#ktreviews

I never would have found this or read it without stumbling across the author on social media showing some of their... weirder reviews, and tbh asking for Aussies to balance out the crazy. I saw at least one review calling The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer grooming and to be honest, if you want to see it that way, that's how you will see it. Though why you would choose to see it like that I don't know. That's just weird. To look at this absolutely beautiful book as something with a malicious message is beyond me. I'm glad I did read this though. Not so much for Ember White's story as lovely as it is but for Marta Maszkiewicz's stunning illustrations.

I will make some comments on Ember White's story first. Let me start by sharing a quote from one of Ember White's tumblr posts. "I wanted to tell that story of anyone's who ever felt that they didn't belong anywhere. Whether you are a nerd, autistic, queer, trans, a furry, or some combination of the above, it makes for a sad and difficult life. This isn't just my story, and this is your story as well." Ember's story is quite unlike anything I've read in a while. Their story is well thought out well, and you can see that all their heart is in their book. You can see that their book is the book that they wish they could of had as a child. Embre gives us Tommy a young boy with a secret. In his case it is a pair of deer antlers that he keeps in a box and a want to be something else. The message of The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer is to just be you. It shows the pain of repression, the pain that happens when you try to be someone you aren't. The phrasing is beautiful and enjoyable. I can see how this could be a very good read-to, it has the right message and easily memorable writing. The choice of a deer as the animal the boy wants to be is a good one. It's one of the animals with the most diverse symbolism some of the basics are harmony, happiness and innocence (phrased as being in touch with your inner child).

I would love to know who paired illustrator, Marta Maszkiewicz and Ember White. Marta's a perfect match style-wise for Ember's script. I adore her beautiful style it feels young and playful when it needs to and adds that moment of darkness when it is necessary. Her dark stormy moments with the purples and blues have the perfect depressing tone for Tommy's sadness. Storms have a rainbow-like background a nice touch. There is a scene where Tommy is looking at potential future careers (doctor, accountant, engineer), I love the choice Marta makes to give Tommy oversized clothes, a child playing dress up. Not just playing dress up but uncomfortable and awkward more than expected. Marta has done a fantastic job of aging Tommy up from his child self to his adult self to his true self. His true self is kinda in the middle in appearance, like he has shed the weight that he was carrying around as an adult that he has now shed. The dance/performance element is executed particularly well. I can sense the movement coming off the page and that outfit is lovely. The final illustration is just beautiful it is light and hopeful and innocent. Honestly, I can't praise the illustrations enough. I really want to find more of Marta Maszkiewicz's illustrations.

This is highly controversial and will remain so. It does what Ember wanted it to, it challenges the status quo and some people aren't ready for that. But some of us, librarians, parents and those outside the neurotypical, cishet sociocultural norms that are ready for it. The ending is unexpected but I really like that The Boy Who Wanted to be a Deer chooses to break the conventions that the children's publishing by giving the reader an unexpected ending of fulfilled dreams. I'm happy I read this and I think many others willing to look beyond the judgemental reviews probably will too.

When Women Ruled the World is perhaps unsurprisingly divided into six sections, one for each of the six queens, an introduction and a conclusion (both of which are on a theme). The six queens are Merneith, Nerferusobek, Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, Tawosret and Cleopatra. There are other women of power noted some are queens others are just women in positions of power in the Egyptian system. These include Neithotep, Tetisheri and Ahmes-Nefertari. The Queen/ King's Horus names are included and explained, all of them are interesting. Nefertiti and Hatshepsut's particularly so. A suggestion for those new to academic non-fiction, if you have an interest in the added detail provided by the notes, try using a second bookmark. But the narrative style used by Kara Cooney means you can skip them with ease. Same are added commentary, some are simply sources and some are where to look for more information.

