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Something Tragic
When they met, it was not of their own accord. In fact, they never would have crossed paths if it wasn’t for the school project. They were juniors. Addison was the quiet, new girl. Having to move in with her uncles after the fire was one of the most difficult things she had ever endured. Tragic, really. Life always seemed to turn out that way for Addison.
When Addison first started at Parkville High, she knew exactly who Crisa Grayson was, even if Crisa didn’t know her. Crisa was the focus of hallway gossip, infamous for her wild parties and golden hair. On the surface, she seemed like the typical high school cliché. She was bubbly, fun-loving and sometimes even larger-than-life. But appearances can be deceiving, and Addison never expected to interact with the enigma, let alone fall in love with her.
Follow Addison Warren as she begins to unravel different layers of Crisa Grayson. Something Tragic is a coming of age, LGBT novel about self-discovery and finding love.
When Addison first started at Parkville High, she knew exactly who Crisa Grayson was, even if Crisa didn’t know her. Crisa was the focus of hallway gossip, infamous for her wild parties and golden hair. On the surface, she seemed like the typical high school cliché. She was bubbly, fun-loving and sometimes even larger-than-life. But appearances can be deceiving, and Addison never expected to interact with the enigma, let alone fall in love with her.
Follow Addison Warren as she begins to unravel different layers of Crisa Grayson. Something Tragic is a coming of age, LGBT novel about self-discovery and finding love.
308 pages, Paperback
First published December 8, 2017
40 people are currently reading
304 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Yeh
3 books32 followersJessica Yeh attended the Pennsylvania State University, graduating as a Dean's List Scholar with a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising. In 2017, she was signed under Desert Palm Press. She now resides in California where she works as a creative marketing specialist.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
March 4, 2020
“You are gold. You are resilient against any weathering. You withstand every storm. Metal is cold and hard, but gold? Gold is warm, glowing, and absolutely beautiful.”
Crisa was carefree on the surface, full of pain on the inside. She was tragically beautiful. Crisa reminded me of Alaska from 'Looking For Alaska', pair that with the title of this book, I was really afraid for her life and my emotional health for the first half. Everyone in Crisa's life sucked. I just wanted to wrap her in a blanket and protect her. I know she made mistakes but in my eyes she has never done anything wrong in her life. Also she is one of the most romantic YA characters ever.
“I thought I needed to see the world with you, but I didn’t. I saw the world in you.”
Addison and Crisa's story takes place over the course of five years. They were EVERYTHING. Cute and pure and deep, even a bit tragic and realistic as hell. Every time they had a 'moment' I was screaming at them to kiss but also not to so the slowburn will keep going. Their emotional connection was very intense contributed by similar loses, experiences and understanding of each other. The last few chapters were so painful. I was crying actual tears. Why do I keep getting invested in books so much. I was begging for them to end up together. This book took me on a roller coaster of emotions and left me completely drained. The author's note at the end was beautiful.
Crisa was carefree on the surface, full of pain on the inside. She was tragically beautiful. Crisa reminded me of Alaska from 'Looking For Alaska', pair that with the title of this book, I was really afraid for her life and my emotional health for the first half. Everyone in Crisa's life sucked. I just wanted to wrap her in a blanket and protect her. I know she made mistakes but in my eyes she has never done anything wrong in her life. Also she is one of the most romantic YA characters ever.
“I thought I needed to see the world with you, but I didn’t. I saw the world in you.”
Addison and Crisa's story takes place over the course of five years. They were EVERYTHING. Cute and pure and deep, even a bit tragic and realistic as hell. Every time they had a 'moment' I was screaming at them to kiss but also not to so the slowburn will keep going. Their emotional connection was very intense contributed by similar loses, experiences and understanding of each other. The last few chapters were so painful. I was crying actual tears. Why do I keep getting invested in books so much. I was begging for them to end up together. This book took me on a roller coaster of emotions and left me completely drained. The author's note at the end was beautiful.
April 2, 2019
It's funny how the author chose to describe one of the main characters as a beautiful disaster because that's how I would describe this book. A beautiful disaster, in the best possible way!
I loved reading along as Addie and Crisa grew closer and melted into a puddle of mush every time something cute happened which was often. The book has a lot of sweet and fluffy moments but make no mistake, you may need tissues to get through this. (Like I did.)
The part of the book that got me choked up was about dating someone who's in the closet. So many things that Addie experienced were things that I personally felt and went through as well. In fact the line: "But --- was too much of an actress, always staging her life. She kept performing and performing, desperate not to break character." is the perfect description for someone I was with.
I wish I had a way of shoving this book into the hands of every questioning girl out there. At the age of 16/17 your world can feel so small and it's so easy to forget that there are places and communities out there were you can be yourself, regardless of who you're attracted to.
There were one or two moments when I wished the mains would stop being so damn clueless about their mutual attraction and just admit it to each other already. Although who am I to talk I'm 33 and still clueless when it comes to love!
