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Wayward Son (Simon Snow, #2)

Rainbow Rowell

Start date: January 1, 2025

Finish date: January 31, 2025

Discussion: Book of the Month

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What Members Thought

Oct 16, 2019 Heather rated it it was amazing

After reading the first book in this series for a second time I was so ready to continue so I could see what happened to the characters. With everyone’s mixed feelings coming from this book lately it had me super nervous to read it. I am so glad that I went ahead and read this book because it was written so great. I enjoyed every page of it and I loved the romance because it was magical and realistic at the same time. This book was shorter than the first one so the action was packed. We got more ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2020 Ashley Lewis rated it liked it

I just don't think I get the hype. This book was fine, but it was not as amazing as I expected it to be with the amount of people who love it.

I will say that I think I enjoyed the first one a bit more and I'm not really excited about the third one. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 29, 2019 Damselflies rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Cliffhanger end ! Be warned when you pick up this book !

Vampires | Road trip | Rescue | Issues | Sappy Love

Spoilers coming an other time if I remember

True rating: 4.5 , but the bloody cliffhanger leaving me frustrated made me rate is downward instead of upward :')

This is the long wanted sequel of Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I didn't feel like Carry On really needed a sequel, it could've ended for me there, but Im glad it actually did get a sequel ! I didn't really love the first book. But ever ...more

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Jan 02, 2025 Celia Buell (semi hiatus) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbtq, gay, favorites, young-adult, series, road-trip, owned, ebook, favorite-authors, author-i-like

Wow, what a book to start the year with!

I loved getting back into the world of Simon, Baz, Penelope, and Agatha. So many books never focus on what happened after the final battle, and I love that Rainbow Rowell takes this approach for a whole book (although it's heartbreaking to have to see Simon and Baz go through it).

I don't know what to think about Penelope in this one. She seems arrogant and blustering. On the other hand, Baz really comes into himself. And Simon annoys me in his insistence t Wow, what a book to start the year with!

I loved getting back into the world of Simon, Baz, Penelope, and Agatha. So many books never focus on what happened after the final battle, and I love that Rainbow Rowell takes this approach for a whole book (although it's heartbreaking to have to see Simon and Baz go through it).

I don't know what to think about Penelope in this one. She seems arrogant and blustering. On the other hand, Baz really comes into himself. And Simon annoys me in his insistence to not talk about stuff.

Agatha's story was interesting, and the fact that it actually did tie in with everything the other three were experiencing was kind of mind-blowing in the way it actually did. I'm not surprised she let herself get wrapped up in that, although I'm glad she had the sense to call in her friends.

I loved the introduction of the new character Shepard as well. I always like when someone from the normal world is brought into the chaos of a magic world, something Harry Potter just doesn't do. This was one of the many elements that gives this a Percy Jackson-esque feel.

Everything about the way the characters experience things was so well done! I love the idea of an American writer writing British characters experiencing America for the first time. In particular, I loved the Cheesecake Factory scene (a mall in Des Moines? I feel like I know that exact Cheesecake Factory, and it was actually the first one I experienced myself, in college) and the Renaissance Faire scene. Even before all the magic and disaster struck, there was the magic in the writing of all of it.

Like I said, this had a really Percy Jackson-esque feel to it. I loved the road trip across the US doing something that could have been done in a much simpler way. It felt like coming back to my favorite tropes in children's fantasy, but with a more adult focus.

I finally picked this series back up because I want to write and listen to songs about it. I think that I might have to read and reread the whole series before that can happen, but I'm so grateful for the friend who got me back into this series. ...more

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Oct 05, 2019 Jasmine rated it really liked it

Hooray for Thursday when Wayward Son was released, allowing me to spend all weekend reading it! I am so happy this weekend finally came as I really just loved being back in the Carry On universe with Simon, Baz and friends!

I didn't know much about this long-awaited Carry On sequel before reading it, except that it was about Simon and his friends going on holiday in America, which really excited me because I love road-trip/travel story lines! I'm glad I didn't know anything else because it meant Hooray for Thursday when Wayward Son was released, allowing me to spend all weekend reading it! I am so happy this weekend finally came as I really just loved being back in the Carry On universe with Simon, Baz and friends!

I didn't know much about this long-awaited Carry On sequel before reading it, except that it was about Simon and his friends going on holiday in America, which really excited me because I love road-trip/travel story lines! I'm glad I didn't know anything else because it meant I kind of just went along with the ride and ended up really enjoying it without too much expectation about the plot, etc.

Now, I do have to say that if the third book in the Simon Snow series hadn't been announced when I was halfway through reading Wayward Son, I may have been left a little disappointed by the end. I am so, so glad that the story is continuing after this book because if it had all ended like that, I can't say I'd be happy.

I really enjoyed Wayward Son because it had such a different tone to Carry On. It was still lighthearted and humorous, but there was a deeper, sadder feeling to the characters and the plot that I found refreshing and really realistic to how a lot of of twenty year old's feel when they start university, when everything is changing and they need to make some big "adult" life choices. I really enjoyed seeing all of the characters struggling with identity and relationship issues and I can't wait to see how it all develops in the next book.

I found the plot engaging and fun, with a good balance between action and character-centred chapters as Simon, Baz and Penny drove around America to see Agatha and got themselves in a lot of trouble along the way. The way magic was explored throughout the book was interesting because of how different everything was in America compared to the UK, and I really liked how Baz's vampire ways were such a big part of the story.

Most of all, I just really love the characters and their friendships/relationships. I've always enjoyed the banter and the close friendship between Simon and his friends. Don't even get me started with Simon and Baz's relationship, which just makes me so happy and shatters my heart at the same time. I also really liked the inclusion of some new characters :), but that's getting a little too close to spoilers!

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading Wayward Son and getting to know Simon and his friends again after everything that happened in Carry On. Cannot wait for the release of Any Way The Wind Blows! ...more

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Mar 10, 2023 Helena rated it liked it

59/100

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May 24, 2023 Vippi rated it really liked it

Shelves: vampires, enemies-to-lovers, lgbtq

Simon & Baz have a special place in my heart.
That's probably why I enjoyed this book so much and finished it in two sittings even if it's the embodiment of the miscommunication trope — a.k.a. the trope I hate the most. 😅 ...more

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