🤎 Merneith — Queen of Blood (ca 3000-2890 B.C.) Merneith is the first of the six queens ruling as a regent for her son, Den during the 1st dynasty. Her entry acts as an overview of the kingship in ancient Egypt and the role of the Queen in it. Merneith provides something of a fascinating study in brutal strength and the things one must do to survive. Little is truly known of her really but I like the way this is written. The style empowers her and allows her ferocity to shine. As much as this is about the women Den himself is interesting, The First King of Upper and Lower Egypt. Den must have greatly respected Merneith burying her in a tomb fit for a king though with fewer human sacrifices (nothing to do with gender everything to do with afterlife necessity).

💚 Nerferusobek — The Last Woman Standing (1777-1773 B.C.) Nerferusobek has one of the best name meanings, beauty of Sobek. "Named for the fierce god of the Nile inundation, a deity of aggressive sexuality and violent fecundity." (p.77). Her crowned names are Beloved of Re; Daughter of the Powerful One; Mistress of the Two Lands; Stable of Appearances. This entry continues the discussion on succession discussing royal reproduction practices, including harems and a quite interesting section on incest (all neat logic no ick factor). There is an insightful and logical comment on harems that I quite appreciated. Her subtitle comes from why she was even sitting on the Horus Throne, Nerferusobek was the last royal of the 12th Dynasty, a product of incest (probably) causing sterility. She perhaps willingly but perhaps reluctantly took the throne to steady the ship. She had little to gain and was little threat to the status quo, with no chance of a male heir. Her short reign allows the board to be reset and allowed all the major power players to get their viable sons into position for the start of the next dynasty. Nerferusobek is almost the exact opposite of her female predecessor, it is easy to admire her patience and intelligence.

💛 Hatshepsut — Queen of Public Relations (1473-1458 B.C.) "Hatshepsut broke all the rules."(p.99) is the first line of this section and it is the perfect summation of her rule. Let's start with the pronunciation of her name as included by Kara Cooney Hat-shep-suit. One of the cutest moments in this section is what the young princes were called... nestlings look it made me smile okay. There was an interesting moment for me. The extremely young pharaoh, the two-year-old on the throne, could only happen in ancient Egypt with its focus on mythos and god-kings. Anywhere else would be civil war. Cooney has a great reading on Hatshepsut's potential romantic attachments. They weren't needed for her to maintain power, there was little place in the historical record for them. I did like the section on Hatshepsut and one day I will get around to reading Cooney's Hatshepsut work but not today. This is the longest section of the six, unsurprising really, Cooney wrote The Woman Who Would Be King dedicated entirely to Hatshepsut. As that book does exist there is less discussion and commentary in the notes they are nearly entirely sources. In some ways, I would consider her the opposite side of the coin to Merneith. Where Merneith held her position with strategic blood and violence Hatshepsut used ideology and human relations. Especially ideology.

For her countrymen there was no longer any point referring to her as "queen." That title was only used for women subservient to their sovereign. — Kara Cooney (p.84)

🧡 Nefertiti — More Than Just a Pretty Face (1338-1336 B.C.) Ideology was also important in Nefertiti's reign. Nefertiti was actually treated as an equal to her husband during his reign. An equal female to his male god. (Because yes he was a 🤡) What is clear is that in any other time, any other place, her husband, the completely bonkers Akhenaten would likely have faced regicide. There isn't a consensus that she even ruled alone, if she did she ruled with her daughter taking the role of Queen, the feminine role to her masculine. So much of everything around her is dependent on which school of Egyptology you belong to. It can be difficult. Was she ever a King in her own right? 🤷🏼‍♀️ Nefertiti is... complicated. It had to make many comments on her. So much of Nefertiti's reign in her own right is a matter of superposition. But I'm not even sure I knew that I ever knew the potential connection between King Tut and Nefertiti.

