Reviews with content warning for Religious bigotry - Every Word You Never Said

Reviews tagging 'Religious bigotry'

Every Word You Never Said by Jordon Greene

30 reviews

roadoutsidemyhouse's review against another edition

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slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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xxivo's review

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emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This book was so damn cute. Sky was absolutely adorable through the whole book, but also very relatable as a fellow disabled person. His more self-destructive thoughts also happen in my head, <spoiler?so it was even better to see him overcome those a bit. Jacob was such a good character too and I greatly enjoyed his POV chapters.

Definitely cried at the ending with no regrets.

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pagesofnay's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Every Word You Never Said was a fast, lovely, and heartwarming read.

The characters were really the main focus of the book. Skylar is nonverbal, gay, and loves wearing skirts. I absolutely loved Skylar and think he deserves the world. Jacob is gay and his family is very conservative and religious. While these two are the main focus, there are other characters that were absolutely lovely.

However, I did feel like the ending was a little rushed. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing since it was an easy read, but I wished there had been more depth and connection before the ending.

I thought this book was very cute and definitely worth the read. Once I saw the cover and description, I knew I had to read this. The writing was great and had realistic dialogue between teenagers.

Please check the TWs before reading!! Don’t just go into this book blind as it deals with many issues like; homophobia, ableism, bullying, and religious trauma.

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otbval's review against another edition

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emotional lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

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spookieboogie's review against another edition

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challenging sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

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queerbooksupremacy's review

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emotional inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

this book wasn’t necessarily bad- it just also wasn’t great either. the plot was meh, the characters were overall unlikeable and i just wasn’t finding myself that interested in the story,,,

when i picked it up, i was excited for some good rep featuring adopted, non-verbal and skirt wearing boys but even this missed the mark.

most key points of the story were entirely glossed over. whenever there was an interesting scene, the author decided this was a perfect time for the scene to fade to black. even most of their first date and arguments and getting to know each other- it was all glossed over for the less important parts.

i really wanted to enjoy this but besides the book itself being aesthetically beautiful, it didn’t really have a lot going for it.

i also found the usage of slurs ridiculously off-putting. they were thrown around almost every other page and i can’t stand reading them as it is. as well as that, religion played a much bigger part in this than i expected and not in a good way.

i know this review seems overly negative but i did still sort of enjoy the book! the writing was easy and it was a quick book to fly through- just not if you’re looking for something of much sustenance. the issues it tackles are real and important and having this as a stepping stone to understanding them was good just not perfectly executed.

(edit: i lied, i don’t like this book at all)

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moiranetty's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

After watching Heartstopper on Netflix I needed more so I figured I try this book out. It did not meet my expectations. The premise of the story and the conflicts in the book were good but the execution was bad. It felt like a lot of things were skipped over, like they would be mentioned in a chapter and by the next chapter the thing would be already over. Like the concert, we see before the concert and then after it. It would have been nice to see the characters interactions during.

I also found it weird that Jacob didn't know who My Chemical Romance was, especially since he said his band is cover band that is sort of emo rock fusion. He even knows who Five Finger Death Punch is and Pierce the Veil. It's hard to believe he wouldn't have come across MCR.

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tkhenry99's review against another edition

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3.0

The first half was really good and enjoyable, but it really went downhill after that. I have a lot of issues with some of the messages this book sends to teens about relationships. The whole conflict was Skylar massively overreacting and refusing to see reason, which made him really unlikeable in the end. While I understand Skylar had a significant amount of trauma, it made me really uncomfortable that Jacob had to bend over backwards for WEEKS to get Skylar to even consider forgiving him…… when Skylar was in the wrong in the first place. I wish there had been a scene where Jacob and Skylar talk privately instead so the author could better explore the nuances of the characters situations and thoughts. (Also, it made me realize that Skylar has great new adoptive parents that are probably aware of the trauma he’s experienced in foster care, and they DIDNT get him a therapist??? seems unlikely).

I’m also not a fan of the public apology thing. It’s always manipulative and I honestly thought it was kind of out of character for Skylar to appreciate it.

And I’m glad the book is sex positive, but I didn’t really like how that all played out.

I mean, the characters hardly knew each other and Skylar had literally JUST turned 16. Both characters are admittedly completely inexperienced. The conversation they actually have about sex happens completely off page. They wouldn’t even have had condoms if Skylar’s mom hadn’t provided them.

There are better ways to be sex positive and not inadvertently encourage reckless behavior. But like…. at least it had good representation……

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lennie_reads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

So this was a super cute mlm YA contemporary romance between Skylar, 16, nonverbal & recently adopted and Jacob, 18, & from a super conservative & religious family.

The two become friends and eventually more, but it does take a while! I'll admit it was a slower burn than I anticipated, especially when they both like each other so early on they're both just too scared to admit it.

I loved Skylar & Jacob, they were fantastic characters with big hearts & each with their own flaws. I also adored Skylar's friends (Seth & Imani) and his parents, and would've liked to see more of him interacting with his parents.

I think the non verbal rep was handled really well, most of the time you got used to how Skylar communicates & didn't notice it but it also brought to light how difficult certain situations can be.
(I personally believe all kids should learn sign language from day one at school - but why there is a difference between ASL & BSL I'll never understand!)

Another major plotline is that Skylar likes to wear skirts but some of the conservative parents & people on the school board want to make the dress code more restrictive. So Skylar, Jacob & their friends are trying to fight it. This was upsetting to read, especially the conservative arguments as it felt very realistic & I'm sure it probably happens in the US more than we think.

I do feel that the classic '70% romance story fallout' was a bit of an overreaction on Skylar's part, but also he's only 16 & has major abandonment issues so I get it, even if Skylar dragged it out a bit too long.
I do also feel like Skylar was pushing Jacob before he was ready in this instance & I'm glad Skylar's friends stood up for Jacob in that instance.

The story ended far too quickly for me, I'd love to see more of these characters & what they're getting up to! Let's hope they cameo in another book like Tyler & Aiden did in this one. Especially as it only takes place over about 3 months.

One last thing - as a 'former' emo, I find it hard to believe that Jacob, who is in an emo rock band, doesn't know who My Chemical Romance are. Like, I know I'm no spring chicken but still 😂

Anyway if you love cute queer contemporary romance you need to check this out!

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stillreadingat4am's review against another edition

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funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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