Minor issues in book include a few spelling and grammar issue including Crisa's surname being changed randomly to Griffin.
Definitely give this book a shot if you're a fan of super slow burn young adult novels. Overall rating is 4,5* TW: self harm.
I loved reading along as Addie and Crisa grew closer and melted into a puddle of mush every time something cute happened which was often. The book has a lot of sweet and fluffy moments but make no mistake, you may need tissues to get through this. (Like I did.)
The part of the book that got me choked up was about dating someone who's in the closet. So many things that Addie experienced were things that I personally felt and went through as well. In fact the line: "But --- was too much of an actress, always staging her life. She kept performing and performing, desperate not to break character." is the perfect description for someone I was with.
I wish I had a way of shoving this book into the hands of every questioning girl out there. At the age of 16/17 your world can feel so small and it's so easy to forget that there are places and communities out there were you can be yourself, regardless of who you're attracted to.
There were one or two moments when I wished the mains would stop being so damn clueless about their mutual attraction and just admit it to each other already. Although who am I to talk I'm 33 and still clueless when it comes to love!
Minor issues in book include a few spelling and grammar issue including Crisa's surname being changed randomly to Griffin.
Definitely give this book a shot if you're a fan of super slow burn young adult novels. Overall rating is 4,5* TW: self harm.
March 5, 2018
This is one of the more realistic and rare YA books I've come across.
The story actually takes place over two years (and then some), where we meet Addison and Crisa at the beginning of their Junior year in high school and watch the story unfold as they fall for each other. It's the most popular girl and the wallflower nerdy girl falls in love with each other scenario and all of the pressures that entails.
I thought the author did a great job with Addison and Crisa's characters where they felt like real people rather than a caricature of what they represented.
The day to day interactions that build up to more was really well done and instalove is not present. Yeh was able to realistically convey the characters' maturity along with their inexperience in life and love.
The book captures the spirit of falling in love, of being so close intimately and physically without actually crossing the line to more, then doing more, high school B.S., being in the closet, being slow to accept oneself, final acceptance, and the fantasy of the relationship vs reality.
The tone of the book is a mixture of being both melancholy and sweet. The read definitely did not feel like an after-school special that I so often get when reading YA f/f books. And the book is not about coming out but about accepting oneself which I really appreciated.
I also enjoyed the style of the book, where a word is defined at the beginning of each chapter to give us an idea of what it involves. And, the ending has an enjoyable twist or two.
When it came to the relationship aspect, the book was very realistic to me. But, some outside story items were not: mainly that the road trip would/could ever be allowed and the lack of impact from the loss of parents. But, they acted as a vehicle of sorts and the main story was the relationship so it's really a minor gripe.
A lot of the book rang true for me and I'd imagine, as a teenager reading this, I would latch onto it like a life preserver. Overall, really well done. 4.3 stars
The story actually takes place over two years (and then some), where we meet Addison and Crisa at the beginning of their Junior year in high school and watch the story unfold as they fall for each other. It's the most popular girl and the wallflower nerdy girl falls in love with each other scenario and all of the pressures that entails.
I thought the author did a great job with Addison and Crisa's characters where they felt like real people rather than a caricature of what they represented.
The day to day interactions that build up to more was really well done and instalove is not present. Yeh was able to realistically convey the characters' maturity along with their inexperience in life and love.
The book captures the spirit of falling in love, of being so close intimately and physically without actually crossing the line to more, then doing more, high school B.S., being in the closet, being slow to accept oneself, final acceptance, and the fantasy of the relationship vs reality.
The tone of the book is a mixture of being both melancholy and sweet. The read definitely did not feel like an after-school special that I so often get when reading YA f/f books. And the book is not about coming out but about accepting oneself which I really appreciated.
I also enjoyed the style of the book, where a word is defined at the beginning of each chapter to give us an idea of what it involves. And, the ending has an enjoyable twist or two.
When it came to the relationship aspect, the book was very realistic to me. But, some outside story items were not: mainly that the road trip would/could ever be allowed and the lack of impact from the loss of parents. But, they acted as a vehicle of sorts and the main story was the relationship so it's really a minor gripe.
A lot of the book rang true for me and I'd imagine, as a teenager reading this, I would latch onto it like a life preserver. Overall, really well done. 4.3 stars
November 25, 2018
First of all, what I loved about this book was that it is a very tender story that’s relatable and beautiful, but also had me feeling the tragedy behind it with every word.
I’ve been following Something Tragic for a long time and was really happy when I was finally able to hold the finished book in my hands. It was a project done with a lot of heart and love and I purposefully didn’t read the story before I got the printed book.
Now, this is a very difficult book to write a review about for me because I went through a lot of different emotions and impressions while reading it. There’s a lot of things I wished were different while reading them.
But with every bit I wished was different, I also had a little voice in my head reminding me that I still understand why it wasn’t.
