. I think about Sadie’s curtain moving.
I’m swimming in a seaweed sea. I wonder if Sadie is swimming in the same seaweedy-sea.” and SO much more like that. Especially “she [said/smiled] brightly. Too brightly. Like PLEASE dear god, look up synonyms for brightly before I shut myself off from the sun just to e never have to think about anything being bright again.
So yes, this book was a 2/5 but the characters knocked a point off. While many reviews aren’t the best, including mine, and say this book is a waste of time, I would still recommend it. It gives a fresh POV of the pandemic and might be salt in the wound, but for me it made me for thankful that it’s over.
First off, characters. Oh my god, I hated the characters. Claire is selfish. She cheated on her girlfriend, and who she cheated on her with she opened up to after like 4 days of knowing. Sadie (the girl she cheated with,) later said that she opened up to everyone the way she did with Claire, but Claire did not know that, but still went out of her way to share every bit of information she knew about Sadie with thousands of randos. Also I hated the fact she was so confident in her writing, because not only was it repetitive, it was blatantly ignoring her duties as a girlfriend for this girl she just met. She also made up this idea that Sadie liked her, and while I admit that was influenced by Babble comments, she says multiple times she shouldn’t take any comments to heart/seriously, then continues to do so.
Vanessa was ALMOST likable. No sorry, that’s a lie. Vanessa is the most toxic girlfriend I’ve read about (and that’s considering Jamie from If He Had Been With Me). She constantly rode Claire about her future, even thought she was just as unsure as Claire. She also dissed her family multiple times for not being able to do yoga right or make homemade brownies, which is so stupid. The part that frustrates me the most about her though, is the invalidating. She constantly ignores and invalidates Claire’s obvious anxiety, then pretends she’s the best girlfriend and didn’t deserve Claire’s anger.
I think the worst relationship in the book was Claire’s and Vanessa’s just because of the constant tension and fights that they would pretend never happened/not address until once at the end.
I have nothing to say about Sadie, she was a meh character, but one of the best in the book, (which is very sad).
Secondly, the writing of the book.
The plot was cute and fine, but the writing and execution sucked. It was repetitive, “I look at my gray curtain. I think about Sadie’s curtain moving.
I’m swimming in a seaweed sea. I wonder if Sadie is swimming in the same seaweedy-sea.” and SO much more like that. Especially “she [said/smiled] brightly. Too brightly. Like PLEASE dear god, look up synonyms for brightly before I shut myself off from the sun just to e never have to think about anything being bright again.
So yes, this book was a 2/5 but the characters knocked a point off. While many reviews aren’t the best, including mine, and say this book is a waste of time, I would still recommend it. It gives a fresh POV of the pandemic and might be salt in the wound, but for me it made me for thankful that it’s over.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2025
⭐️1⭐️
I didn’t expect a lot from this book, and still it did not deliver. At all.
Dislikes:
- Every single piece of dialogue felt awkward, which I think is as much about the writing as it is about the character relationships. Every relationship is awkward for the wrong reasons and unrealistic in the worst way.
- I didn’t like any of the characters. Maybeeee Sadie, but that didn’t work out in the end, obviously. Just how they’re written, and again, I think this comes down to chemistry and relationships at some point. Just none of the characters were likable, in any way.
- The. Plot. Omg, I’m most annoyed with this. Evidently, I didn’t like the writing style or really anything about this book one bit, and it was like that from the beginning. But I stayed because I was SO INTERESTED in the plot. I needed to know when Claire and Sadie got together, and how Claire and Vanessa broke up.
Except thats not what happened!!! Apparently, Sadie’s kind of a jerk in real life, and Vanessa is the one for Claire. No. Just no. Becauseeeeee…
- Vanessa is SO TOXIC! Like, she’s controlling, and she has no regard for Claire’s feelings. Everything is about her, and she’s pushy about what she wants, not even noticing that Claire is uncomfortable or doesn’t want to do something. She also has zero conflict resolution skills, and she switches from accusatory and hurt to caring and softer hurt. Like, I cannot root for Vanessa and Claire no matter what. I think Claire shouldve ended up alone before she got back together/stayed with Vanessa, because she’s just toxic.
- Sadie??? Like, the mixed signals! And then she just shucks her off at the end, like what! She was literally my favorite character, and she got turned into this different person at the end.
- Finally, Claire herself. No character arc, whatsoever. I thought she would grow to think for herself, stop being sorry for things that aren’t her fault, stop comparing herself to Vanessa, and also maybe realize how toxic Vanessa is at the same time. Instead, she stays the same, apologizing profusely to Vanessa, declaring her love, blah blah, like come on, she didn’t grow at all! And that’s what really got me. That Claire didnt learn to be her own person, didnt take away from the experience. She just got back together with her girlfriend and stayed exactly the same.