💙 Tawosret — The Survivor (1188-1186 B.C) Tawosret comes from a very different period of Egyptian history. She was needed by Egypt but not welcome. Women were greatly distrusted in any position of power. She is a mixture of all the previous queens except maybe Nefertiti. It all starts with a discussion of how times had changed in Egypt and the Ramesside period. Her crowned names are Daughter of Re, Beloved of Amun; Mighty Lady, Chosen of Mut; Strong Bull, Beloved of Ma'at; Founder of Egypt, who vanquishes foreign countries. Using the title Chosen of Mut is a brilliant ideological move, ditto Beloved of Ma'at. Mut was a mother goddess, her name means mother, she's a primordial deity. Ma'at was a deity tied to balance and justice, a key to the processes of entering the afterlife. All these women knew how to manipulate the greek pantheon for their own power. There is a lovely quote in here about human society and feminine rule. "Many of history's women could rise to power only within extraordinary crisis and, when the immediate predicament had abated, were unceremoniously pushed aside. Indeed, the catastrophe itself was usually blamed on the woman's rue, a Catch-22 if there ever was one." (p.240). Tawosret feels like something akin to one of the British succession crises (there have been three), but one, in particular, ended with a queen on a throne decided from a piece of genetics.

💜Cleopatra — Drama Queen (51-0 B.C.) If you are going to know any of the Queens it will definitely be Cleopatra. Cleopatra was a true power player, a power player that would likely succeed even in the modern-day, maybe more so in the modern-day. Sex is power and she was totally unafraid to use it but that is far, far from all she was. Cleopatra was also strategic, intelligent and openly ambitious. Even if you know Cleopatra you will likely find information in here you don't know. For example, Cleopatra was in Rome when Ceaser was assassinated or the import of Ceaserion. There was an amusing moment for me when I realised Cleopatra essentially bought Mark Antony, she wanted his power for some form of legitimacy, he needed money to pursue his military campaigning. Cleopatra's section ends with a quick section on what happened to her children. While her sons were killed her daughter, Kleopatra Selene was married to a Roman ally and well. She went on to become a queen and clearly inherited her mother's intelligence. What I didn't know was that Kleopatra Selene and Juba II's son was killed by Caligula just for being descended from Marc Antony and Cleopatra.

I did enjoy this. I enjoyed learning about new powerful women. Women who used power in different ways to maintain the stability of their Egypt and their position. There is some well-written background included too, like the way an heir was chosen and reproductive practices. I had completely missed in all my time reading about ancient Egypt the connection between Nefertiti and Tut. I do appreciate the use of the modern to help readers understand, Trump, Clinton, the Saudi Royal family and just general or universal expectations moments experienced by women.

This book is quite hard to review. It is a simple but beautiful book that is a must for those with an interest in Victorian culture or floristry. I appreciate the whole thing, I do recommend the book if it There are many others this would appeal to too, it is gorgeously illustrated the flowers all look so soft but real. The colours are well balanced with some put on white backgrounds, some on black. The background colour depends on the flower not the meanings to them. If you want to know what the art is going to look like Roux has a tumblr blog @jessicaroux​ which is well worth looking at.

The format is simpler than it sounds but effective. Each flower profile has its common name, genus, meanings, origin (for the meaning) and pairs with... on the left-hand page and an illustration/portrait of the flower on the right. Meaning the first thing a reader sees when they open the page will naturally be the flower itself. An explanation of 'pairs with...', thus is a list of two of three flowers that when combined with that of the profile will send a specific message. For example, combining Lily and Sweet William honours an act of pure generosity, gifting Chrysanthenemum and Willow to a friend in grief or a Thistle and Pansy to show you're thinking of a friend going through a bitter separation. Included are 10 bouquets with their own occasions such as bitter ends or courting. Roux has included what flowers are in the bouquet and what to tie it with Lastly, there is an index at the end separated by meaning such as encouragement, friendship or love and romance, there are eleven categories and flowers can be in more than one category.