I liked the ending.
It was a really beautiful idea that I didn’t expect at all. But even after ending the story, the sense of melancholia didn’t quite leave me.
I also shed some tears at the end.
I’ve been following Something Tragic for a long time and was really happy when I was finally able to hold the finished book in my hands. It was a project done with a lot of heart and love and I purposefully didn’t read the story before I got the printed book.
Now, this is a very difficult book to write a review about for me because I went through a lot of different emotions and impressions while reading it. There’s a lot of things I wished were different while reading them.
But with every bit I wished was different, I also had a little voice in my head reminding me that I still understand why it wasn’t.
I liked the ending.
It was a really beautiful idea that I didn’t expect at all. But even after ending the story, the sense of melancholia didn’t quite leave me.
I also shed some tears at the end.
October 7, 2018
This book is unavailable on KU, available on Scribd.
Kindle price USD6.5O. I think this is the author's debut, I will be checking out her future books. This is my second Lesfic YA, my first was a memorable one from Melissa Brayden, Strawberry Summer. If you have yet to read that, I do recommend it. If you're a high school romance fan, then you might enjoy this book, it has :-
a. A lesbian h with a beautiful soul / squid documentary watcher/ school band drummer / a friend everyone wishes to have.
b. A misunderstood h / popular / always taken advantage by her friends / confused on her sexuality / gossiped by her schoolmates / a broken soul.
c. Evil characters, the slanders/gossipers that you seriously will not mind chasing with your Nerf guns.
d. Great characters that you would not mind sharing your most favorite dessert with even though you had to queue for hours for it.
e. A Road Trip!!
f. Loads of good scenes with the hs.
Some scenes are quite difficult to take in but knowing that these things do happen to someone, somewhere around the world makes me wanna to stand next to the victims/survivors of hatred and tell them "I'm with you".
Kindle price USD6.5O. I think this is the author's debut, I will be checking out her future books. This is my second Lesfic YA, my first was a memorable one from Melissa Brayden, Strawberry Summer. If you have yet to read that, I do recommend it. If you're a high school romance fan, then you might enjoy this book, it has :-
a. A lesbian h with a beautiful soul / squid documentary watcher/ school band drummer / a friend everyone wishes to have.
b. A misunderstood h / popular / always taken advantage by her friends / confused on her sexuality / gossiped by her schoolmates / a broken soul.
c. Evil characters, the slanders/gossipers that you seriously will not mind chasing with your Nerf guns.
d. Great characters that you would not mind sharing your most favorite dessert with even though you had to queue for hours for it.
e. A Road Trip!!
f. Loads of good scenes with the hs.
Some scenes are quite difficult to take in but knowing that these things do happen to someone, somewhere around the world makes me wanna to stand next to the victims/survivors of hatred and tell them "I'm with you".
January 29, 2018
A beautiful story about coming out and personal discovery.
Very relatable, i really finished with a smile on my face.
Very relatable, i really finished with a smile on my face.
July 13, 2022
3.5 ⭐️
The last 10% of the book really flew by… The author really up the pace 🚶♀️
I’m one of those who likes ending which are nicely wrapped with a bow tie even if it’s not a HEA… just don’t keep me guessing or have me draw my own conclusion. Still a good read though and I quite liked that Crisa didn’t just sleep with any or all of the guys whom she went out with (though she infuriated me at times), just to prove a point which seems to be the case in other YA books which I’ve read - rounding it up just cos 😊
Available with Scribd
The last 10% of the book really flew by… The author really up the pace 🚶♀️
I’m one of those who likes ending which are nicely wrapped with a bow tie even if it’s not a HEA… just don’t keep me guessing or have me draw my own conclusion. Still a good read though and I quite liked that Crisa didn’t just sleep with any or all of the guys whom she went out with (though she infuriated me at times), just to prove a point which seems to be the case in other YA books which I’ve read - rounding it up just cos 😊
Available with Scribd
February 2, 2021
There are some books that hold you in a thrall of emotions that they create long after you’ve finished them. You have emotions bubbling for the character/s hours after you’ve finished the book. This is one such book. And right at the outset we’d like to say that despite the title, this is not a tragedy.
Read the full review @ https://bestlesficreviews.blogspot.co...
Read the full review @ https://bestlesficreviews.blogspot.co...
December 25, 2017
Something beautiful
I know people may say otherwise, but the ending was perfect. One of the best coming of age story i have read so far.
I know people may say otherwise, but the ending was perfect. One of the best coming of age story i have read so far.
December 31, 2019
You can find this review and others on my blog SleepySamReads!
I have very conflicting feelings about this book.
I’ll start with what I did like about it. This book covers roughly 6 years. One year in somewhat detail, and five years in fast forward. I did really like this because it allows us to see more of the characters than we normally do in these types of books. It allows Addison and Crisa’s relationship to progress in a very organic way rather than just throwing them together right off the bat.