Likes:
- I guess I liked Sadie until the grocery store where she basically shunned Claire, but that’s really it. Sadie was supposed to save Claire from herself and Vanessa, reach her how to be herself! Which, obviously, didn’t happen.
That’s seriously the only good thing I can find.
Wrap-Up
This book was soooo disappointing and a waste of my time, I wish I had DNF’d it instead of hoping it would get better. 😢
I didn’t expect a lot from this book, and still it did not deliver. At all.
Dislikes:
- Every single piece of dialogue felt awkward, which I think is as much about the writing as it is about the character relationships. Every relationship is awkward for the wrong reasons and unrealistic in the worst way.
- I didn’t like any of the characters. Maybeeee Sadie, but that didn’t work out in the end, obviously. Just how they’re written, and again, I think this comes down to chemistry and relationships at some point. Just none of the characters were likable, in any way.
- The. Plot. Omg, I’m most annoyed with this. Evidently, I didn’t like the writing style or really anything about this book one bit, and it was like that from the beginning. But I stayed because I was SO INTERESTED in the plot. I needed to know when Claire and Sadie got together, and how Claire and Vanessa broke up.
Except thats not what happened!!! Apparently, Sadie’s kind of a jerk in real life, and Vanessa is the one for Claire. No. Just no. Becauseeeeee…
- Vanessa is SO TOXIC! Like, she’s controlling, and she has no regard for Claire’s feelings. Everything is about her, and she’s pushy about what she wants, not even noticing that Claire is uncomfortable or doesn’t want to do something. She also has zero conflict resolution skills, and she switches from accusatory and hurt to caring and softer hurt. Like, I cannot root for Vanessa and Claire no matter what. I think Claire shouldve ended up alone before she got back together/stayed with Vanessa, because she’s just toxic.
- Sadie??? Like, the mixed signals! And then she just shucks her off at the end, like what! She was literally my favorite character, and she got turned into this different person at the end.
- Finally, Claire herself. No character arc, whatsoever. I thought she would grow to think for herself, stop being sorry for things that aren’t her fault, stop comparing herself to Vanessa, and also maybe realize how toxic Vanessa is at the same time. Instead, she stays the same, apologizing profusely to Vanessa, declaring her love, blah blah, like come on, she didn’t grow at all! And that’s what really got me. That Claire didnt learn to be her own person, didnt take away from the experience. She just got back together with her girlfriend and stayed exactly the same.
Likes:
- I guess I liked Sadie until the grocery store where she basically shunned Claire, but that’s really it. Sadie was supposed to save Claire from herself and Vanessa, reach her how to be herself! Which, obviously, didn’t happen.
That’s seriously the only good thing I can find.
Wrap-Up
This book was soooo disappointing and a waste of my time, I wish I had DNF’d it instead of hoping it would get better. 😢
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2022
honestly it’s a 2 rating for me :/ i almost gave it 3 because i had such a fun time reading it up until the ending but i just … couldn’t bro
i’m sooo mad bECAUSE THIS BOOK HAD SUCH POTENTIAL BUT THE ENDING SUCKED ASS HARD !!!
so first off the writing is very juvenile, and claire’s writing portions were very hard to read. i just didn’t like the style. also, claire is just kinda dumb about communicating (her lack thereof) and has absolutely no idea what she really wants throughout the whole book. she decides at the end that she wants her girlfriend, but i’m convinced it’s because she’s just out of options. if things went differently with sadie i’m sure she would’ve dumped vanessa and not bothered to work things out with her.
what drew me into this book is that i relate to claire. lockdown started at the same time for me, and i also had a girlfriend of a little over six months at the time. she was absolutely perfect at everything and a total overachiever and expected nothing less from perfection from me. it was a really toxic relationship and not healthy in the slightest, but i had nothing else to hang onto during quarantine and she was pretty much all i had so i stayed with her. i feel like claire is in a similar situation in this book and it kills me that she couldn’t see that. i really wish things would’ve worked out with her and sadie, and that sadie reciprocated claire’s feelings, no matter how romanticized their relationship was through claire’s babble posts.
i’m just. so disappointed in this book honestly. i was waiting for claire and vanessa to break up and for claire to realize she’s better off alone or with sadie or just anything honestly. i hated how sadie was written out so quickly and just sort of disappeared from the story and suddenly everything was perfect with claire and vanessa. tbh, i feel like vanessa is way too good for claire in this book because of how many chances she’s giving her and how hard she’s trying to stay connected throughout the pandemic. even if she probably shouldn’t have hidden her worries and told claire she was overreacting and all that,, she was still just doing what was right and trying to comfort her girlfriend.