Oh Murderbot... you are definitely something and I feel for you. This book feels like it can be used as a metaphor for LGBTQ identities. There are some aspects of the story that feel very aroace. Murderbot doesn't talk about their feelings but you can see the coding coming through. They are part human, and part bot but it's not a simple 50/50 split, one of their very bot traits is their lack of sexual organs. "I don’t have any gender or sex-related parts (if a construct has those you’re a sexbot in a brothel, not a murderbot) so maybe that’s why I find sex scenes boring. Though I think that even if I did have sex-related parts I would find them boring." (Murderbot). I honestly think quite a lot of people with LGBTQ identities may relate to this on some level. Oh and bonus point they are also coded autistic and in a semi-flirtatious, semi-argumentative relationship with an asshole AI called ART.

All Systems Red is wonderful and I can see where its popularity comes from and it is deserving of the praise it has received. It may be a short work but it is brilliantly written. Readable and engaging with a variety of enjoyable characters and a promise of great lore. The self-contained story and the way in which it is framed are so very well done. Murderbot themselves makes you care and is well developed they grow over time even if it is a novella. The ending becomes that growth honours it. I really do adore the framing of All Systems Red, and I would suspect The Murderbot Diaries more widely. The whole book is a message to a single character, in this case, Dr Mensah, I'm guessing the character may change from book to book as Murderbot moves through the universe.

This is a book with some fantastic quotes in it. I want to share them. All quotes are by Murderbot. • With my cracked governor there was nothing to stop me, but not letting anybody, especially the people who held my contract, know that I was a free agent was kind of important. Like, not having my organic components destroyed and the rest of me cut up for parts important. — The tracked chip is how Murderbot is how they are sentient. I like this total sense of self and the way Wells jas phrased it. I can hear it. • The sense of urgency just wasn’t there. Also, you may have noticed, I don’t care. — Even when Murderbot does care they are a pessimist. Honestly, it is kinda me. Sorta. The lack of urgency is in Murderbot wanting to do their job. • Yes, talk to Murderbot about its feelings. The idea was so painful I dropped to 97 percent efficiency. — Love the computer terminology used throughout this, you are never given the option or opportunity to forget that Murderbot is a bot. Even with their name there are things like how they track time and their hobbies that are so tech. • This is why I didn’t want to come. I’ve got four perfectly good humans here and I didn’t want them to get killed by whatever took out DeltFall. It’s not like I cared about them personally, but it would look bad on my record, and my record was already pretty terrible. — For a character that doesn't care about people, who is largely apathetic at times, it is interesting to watch the changes to Murderbot as time goes on as the develop some kind of bond with their humans. • And in their corner all they had was Murderbot, who just wanted everyone to shut up and leave it alone so it could watch the entertainment feed all day. — Tell me this isn't totally accurate at times? • I hate having emotions about reality; I’d much rather have them about Sanctuary Moon. — Now this is a mood. Sanctuary Moon is Murderbot's favourite TV show/ net drama. And oh I emotions about tv are so much easier to deal with.

I appreciate the world that Martha Wells has started building here. The follow-up answers a question posed in this piece. It allows for more exploration of the world Wells has created for Muderbot, now that the basic premise and introductions have been established.

If anything about the above quote makes you feel seen then this is a book for you. Greg Snider combines some of those iconic traits and moments of reader life with bright and amusing cartoons to just remind readers they aren't alone. I confess is both an introduction and something of a contents to the book (there is an index). The lines end up marking the chapters or at a minimum the grouping themes for small sections. Honestly, I just spent a lot of it thinking oh that is me, I do that. That and marvelling at the detail included in some of the full-page illustrations such as The Writers Retreat. Not all of the comics included are directly related to reading or writing. A favourite among the others is Adventures of the Ampersand. My librarian self really likes Please Do Not Leave Your Children Unattended in the Library, it's a twist in perspective (but seriously supervise your kids libraries aren't daycare services).