Honestly, that’s really all I can think of that I liked about the book. There’s a lot more that I disliked.
Addison’s character was very two dimensional. Aside from her drumming and documentary watching, we don’t know anything about her except her yearning for Crisa. Addison spend 99% of the book wanting Crisa. Which is all fine and good except it feels like that’s all she did? I like a good yearning as much as anyone else, but this just never really pays off in a satisfying way.
It also felt really weird how not messed up from her parent’s death Addison was? Her parents died in a house fire a few months before the book started. It felt more like years before the book started. Crisa had a more visceral reaction to her father’s death an entire decade ago than Addison did to her parent’s still new deaths. It just felt off.
My biggest pet peeve with this book is Crisa’s almost pathological fear of coming out.
Before I explain anymore, let me give you some background on me. I’m a lesbian who grew up in Mississippi. You know, that extremely homophobic state that no one ever thinks about unless they grew up there. I grew up in the very deep, very homophobic south. And I have NEVER seen any severe bullying in high school over sexuality. I would believe that my experience was a special one, except I’ve never actually heard of anyone having any of these gay YA book experiences. So why do so many coming out novels have to be so damn painful???
So Crisa, who grew up in a much more accepting area of the US, is so scared of being queer that she acts like a complete dick to Addison after they spend literally the last year basically dating without dating? IDK, I just don’t buy it. Maybe I’m being insensitive, and if I am please tell me. I know some people have had bad high school experiences because of their sexuality, but it certainly is not the norm anymore and I just wish our books would reflect that. I’ve never had anything like this happen, and no one I know has either.
The ending was somewhat cute, but I’m not sure I want Addison and Crisa together in the end. It’s left open to your own interpretation and I’m just gonna interpret that they stayed friends.
My biggest takeaway from this novel is that we need more uplifting and happy queer novels for young adults.
I have very conflicting feelings about this book.
I’ll start with what I did like about it. This book covers roughly 6 years. One year in somewhat detail, and five years in fast forward. I did really like this because it allows us to see more of the characters than we normally do in these types of books. It allows Addison and Crisa’s relationship to progress in a very organic way rather than just throwing them together right off the bat.
Honestly, that’s really all I can think of that I liked about the book. There’s a lot more that I disliked.
Addison’s character was very two dimensional. Aside from her drumming and documentary watching, we don’t know anything about her except her yearning for Crisa. Addison spend 99% of the book wanting Crisa. Which is all fine and good except it feels like that’s all she did? I like a good yearning as much as anyone else, but this just never really pays off in a satisfying way.
It also felt really weird how not messed up from her parent’s death Addison was? Her parents died in a house fire a few months before the book started. It felt more like years before the book started. Crisa had a more visceral reaction to her father’s death an entire decade ago than Addison did to her parent’s still new deaths. It just felt off.
My biggest pet peeve with this book is Crisa’s almost pathological fear of coming out.
Before I explain anymore, let me give you some background on me. I’m a lesbian who grew up in Mississippi. You know, that extremely homophobic state that no one ever thinks about unless they grew up there. I grew up in the very deep, very homophobic south. And I have NEVER seen any severe bullying in high school over sexuality. I would believe that my experience was a special one, except I’ve never actually heard of anyone having any of these gay YA book experiences. So why do so many coming out novels have to be so damn painful???
So Crisa, who grew up in a much more accepting area of the US, is so scared of being queer that she acts like a complete dick to Addison after they spend literally the last year basically dating without dating? IDK, I just don’t buy it. Maybe I’m being insensitive, and if I am please tell me. I know some people have had bad high school experiences because of their sexuality, but it certainly is not the norm anymore and I just wish our books would reflect that. I’ve never had anything like this happen, and no one I know has either.
The ending was somewhat cute, but I’m not sure I want Addison and Crisa together in the end. It’s left open to your own interpretation and I’m just gonna interpret that they stayed friends.
My biggest takeaway from this novel is that we need more uplifting and happy queer novels for young adults.
October 24, 2018
I was hunting for a Clexafic when I stumbled upon this, just by the title I was going to give this pass but I’m glad I didn’t. For a debut novel I was blown away, no major twist or anything like that but with the simplicity and the writing style I was sold. I wish she’ll write more.
I highly recommend this if you like reading coming of age or YA. Angsty and intense. Realistic. Falling in love with your best friend. Closeted. Self discovery.
Addie and Crisa are two opposite people yet they somehow compliment each other.
You know, I was going to rate this a 4 but I just can’t after reading the author’s note which btw I rarely do.
For me, this is a HEA. They got the ending that they want.
“The only way I wanted the story to end was with you.”
-Crisa
4.5
I highly recommend this if you like reading coming of age or YA. Angsty and intense. Realistic. Falling in love with your best friend. Closeted. Self discovery.
Addie and Crisa are two opposite people yet they somehow compliment each other.
You know, I was going to rate this a 4 but I just can’t after reading the author’s note which btw I rarely do.