i’m sooo mad bECAUSE THIS BOOK HAD SUCH POTENTIAL BUT THE ENDING SUCKED ASS HARD !!!
so first off the writing is very juvenile, and claire’s writing portions were very hard to read. i just didn’t like the style. also, claire is just kinda dumb about communicating (her lack thereof) and has absolutely no idea what she really wants throughout the whole book. she decides at the end that she wants her girlfriend, but i’m convinced it’s because she’s just out of options. if things went differently with sadie i’m sure she would’ve dumped vanessa and not bothered to work things out with her.
what drew me into this book is that i relate to claire. lockdown started at the same time for me, and i also had a girlfriend of a little over six months at the time. she was absolutely perfect at everything and a total overachiever and expected nothing less from perfection from me. it was a really toxic relationship and not healthy in the slightest, but i had nothing else to hang onto during quarantine and she was pretty much all i had so i stayed with her. i feel like claire is in a similar situation in this book and it kills me that she couldn’t see that. i really wish things would’ve worked out with her and sadie, and that sadie reciprocated claire’s feelings, no matter how romanticized their relationship was through claire’s babble posts.
i’m just. so disappointed in this book honestly. i was waiting for claire and vanessa to break up and for claire to realize she’s better off alone or with sadie or just anything honestly. i hated how sadie was written out so quickly and just sort of disappeared from the story and suddenly everything was perfect with claire and vanessa. tbh, i feel like vanessa is way too good for claire in this book because of how many chances she’s giving her and how hard she’s trying to stay connected throughout the pandemic. even if she probably shouldn’t have hidden her worries and told claire she was overreacting and all that,, she was still just doing what was right and trying to comfort her girlfriend.
August 24, 2023
bro. when i was about 60% in it was quite literally REEKING with potential. i practically just pretended it wasn't about covid and it was like an apocalyptic future story because i like the rest of the plot so much.
(i'm not going to hide this review because i don't think it necessarily spoils anything explicitly but if youre, like, really not looking for spoilers maybe don't read it?)
the plot (or so i thought): everyone has to quarantine, so Claire isn't able to see her girlfriend Vanessa and that really sucks. this is New York so she has a fire escape in her apartment, and on the opposite buildings fire escape there is another girl, Sadie. She watches Sadie then finally says hi and they become friends. Claire has a babble account and she starts doing blogs of her life, mostly her story with Sadie. Her and her girlfriend begin to fight, or not really, Vanessa is just toxic and mean. (like honestly so awful, she was not a good girlfriend and was practically just manipulating Claires feelings during the entire book). Sadie is super sweet though and Claire starts to realize her worth and be happy for the first time in forever, she learns new things about her self and finally feels comfortable talking about her interests. its so cute and i felt so happy for her.
what would you think happens next? shes going to realize she deserves better, dump Vanessa and eventually fall for Sadie? yeah i thought that too until 90% in. when i hit that mark it honestly felt like one of those books where the author dies while writing it and some other incompetent writer decides to finish it for them. and then decides to change the very obvious course for the plot.
i swore never to rate a queer book 1 star unless i hate it with a burning passion and wish it was never written so this will be 2 stars. if it was straight it would be a immediate 1 star lol
(i'm not going to hide this review because i don't think it necessarily spoils anything explicitly but if youre, like, really not looking for spoilers maybe don't read it?)
the plot (or so i thought): everyone has to quarantine, so Claire isn't able to see her girlfriend Vanessa and that really sucks. this is New York so she has a fire escape in her apartment, and on the opposite buildings fire escape there is another girl, Sadie. She watches Sadie then finally says hi and they become friends. Claire has a babble account and she starts doing blogs of her life, mostly her story with Sadie. Her and her girlfriend begin to fight, or not really, Vanessa is just toxic and mean. (like honestly so awful, she was not a good girlfriend and was practically just manipulating Claires feelings during the entire book). Sadie is super sweet though and Claire starts to realize her worth and be happy for the first time in forever, she learns new things about her self and finally feels comfortable talking about her interests. its so cute and i felt so happy for her.
what would you think happens next? shes going to realize she deserves better, dump Vanessa and eventually fall for Sadie? yeah i thought that too until 90% in. when i hit that mark it honestly felt like one of those books where the author dies while writing it and some other incompetent writer decides to finish it for them. and then decides to change the very obvious course for the plot.