Rather than writing The Storyteller as a linear timeline of his life Dave Grohl has written this as a series of short stories I guess tied together by theme. It is a good writing style to use allowing for events impacting each other over time to be discussed together. Such as the chapter He's Dead which discusses the deaths of two influential men in Dave's life, Kurt Cobain and Jimmy Swanson despite them happening over a decade apart. Others such as Bedtime Stories with Joan Jett tell the story of a limited event in this case introducing Violet and Harper to Joan Jett, at first her as an inspiration than her in person. It does glance over some of the more darker/ negative moments in Grohl's life but I'm okay with that if I'm honest. There is nothing but love from him when it comes to the 5 most important women in his life, his Mother Virginia Grohl, his wife Jordyn Blum and his daughters Violet, Harper and Ophelia Grohl these are also the women to whom the book is dedicated. You can feel Dave's love for his mother on the page to the point where she is the last person he talks about, to in the epilogue.

Changing my review style for this one a bit, something that I will think about doing for biographies in the future too. It is my opinion that it is not the place of readers to judge the experiences of an individual it is our place to read and enjoy their presentation to us. So I've decided to make this review a series of dot points moments that made me laugh, quotes I want to comment on or just note-worthy things. • In a way similar to Kimi Raikonnon's biography Dave Grohl's first wife, Jennifer Youngblood, isn't mentioned. The only time he comes close is in referring to their 1997 divorce in relation to another event. More surprising is his not referring to his older sister, Lisa, by name at all. Though I know nothing of their relationship.

• The man and his injuries... the ones he talked about floored me. One of them is the infamous "I think I just broke my leg" moment from a concert in Ullevi Gothenburg. It is just one of the moments you see exactly how much he will do for his fans. There is an interview with Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins and Johan Sampson from Sweedish tv filmed in 2017 that just made me laugh. Another of the injuries tells you exactly how much Virginia Grohl went through, Dave describes being hit so hard in the head (accidentally) by a golf club that he split his skull open.

• Having no true musical training, I didn't refer to the sound as "notes on paper; it became shapes that I could see in my head as I listened intently to the multiple layers of instruments. Like colorful building blocks stacked upon each other, music became something I could "see," a neurological condition known as synesthesia, where one sense is activated (hearing) and another unrelated sense (vision) is activated at the same time. — I like this description of synesthesia, it is accessible not all of the ones I've seen are. He explains later it as seeing LEGO bricks, each part of a song is a LEGO brick that needs to be clicked into place. (p.65)

• or hiding small chunks of hash in Skeeter's dreadlocks so that we'd all have something to smoke on the long drives between shows (nothing like watching our bassist play with the drug dog on the border, knowing full well that his tangled mop was filled with ounces of spicy hash), we did what we had to do to get by. But not without a few close calls along the way. — I don't know why this is so funny to me. But I couldn't not include it. (p.121)

• "David... I know that you love your friends, but sometimes you have to put your needs ahead of others'. You have to take care of yourself." — This is Virginia's advice to Dave when he has to make the decision between staying with his friends at Scream and joining Nirvana. We all know what he chose. (p.130)

• It's appealing to see a different side of Kurt Cobain, seeing the man rather than the muso. There is a particular section I like... "At the end of the couch sat an old table where Kurt kept a pet turtle in a putrid terrarium. A true lover of animals, Kurt had an intriguing, perhaps metaphorical appreciation for turtles, as their wheels, the thing that most protected them, were actually quite sensitive. "Like having your spine on the outside of your body," he once said. But as beautiful and anatomically correct poetic as the sentiment may have been, it eventually made no difference to me, as this goddamned reptile kept me awake every night by tapping its head against the glass for hours on end in an attempt to escape our shared den of filth. I couldn't blame the poor thing. I often felt the same." (p.134) On this sentiment even while being courted by record labels, hard, the early days of Nirvana were hard as balls. It was fairly obvious they would be but it's more than I realised. Their fame and potential to better their circumstances was astronomical.

• I never knew the import of Smells Like Teen Spirit to Nirvana's story. Not the release of it but the writing and creation of it. The story of the M/V is fantastic. • The chapter He's Gone is heavy. It starts with the lines... ""He's gone, Dave" My knees gave out and I dropped the phone as I fell to my bedroom floor, covering my face with my hands I began to cry. He was gone. The shy young man who had offered me an apple upon our first introduction at the Seattle airport was gone. My quiet, introverted roommate who I'd shared a tiny apartment with in Olympia was gone. The loving father who played with his beautiful daughter backstage every night before each show was gone." (p.181). This is not actually from Cobain's death, it's from his March 3rd OD. This severely impacted his ability to grieve his suicide 5 weeks later.