For me, this is a HEA. They got the ending that they want.
“The only way I wanted the story to end was with you.”
-Crisa
4.5
April 21, 2018
This book made me feel a lot of things, it was very sweet and lovely. Some parts hurt to read . Other parts were great to read
I also really liked the ending .
The author's note at the end was lovely and it gave me hope. I'm really glad to have read this book and I'll definitely read it again.
I also really liked the ending .
The author's note at the end was lovely and it gave me hope. I'm really glad to have read this book and I'll definitely read it again.
June 8, 2019
I liked this. I liked how it didn't end after high school and went on for a few years after. I wish this was around when I was questioning myself and my feelings.
June 27, 2022
...terminei esse livro e vou fazer review em pt pq puta merda que preguiça de escrever em inglês e estou meio pasma pra processar já que o final foi em aberto...
não sei o que achar sobre isso? não gosto de finais assim então estou MUITO indecisa. eu amei a crisa de montão, gostei mt do relacionamento delas mt foto e bem caso de verão, teve umas partes do livro que eu achei meio infantil ou não sei só fiquei meio meh ent é acho que vou dar 4 mas essa nota ainda será repensada !
EDIT: nota final 3.5 (não sei mexer nesse app meu deus me ajuda
não sei o que achar sobre isso? não gosto de finais assim então estou MUITO indecisa. eu amei a crisa de montão, gostei mt do relacionamento delas mt foto e bem caso de verão, teve umas partes do livro que eu achei meio infantil ou não sei só fiquei meio meh ent é acho que vou dar 4 mas essa nota ainda será repensada !
EDIT: nota final 3.5 (não sei mexer nesse app meu deus me ajuda
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2018
Interactions between Addison and Crisa makes me itch, reminds me of my high school days. Carefree and pure affection. I love the way Jessica portraits the details and the mood changing. Absolutely love the ending and it brought smile to my face. I felt pure satisfaction.
December 13, 2020
At the begginning i was a little skeptical about this one, because somehow i wasn't enjoying the writting that much but as i continued reading and started warming up to the characters and even the writing, i just wanted to read more, and once the conflicts started happenning my heart was breaking so much for this two girls who were so clearly in love, but couldn't be happy. Especially, because Crisa is so deep in the closet, caring so much about others opinions and just keeps doing everything her mother wants her to do, that her life is not even her own. She was living in a prison created by herself, and she was so depressed. It was really hard to see her fading away from life, especially through Addie's eyes who was also sufferring so much because of that.
I was so worried about the ending, and ended up not having a full closure, and got so mad because of it, but i understand, it's reality! I really appreciared how in the end Crisa owned up for what she wanted, and that we got to see more from their lives throughout the course of 5 years!
The author's note in the end was pretty emotional too, especially because this book is a own voices. I do intend to read future realeases from her.
.......
I found this book on scribd!
I was so worried about the ending, and ended up not having a full closure, and got so mad because of it, but i understand, it's reality! I really appreciared how in the end Crisa owned up for what she wanted, and that we got to see more from their lives throughout the course of 5 years!
The author's note in the end was pretty emotional too, especially because this book is a own voices. I do intend to read future realeases from her.
.......
I found this book on scribd!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2021
I loved the story and could relate to it all too well. I see a lot of negative reviews because they say the bullying doesn’t happen anymore and it’s out of place for todays young people. I get that and more positive stories are great. But there are still people and perhaps not many, that are old enough for this to be their story and still find themselves in the closet and only just coming to terms with that part of themselves. Whether it be because they married heterosexual due to the pressure and expectations of their generation or like me, we’re stuck in an oppressive religion for 20 years like I was. Books like these exist because people like me still exist and are available to help process all the shit we never could when we were younger.
June 26, 2021
This may have been one of the best books I have read of late. Pick it up as you wont regret it. So edit on the re-read several years later, I am scoring down to 4 stars. Still a great book but now I can see her ..hmm.. newness to writing. Lots of uses..to many uses of the eye color of a person depicting who is doing something..as the green eyes looked across the room the blue eyes quickly looked away..all over the place..minor detail and I dont think it existed in her second book..loved the ending..4 stars on the read down from 5
January 13, 2019
I found this book on Scibd and thought it would be a nice quick read but what a rollercoaster ride I went on as I read over half of it in four hours in the morning, stealing quick minutes reading at work, and then that last half in a few hours at night. I laughed, I cried, a gushed about Addison and Crisa, and found myself in the cluelessness of Addison. In the beginning the dialogue felt a lot like it was written by someone who hadn’t been young in a long time but it definitely got better as the book went on and I almost forgot about it. I loved seeing the relationship between Addison and Crisa as well as the personal journeys they went through individually. It definitely exceeded my expectations and I’m sure will be one of my favorite books for a long time.