i swore never to rate a queer book 1 star unless i hate it with a burning passion and wish it was never written so this will be 2 stars. if it was straight it would be a immediate 1 star lol
August 3, 2022
The writing made me feel like I was reading a Wattpad fanfic, and the ending was very dissatisfying. Personally, I felt like Claire and Vanessa had many more issues than just "communication." When Vanessa confronted Claire at the end, as well as the time when she "allowed Claire to explain herself" she sounded very manipulative and tried to put the blame on Claire. She would explain her side of things but wouldn't hear what Claire had to say. Although what Claire did wasn't right either, Vanessa also handled things very poorly, such as the way she would treat Claire throughout the book. Although Vanessa had her own "reasons", they do not excuse the fact that she was so dismissive of Claire earlier on, and at one point she was completely distracted by something else on her phone when Claire was saying goodbye and something was clearly wrong. Although I do agree with Vanessa when she says that Claire needs to voice her wants and needs, Vanessa should still be mindful. If your significant other isn't feeling okay, you should at least show your concern to show that you care (if you really do care for them, this truly should be something that comes naturally), rather than completely ignoring it and waiting for them to talk to you about it. Additionally, if Vanessa really wanted to make Claire feel better about the pandemic, she shouldn't have done it so aggressively. She got frustrated and angry with her often which only *obviously* made Claire feel worse. In my opinion, both of the girls need to figure themselves out because this relationship just seems very toxic and if something like this were to happen in real life, it wouldn't have an easily resolved ending like the one in the book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 25, 2024
This book is was an alright read for me. I read it when I was in a bit of a reading slump, and felt like reading a YA novel would be helpful. While it was helpful to get me out of my reading slump, it did get a bit hard to pay attention to after about the first five or six chapters. There is a good amount of repetition that does not allow for much personal imagery from the reader. It also doesn't allow for a good grasp of time. However, I guess that is the point? Considering the book is taking place during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, it makes sense that this repetition and isolation of conversations and ideas is prevalent in the book. I did enjoy the use of text messages in the book, as it allows young readers to understand that even the simple words that they use in their text messages have significance. I also enjoyed reading about a young, queer couple, as it is still a bit difficult to find books that highlight queer romance. I truly have a hard time trying to get over the fact that a good amount of the "action" of this book takes place in the very last chapters of the book. I found myself skipping lines, as I was angry that everything worth remembering from the story was somehow magically rectified with a long talk, hug, and socially distant meet up. There was not that much dimension to the story or the characters. I did enjoy hearing about the relationship between the MC's mom and dad though, as they are the characters that managed to highlight the everyday occurrences and possibilities of those in quarantine. Overall, I would not read the book again, nor recommend it for the average reader. However, if someone is interested in reading about a family experiencing isolation while being together, then I would recommend this book. Thank you for reading!
November 24, 2021
Ok, I admit it. The ending of this surprised me! It wasn't going where I thought it was at all.
The pandemic has had a huge effect on everything, everywhere. No one can possibly argue with that. And there are as many ways of reacting to it as there are people caught up in it. This book shows a few of them, and beautifully, it treats them all as equally valid. Although people don't understand each other's coping mechanisms, they allow each other to have them. There's even a certain amount of (gasp) talking things out!
It seemed to me that Claire had an anxiety disorder, but maybe I'm just reading into that since a lot of MCs do now. Maybe she was just overwhelmed by the pandemic, as so many are and continue to be. Vanessa felt a bit overwhelming, but she seemed to work really well with Claire, so that worked out nicely. Claire's parents obviously meant well, even though it didn't always come across, and they came through in the end.
There's one day when Claire wakes up and everything is just *wrong* and I felt that was so relatable! In my house we call that 'not right in our skin' and it just seems to happen every so often. It was great to see that we're not the only ones!
I really enjoyed this, even though it was tough in places. It's a fantastic record of this really strange time and hopefully, in a few years when this is all forgotten, this will be a great way to explain it!
The pandemic has had a huge effect on everything, everywhere. No one can possibly argue with that. And there are as many ways of reacting to it as there are people caught up in it. This book shows a few of them, and beautifully, it treats them all as equally valid. Although people don't understand each other's coping mechanisms, they allow each other to have them. There's even a certain amount of (gasp) talking things out!
It seemed to me that Claire had an anxiety disorder, but maybe I'm just reading into that since a lot of MCs do now. Maybe she was just overwhelmed by the pandemic, as so many are and continue to be. Vanessa felt a bit overwhelming, but she seemed to work really well with Claire, so that worked out nicely. Claire's parents obviously meant well, even though it didn't always come across, and they came through in the end.
There's one day when Claire wakes up and everything is just *wrong* and I felt that was so relatable! In my house we call that 'not right in our skin' and it just seems to happen every so often. It was great to see that we're not the only ones!
I really enjoyed this, even though it was tough in places. It's a fantastic record of this really strange time and hopefully, in a few years when this is all forgotten, this will be a great way to explain it!
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