Soho Teen More Happy Than Not Hardcover
A special Deluxe Edition of Adam Silvera's groundbreaking debut featuring an introduction by Angie Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of The Hate U Give; a new final chapter, "More Happy Ending"; and an afterword about where it all began.
In his twisty, heartbreaking, profoundly moving New York Times bestselling debut, Adam Silvera brings to life a charged, dangerous near-future summer in the Bronx. In the months following his father's suicide, sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto can't seem to find happiness again, despite the support of his girlfriend, Genevieve, and his overworked mom. Grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist won't let him forget the pain. But when Aaron meets Thomas, a new kid in the neighborhood, something starts to shift inside him. Aaron can't deny his unexpected feelings for Thomas despite the tensions their friendship has created with Genevieve and his tight-knit crew. Since Aaron can't stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound happiness, he considers taking drastic actions. The Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-altering procedure will straighten him out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is. Why does happiness have to be so hard?
In his twisty, heartbreaking, profoundly moving New York Times bestselling debut, Adam Silvera brings to life a charged, dangerous near-future summer in the Bronx. In the months following his father's suicide, sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto can't seem to find happiness again, despite the support of his girlfriend, Genevieve, and his overworked mom. Grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist won't let him forget the pain. But when Aaron meets Thomas, a new kid in the neighborhood, something starts to shift inside him. Aaron can't deny his unexpected feelings for Thomas despite the tensions their friendship has created with Genevieve and his tight-knit crew. Since Aaron can't stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound happiness, he considers taking drastic actions. The Leteo Institute's revolutionary memory-altering procedure will straighten him out, even if it means forgetting who he truly is. Why does happiness have to be so hard?
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4.5 stars
More Happy Than Not was a hard book to read. Simply because it tackles some hard to read situations, and the pain that is laid bare before us is intense and heartbreaking. To be completely honest - I wasn't aware heading in that the book would take a darker tone; but I am pleasantly surprised it did.
Adam's writing is real and raw; pulling you in with a vise grip and never letting go. The story is told in 3 parts - and it weaves together seamlessly. There was a major "plot twist" a little over half way into the book, and i feel like i should have seen it coming. The clues were there, it all makes sense and the build up for the reveal was there. I was just so immersed in Aaron's story that I wasn't paying attention to the small things.
Aaron just broke my heart. He is one of those that can never catch a break - and no matter what he does, he can't make everyone happy. Although I didn't care for his friends in the beginning, because they are major (bad words here) I felt like I understood his connection to them. When you grow up with people, it's difficult when you actually SEE them for who they are yet, you still have their back. Then there is Thomas; a friend who understands him and lets him be himself. Their friendship (and Genevieve) was one of the best things to happen to Aaron. Poor guy just wanted to be happy and be himself, and feeling like you CAN'T is one of the worst feelings in the world.
The message in More Happy Than Not is an obvious one - and I don't want to delve too deep because it can contain some spoilers and one I feel you should experience for yourself. Just read it - with tissues of course - and see why Aaron's story will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommend.
4.5 stars
More Happy Than Not was a hard book to read. Simply because it tackles some hard to read situations, and the pain that is laid bare before us is intense and heartbreaking. To be completely honest - I wasn't aware heading in that the book would take a darker tone; but I am pleasantly surprised it did.
Adam's writing is real and raw; pulling you in with a vise grip and never letting go. The story is told in 3 parts - and it weaves together seamlessly. There was a major "plot twist" a little over half way into the book, and i feel like i should have seen it coming. The clues were there, it all makes sense and the build up for the reveal was there. I was just so immersed in Aaron's story that I wasn't paying attention to the small things.
Aaron just broke my heart. He is one of those that can never catch a break - and no matter what he does, he can't make everyone happy. Although I didn't care for his friends in the beginning, because they are major (bad words here) I felt like I understood his connection to them. When you grow up with people, it's difficult when you actually SEE them for who they are yet, you still have their back. Then there is Thomas; a friend who understands him and lets him be himself. Their friendship (and Genevieve) was one of the best things to happen to Aaron. Poor guy just wanted to be happy and be himself, and feeling like you CAN'T is one of the worst feelings in the world.
The message in More Happy Than Not is an obvious one - and I don't want to delve too deep because it can contain some spoilers and one I feel you should experience for yourself. Just read it - with tissues of course - and see why Aaron's story will stick with me for a long time. Highly recommend.
*I received this book for free from The Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*
Hell. That was rough.
I was plodding along ready to throw a couple stars out and call it a day.
AND THEN THIS BOOK KNOCKED ME ON MY ASS.
I'm having a tough time putting this all into words. It felt very familiar yet foreign. I loved Aaron's voice. His rejection felt like my own, his humiliation became my own, his longing was my own - and he didn't have to say how he felt for me to feel it.
There was just something so, so cool and so, so heartbreaking about this book. Hearts all around.
4 Stars (maybe it should be 5 but I'm feeling conflicted)
I was plodding along ready to throw a couple stars out and call it a day.
AND THEN THIS BOOK KNOCKED ME ON MY ASS.
I'm having a tough time putting this all into words. It felt very familiar yet foreign. I loved Aaron's voice. His rejection felt like my own, his humiliation became my own, his longing was my own - and he didn't have to say how he felt for me to feel it.
There was just something so, so cool and so, so heartbreaking about this book. Hearts all around.
4 Stars (maybe it should be 5 but I'm feeling conflicted)
More Happy Than Not is written with sadness, humor, and heart. I genuinely liked the main characters and loved the voice. It discusses dark subject matter (suicide, poverty, hate crimes) realistically with a bit of sci-fi thrown in. I recommend this book and suggest that you be ready to talk with your teen about it when they're finished reading. It can bring up a lot of emotions.
At first, I disliked the book and felt unmotivated to read it. However, as I read on, the book got interesting and I could not stop flipping through the pages. I disliked the book at the beginning because I failed to connect with the characters. They seemed very uninteresting and unlikable. If the main character (Aaron) is problematic, then it would be very difficult to follow along with the character’s narrative, as it was so for me. The only likable character was the main character’s girlfriend, Genevieve. Then, the story kept dragging on and I was impatiently waiting for drama to come. All of a sudden, Aaron strikes up a friendship with a guy named Thomas. Thomas is a dude looking for a purpose in his life, and Aaron understands him like none other. Their saga goes on until Aaron confesses that he’s gay, and then tries to kiss Thomas. However, Thomas says he is straight and causes Aaron to go into a downward spiral. This is the moment where I finally connected with Aaron, as I have liked someone before only to find out they were not what I expected. Then in Aaron’s narrative, he reveals all of his other issues regarding his homosexuality, such as his problems with his father and a former friend-with-benefits named Collin. At this point, I did not relate to Aaron, but I felt really bad for him as his life was rough and continues to be hard. Then, Aaron got physically assaulted and was called slurs, landing him into the hospital. Aaron was so depressed that he was willing to go under surgery to remove any memory of him being gay. The aftermath of this procedure is tragic, and the aftermath is one of the most gut-wrenching things I have ever read. To summarize and not spoil, Aaron is basically disassociating himself from all his loved ones so they don’t get hurt, but most of them still care for him. I did not like the ending because Aaron suffers instead of the horrible people who berated him because of his sexuality, but I suppose it adds realism to this story because life doesn’t always have good endings. However, I really wanted a good ending for Aaron. I really loved that this book showcases the struggles of homosexuality, such as Aaron’s fear of others not accepting him or his confusion about his sexuality. However, this book also tells the important lesson about memories. Your memories shape who you are and you should learn from your past, but do not let your past negatively affect your present-self. In closing, I would rate this book an 8/10.
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