March 12, 2022
4/5 i didn't expect to enjoy this as much as i did,no regrets
February 23, 2018
Very heartfelt story, felt very real for the author and that translated very well to the pages. It was sweet without being overdone, heartbreaking without being morose and hopeful while still being believable. Loved this book and definitely recommend.
January 5, 2019
WOW!!!!
“I thought I needed to see the world with you, but I didn’t.
I saw the world in you.”
If Jessica Yeh's debut novel is indicative of future works to come, this book is the coming out party for LGBTQ novels as critically acclaimed "literature" & not characterized as "just" romance, coming-of-age or biographical books.
This is 💯 a MUST READ for sure!!!
The characters were perfectly flawed, awkward & recognizable in every high school in America! The story was grounded in reality until you forget you're reading a story & not actually real life. Just an imperfectly perfect masterpiece!!
“Falling in love with your best friend was beautiful. Realizing it too late was something tragic.”
“Then she sat waiting by the phone as she whispered, ʼYou were my greatest story.ʼ”
“I thought I needed to see the world with you, but I didn’t.
I saw the world in you.”
If Jessica Yeh's debut novel is indicative of future works to come, this book is the coming out party for LGBTQ novels as critically acclaimed "literature" & not characterized as "just" romance, coming-of-age or biographical books.
This is 💯 a MUST READ for sure!!!
The characters were perfectly flawed, awkward & recognizable in every high school in America! The story was grounded in reality until you forget you're reading a story & not actually real life. Just an imperfectly perfect masterpiece!!
“Falling in love with your best friend was beautiful. Realizing it too late was something tragic.”
“Then she sat waiting by the phone as she whispered, ʼYou were my greatest story.ʼ”
March 16, 2018
10 Stars
A wonderful book. I cried a little and yelled at the characters a couple times but I completely loved it. Thank you
A wonderful book. I cried a little and yelled at the characters a couple times but I completely loved it. Thank you
January 10, 2019
This book was beautiful. I finished it in a heartbeat. And now I’m crying. Pls read it too.
August 6, 2019
I'm not even sure I've ever given a book a one star rating before; I tend to attribute my dislike of most books to genre incompatibilities if they're there, and otherwise usually stop reading books I'm really not enjoying.
I finished this one only because it was all I had to read on a long train ride. I put it away several times, then got bored enough again to pick it up. Guess that merits the one star?
It just - isn't good. I think the author's heart is in the right place, but there isn't a single line of dialogue that feels natural in this, nor a conflict that knows a natural development or even any kind of true-to-life closure. No narrative tension, no understandable motivation, no character growth that we are shown rather than told about. Cardboard cutouts are more emotive and compelling than the people in this story. The prose was clunky, clichéd, and quite often simply incorrect; there are many a comma, period and quotation mark missing in this. The author resolved the problem of too many a female pronoun in wlw fiction by choosing to refer to her characters as "the drummer", "the percussionist", "the blonde", "the thespian", and I could go on for a LONG time. Why??? Just use their names! Did an editor ever lay eyes on this book before it was published? I'm hard pressed to believe it. It reads like the sort of well-intentioned but ill-constructed story you'd find on AO3 headed by a "My first fic! Don't be too harsh! uwu" in the author's notes. There, not so much of an issue, but for a book you have to pay to read, I find it almost shameful that someone thought this was ready for publication.
In my boredom, halfway through the book, I started marking every awkward and out-of-place mention of the girls' eye colours, blue and green, respectively. I got to 17 mentions, including gems such as "Emerald eyes followed Crisa's laugh and a fond smile released an endearing laugh." Eyes following laughs, smiles releasing laughs? HOW did this get past any editor with eyes???
All in all, a big miss, and I really wish I'd had a different book with me.
I finished this one only because it was all I had to read on a long train ride. I put it away several times, then got bored enough again to pick it up. Guess that merits the one star?
It just - isn't good. I think the author's heart is in the right place, but there isn't a single line of dialogue that feels natural in this, nor a conflict that knows a natural development or even any kind of true-to-life closure. No narrative tension, no understandable motivation, no character growth that we are shown rather than told about. Cardboard cutouts are more emotive and compelling than the people in this story. The prose was clunky, clichéd, and quite often simply incorrect; there are many a comma, period and quotation mark missing in this. The author resolved the problem of too many a female pronoun in wlw fiction by choosing to refer to her characters as "the drummer", "the percussionist", "the blonde", "the thespian", and I could go on for a LONG time. Why??? Just use their names! Did an editor ever lay eyes on this book before it was published? I'm hard pressed to believe it. It reads like the sort of well-intentioned but ill-constructed story you'd find on AO3 headed by a "My first fic! Don't be too harsh! uwu" in the author's notes. There, not so much of an issue, but for a book you have to pay to read, I find it almost shameful that someone thought this was ready for publication.