• I had no idea where the Foo Fighter's name came from. Or that Dave Grohl was a UFO nut. Has an interesting take on spirituality.

• Taylor and I had become practically inseparable since he had joined the bad the year before, becoming devious partners in crime from day one. During his stint as Alanis Morissette's drummer, long before he became a Foo Fighter, we would bump into each other at festivals all over the world, and our chemistry was so obvious that even Alanis herself once asked him, "What are you going to do when Dave asks you to be his drummer?" Part Beavis and Butthead, part Dumb and Dumber, we were a hyperactive blur of Parliament Lights and air drumming wherever we went, so there was no one I would rather have shared this psychopathic safari with than Taylor. — It was this moment that made me realise that Taylor Hawkin's memorial might rival Chester Bennington's for star power. It's also a fantastic description of the relationship between Taylor and Dave. (p.213)

• There they were, wandering about like us mere mortals. And in the light of day, no less! I had always imagined (hoped) that these dark figures only came out at night after hanging upside down like bats in their mausoleums, nocturnal creatures refusing the sun, just waiting to terrorize us all with their evil anthems beneath a full moon. To my dismay, I think a few of them in shorts holding soda pops but whatever. Metal lives. — This is talking about the legends of metal performing at Ozzfest. Honestly I just think the man has a way with works, this made me laugh because it is a helluva visual. (p.215)

• The whole Down Under DUI chapter is fun. I barely remember it, but I do remember it. Getting a DUI shouldn't be funny but it kinda is when that is how you achieve it. I'm glad that Dave Grohl recognises that they are not as chaotic as Blink-182 but those two in the same room? 🤣

• Our secret was mostly safe, though Paul somehow knew, because well, he is the all-knowing, all-seeing, omniscient and omnipotent Paul McCartney. — Dave Grohl and Paul McCartney have a really interesting relationship. They have a long relationship that led to Paul playing drums on a Foo Fighters song (on which Taylor sings) Dave has performed multiple Beatles songs including with Violet. (p.300)

• There was no way that I could possibly repay this roomful of icons for the years of inspiration that they had given me, but if I could make them smile, dance, and feel the joy of music, as they had done for me my entire life, I was making a small dent in my debt. — This is about a room full of some of the most influential people in Dave's life including Paul McCartney and AC/DC. (p.302)

• Inspired Yet Again is a smart chapter. It is a few people he's met that had an impact on him in varying degrees. It does end with an ending. Dave is a gifted orator (perks of being the son of a speechwriter as well as a songwriter) he's spoken at multiple inductions are ceremonies over the years, but this ending was a funeral, Motörhead's Lemmy.

• For in a world full of Barbies, every girl needs a Joan Jett. — The whole chapter with Joan Jett Violet and Harper is just gorgeous and I'm so pleased that it was included. If you know a little girl without a strong female role model... find it, provide it. Especially now in the social media generation. To me, this is a chapter for his girls and daughters everywhere. (p.331)

• I love the idea of the Daddy-Daughter Dance, especially in an area with so many workaholic dads. This chapter has an insane story of travelling 40 hours return just to keep both his fans and daughters happy.

• WTF... KFC and champagne? Can someone who drinks tell me if that actually works?

• It is fantastic to read a person so trusting in their own instincts. Leaving school to make music his life, giving up the opportunity to join Tom Petty, performing Blackbird at the Oscars.

