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A review by endemictoearth
Here the Whole Time by Vitor Martins
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
5+ stars - OH MY GOD THIS WAS SO CUTE. There is a fair amount of internalized fatphobia/fat shame from our main character Felipé but I thought it was handled so well, with Felipé also having a supportive mom, great therapist, and meeting Caio's inspiring BFF Rebeca (who, while fierce, isn’t invincible). I love the structure of the book, taking place over winter break (which is summer in Brazil--I think the book was called 15 Days when it was published in Brazil.) Felipé's voice is so real and charming, and we get to see him grow and become braver through realistic situations that he would have previously have avoided, but because Caio is around, he tries for him. But there is still so much uncertain inching back and forth over the line of 'are we friends or are we more?' that felt really true to the teenage experience. I thought I'd probably like this, but I didn't think I'd LOVE it as much as I did. I borrowed it from the library and am planning to get my own physical copy bc it was brilliant.