In my boredom, halfway through the book, I started marking every awkward and out-of-place mention of the girls' eye colours, blue and green, respectively. I got to 17 mentions, including gems such as "Emerald eyes followed Crisa's laugh and a fond smile released an endearing laugh." Eyes following laughs, smiles releasing laughs? HOW did this get past any editor with eyes???
All in all, a big miss, and I really wish I'd had a different book with me.
November 10, 2019
The nerd and the popular girl get stuck together for a school project, could it ever be something more?
Addison is new to Parkville High. She keeps to herself, plays the drums, and joins the band. Crisa Grayson on the other hand is seen and heard everywhere. Rumors enter a building before she does. Everyday Addison hears a new one about a new boy or a new party. Crisa is so far out of Addison’s league.
Then one day in AP English, Crisa is assigned to be her partner in a month long school project. As the days creep by, Addison and Crisa grow closer. Crisa starts sharing her secrets with Addie. Addie unfortunately can’t share her biggest secret with Crisa: she likes girls...maybe even her.
Jessica Yeh writes a sensitive coming out story for young adults in Something Tragic (Desert Palm Press, 9781942976677, 2017). I have said this before in another review about Yeh’s work, but it is a must read. This time for different reasons. Addison and Crisa’s characters each bring different LGBTQ+ issues to the forefront, but also individual ones. The first experiencing love with a female knowing you like girls and from Crisa’s standpoint the confusion of having this happen. Addison has two gay uncles and a support system and Crisa has no support system.
They are both suffering from parental losses and have chosen similar methods of dealing with it which many young adults will identify with (I identified with it). Then there is the issue with gossip in school and the ramifications of being pretty and popular. The destructive ways in which we handle situations. Yeh handles all of these situations deftly through her characters. Kudos.
She does not rush Addie and Crisa’s relationship, nor does she give us cheap thrills. I have to say that I really enjoyed this coming out story and once again cannot wait to read what Yeh has for us next.
Addison is new to Parkville High. She keeps to herself, plays the drums, and joins the band. Crisa Grayson on the other hand is seen and heard everywhere. Rumors enter a building before she does. Everyday Addison hears a new one about a new boy or a new party. Crisa is so far out of Addison’s league.
Then one day in AP English, Crisa is assigned to be her partner in a month long school project. As the days creep by, Addison and Crisa grow closer. Crisa starts sharing her secrets with Addie. Addie unfortunately can’t share her biggest secret with Crisa: she likes girls...maybe even her.
Jessica Yeh writes a sensitive coming out story for young adults in Something Tragic (Desert Palm Press, 9781942976677, 2017). I have said this before in another review about Yeh’s work, but it is a must read. This time for different reasons. Addison and Crisa’s characters each bring different LGBTQ+ issues to the forefront, but also individual ones. The first experiencing love with a female knowing you like girls and from Crisa’s standpoint the confusion of having this happen. Addison has two gay uncles and a support system and Crisa has no support system.
They are both suffering from parental losses and have chosen similar methods of dealing with it which many young adults will identify with (I identified with it). Then there is the issue with gossip in school and the ramifications of being pretty and popular. The destructive ways in which we handle situations. Yeh handles all of these situations deftly through her characters. Kudos.
She does not rush Addie and Crisa’s relationship, nor does she give us cheap thrills. I have to say that I really enjoyed this coming out story and once again cannot wait to read what Yeh has for us next.
January 18, 2022
I read this book a few years ago for the first time, and only recently picked it up again for another read.
It still had me as invested in Crisa and Addison’s story as it did the first time.
It’s a beautiful classic high school story, the popular girl falls in love with the more nerdy geek. But who are being held back by the fear of what everyone else may think. It was wonderful to read about the friendship between these two blossoming and then developing into something more. And it was absolutely heartbreaking to read about their falling out. How things fall apart, how not every love story survives or works out. Even if we so badly want it to.
The ending I think works very well for this story. It leaves me hopeful. It may not be satisfying to everyone, but I think it is perfect. It shows the growth these characters have gone through in these pages, and it shows that not all hope is lost for these two. It’s hopeful, it’s in a way a new start to their story, it simply works.
It still had me as invested in Crisa and Addison’s story as it did the first time.
It’s a beautiful classic high school story, the popular girl falls in love with the more nerdy geek. But who are being held back by the fear of what everyone else may think. It was wonderful to read about the friendship between these two blossoming and then developing into something more. And it was absolutely heartbreaking to read about their falling out. How things fall apart, how not every love story survives or works out. Even if we so badly want it to.