Just an adorable surprise from the SciFi author and the popular illustrator. This is an interesting idea I'm surprised I'd never seen done before. In the author's note, Andy Weir mentions that he finds fanfic fun, as you should if you are working on it. This work in particular is something that has been working on for years. But is well aware he is not an illustrator. His publisher brokered the arrangement with Sarah, someone he has always admired, whose comics he has always related to, to illustrate it. It's a wonderful aged up au for Alice in Wonderland, the Wizard of Oz and Peter Pan. It shows the power of internal strength and the added trauma that can be added by peoples disbelief. I really do recommend it. If you like the idea of a good reimagining.

These are the three iconic world-hopping girls from our collective childhoods Alice Liddell, Dorothy Gayle and Wendy Darling put together in one place to cope with their various traumas... or not as the case may be. The story starts on Earth, in 1910 England with our three protagonists coming together at the titular Cheshire Crossing and learning their stories. Cheshire Crossing is a research facility run by Dr Rutherford. He believes that Alice, Dorothy and Wendy have been to different worlds, he wants to know how and why them. His facility is a huge improvement for them from the painful sanitoriums that people like this would be passed between for years. Alice, Dorothy and Wendy have reacted differently to the time between their disappearance and their present. Each suit what we know about the characters from their books, where we leave them. Dorothy has become very adversarial, partially due to her time in Oz partially due to her time afterwards. They have this friendship and bond that develops over time, a loyalty that comes from their difference. The setting moves through Earth, Oz, Wonderland and Neverland each with distinctive colouring and characters. there are different takes on characters notably a twist on Glinda and her actions. Tinkerbell is sweet, I like her whole attitude. The relationship between Hook and the Wicked Witch of West was fun and perfect.

It is hard to find books in this genre that feel somewhat original, this one does. While the overarching idea of a realistic relationship dynamic is not uncommon the way this is written with consistent five-year jumps is. Starting at 5 years old and effectively ending at 40. The plots are different in each of the chapters some are heavier than others but all create a complete image of Beau and Caleb's relationship. Beau and Caleb themselves are complex and so human. We get to see some of the pivotal moments that made them who they are as people and as a couple. The support characters are added as needed to both Beau and Caleb's circles and used well. No one is meaningless. There is more change to Caleb's circle than Beau, perfectly suiting their personalities. The is a lot of symbioses almost in the relationships. This is a book that focuses on human growth and timing. The idea that fate must be worked for and love takes work. Even if the lovers are clearly made for each other. Also the ripple effect your actions cause impacts, good and bad on other peoples lives. Actions have consequences, particularly poor actions but that fits Beau's behaviours.

The unanswered questions posed by each chapter are largely answered later in the book. When they aren't it is a natural flow, lost contact. Time is key here. Time is key to much of the plot of When I See You Again. When I See You Again is about the impact time and timing has on a relationship. The writing is intelligent. One thing you must remember in the early chapters the framing it is essentially being told by 30yo Beau and Caleb at that point. I really appreciated the styling of the epilogue and the information that can be revealed in such small bites through time.

Just some annotated quotes and a warning...

"It’s amazing sometimes, the intuition of children. How clearly they see the world for exactly what it is, unclouded by so-called adult intellect and knowhow. Is innocence, in its own way, a kind of purified truth?" — (Caleb Fletcher) This is such a wonderful line and full of truth.

“This isn’t you falling apart any more than it is a snake falling apart when it sheds its skin. You’re shedding off all the shit you don’t need anymore. This is just …” Beau found the words. “This is you becoming you.” — (Beau Whitman) Beau is fifteen when he says this. He always could cut through the bull***t more than anyone else in either of their worlds.

"Love is often a broken path, and it rarely makes sense, but in the end, does it really matter how two souls at last find each other?" — This line really doesn't belong to either of them. But it does become them.

“There’s a reason not everyone sticks around in life. It’s like sifting dirt for gold; eventually, the only ones who matter are the ones who stuck around.” — (Beau Whitman) I mean I think this may be a quote from somewhere I feel like I know it. But it's an objectively good line.

That’s who they still were a lifetime later: just two boys racing home through a storm—racing home to each other. — (Caleb Fletcher) These are the last lines and omg they are perfect.