The ending I think works very well for this story. It leaves me hopeful. It may not be satisfying to everyone, but I think it is perfect. It shows the growth these characters have gone through in these pages, and it shows that not all hope is lost for these two. It’s hopeful, it’s in a way a new start to their story, it simply works.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 23, 2021
Tragic and beautiful
This is my second time reading Something Tragic and I have to say, I loved it even more than the first. While it’s not the happiest story, there are a lot of ups and downs, it’s definitely relatable. I enjoyed the open ending and since I’m a hopeless romantic, it was a happy one. I only wish addie and crisa had gotten more time together. Overall, it’s a heartbreaking yet heartwarming story that will take its place among my favorites
This is my second time reading Something Tragic and I have to say, I loved it even more than the first. While it’s not the happiest story, there are a lot of ups and downs, it’s definitely relatable. I enjoyed the open ending and since I’m a hopeless romantic, it was a happy one. I only wish addie and crisa had gotten more time together. Overall, it’s a heartbreaking yet heartwarming story that will take its place among my favorites
April 30, 2022
i read this book on my period and couldn’t stop crying a the ending
very good
very good
February 12, 2023
I want to lead with that the writing style was very crude, very elementary. I acknowledge that.
However, the story, the characters, the depth given to the often made clichés? I loved. It’s one of my favorite books, because of that. There are plenty of cons, but personally they are outweighed by the pros.
Cons:
-Again, the writing style as I mentioned is highly low grade. It’s mediocre at best, and would almost make me dislike the book at some points. Quiet obvious the authors first novel, and is so similar to an elementary scholars that it’s almost admirable. You’d almost wonder how it’s possible. It’s simple to a fault.
-I hate how parents deaths are handled. They are mentioned offhandedly and nonchalantly as an origin story, but nothing more. It’s as if their deaths are only exist for plot. Which is often with many things in books, but authors usually make it work. This one didn’t. They bring it up once and actually acknowledge it properly, with care, like they have some true showing of the pain and ptsd Addison should have from it, but that’s it.
-Oh yeah and Addison has “Trust Issues” which are also poorly handled, but then she keeps acting the exact same and now they are gone??? What???
-Trigger warning, skip to next bullet point if you need: the way they handle their self harm. I really don’t think that was given the amount of pain and emotion that it comes with. I may be wrong, but still. Each once and now they show each other and hardly talk about it? Ok, but they each only did it once? That’s the part I know is possible, but hard to believe, personally. I just think it could have been handled better, especially sense Addison’s was so recent.
-The use of the word orbs.
Pros:
I don’t even know where to start or how to end! Excuse me if I don’t do this justice.
-CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Even though the story is mostly made of clichés, the author does really fucking well building the characters to the point it is artfully, and talented in such. The paint the characters as characters should be built, layer by layer, with proper shading and highlights, texture, you can feel the paint. And then as you follow the brush you try and keep up, till you stand back and see the full work and you cry because it’s so beautiful.
-The same goes for plot, the plot is fairly cliché but it handled well, yk?
-Figurative language!! Even if it was not used as much as it could have been, it was used well when used.
-The ending!! It’s realistic and open and I love it!! It fits so well, and is WAY more realistic then most books!!
I know I’m missing so much, but I don’t know how to put the literary renaissance level work into words. It’s wonderful, read it!
However, the story, the characters, the depth given to the often made clichés? I loved. It’s one of my favorite books, because of that. There are plenty of cons, but personally they are outweighed by the pros.
Cons:
-Again, the writing style as I mentioned is highly low grade. It’s mediocre at best, and would almost make me dislike the book at some points. Quiet obvious the authors first novel, and is so similar to an elementary scholars that it’s almost admirable. You’d almost wonder how it’s possible. It’s simple to a fault.
-I hate how parents deaths are handled. They are mentioned offhandedly and nonchalantly as an origin story, but nothing more. It’s as if their deaths are only exist for plot. Which is often with many things in books, but authors usually make it work. This one didn’t. They bring it up once and actually acknowledge it properly, with care, like they have some true showing of the pain and ptsd Addison should have from it, but that’s it.
-Oh yeah and Addison has “Trust Issues” which are also poorly handled, but then she keeps acting the exact same and now they are gone??? What???
-Trigger warning, skip to next bullet point if you need: the way they handle their self harm. I really don’t think that was given the amount of pain and emotion that it comes with. I may be wrong, but still. Each once and now they show each other and hardly talk about it? Ok, but they each only did it once? That’s the part I know is possible, but hard to believe, personally. I just think it could have been handled better, especially sense Addison’s was so recent.
-The use of the word orbs.
Pros:
I don’t even know where to start or how to end! Excuse me if I don’t do this justice.
-CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Even though the story is mostly made of clichés, the author does really fucking well building the characters to the point it is artfully, and talented in such. The paint the characters as characters should be built, layer by layer, with proper shading and highlights, texture, you can feel the paint. And then as you follow the brush you try and keep up, till you stand back and see the full work and you cry because it’s so beautiful.
-The same goes for plot, the plot is fairly cliché but it handled well, yk?
-Figurative language!! Even if it was not used as much as it could have been, it was used well when used.
-The ending!! It’s realistic and open and I love it!! It fits so well, and is WAY more realistic then most books!!
I know I’m missing so much, but I don’t know how to put the literary renaissance level work into words. It’s wonderful, read it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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