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caoidh's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Transphobia
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
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? No
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
This was a lovely debut!!!!
Although I wanted to throw hands for my precious baby Dean at times, I felt that Ray wrote a tender and moving coming out story for Dean.
What I loved most was that even though some characters got it wrong or fumbled pronouns at times, Ray wrote compassion and determination into almost all of them. They all wanted to do better and to try for Dean.
I especially appreciated Dean’s theatre teacher, saying “I’m not experienced with this but how can I be here for you? How can I help?” Often, when we (humans) are presented with something new, we get anxious, fearful and defensive…. and unfortunately, we will often respond accordingly. However, for Dean’s teacher to not only acknowledge his own shortcomings in not being well-versed in the trans experience, he had the capacity to pause and ask what he could do for his student. He didn’t center himself or his own insecurities; he directly asked a student who felt safe enough to share with him how he could support them. I know this seems so small, but it was a powerful moment for me as an educator.
So grateful for this book and I highly recommend it!
This was a lovely debut!!!!
Although I wanted to throw hands for my precious baby Dean at times, I felt that Ray wrote a tender and moving coming out story for Dean.
What I loved most was that even though some characters got it wrong or fumbled pronouns at times, Ray wrote compassion and determination into almost all of them. They all wanted to do better and to try for Dean.
I especially appreciated Dean’s theatre teacher, saying “I’m not experienced with this but how can I be here for you? How can I help?” Often, when we (humans) are presented with something new, we get anxious, fearful and defensive…. and unfortunately, we will often respond accordingly. However, for Dean’s teacher to not only acknowledge his own shortcomings in not being well-versed in the trans experience, he had the capacity to pause and ask what he could do for his student. He didn’t center himself or his own insecurities; he directly asked a student who felt safe enough to share with him how he could support them. I know this seems so small, but it was a powerful moment for me as an educator.
So grateful for this book and I highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Deadnaming, Outing, Bullying, Violence, and Transphobia
yelloweyedbeta's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
to sum it up by the author’s words:
“Queer and trans people everywhere: You are an endless source of wisdom, motivation, inspiration, imagination, innovation, beau-ty, joy, and resilience for me. Were here, and were not going any-where.”
“Queer and trans people everywhere: You are an endless source of wisdom, motivation, inspiration, imagination, innovation, beau-ty, joy, and resilience for me. Were here, and were not going any-where.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Bullying, and Violence
Moderate: Homophobia, Suicide, and Deadnaming
ivan_levitt's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Dysphoria and Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia, Outing, and Deadnaming
Minor: Violence
matheo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming, Transphobia, Bullying, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Outing, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
Moderate: Drug use, Hate crime, Sexual content, Violence, Body shaming, Racism, and Suicide
lucabruck's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia
Moderate: Violence
shershenk's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-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
4.5
This is a YA I wish I had read when I was in high school. This is realistically raw without romanticizing or exploiting the pain that can exist for trans teens. This didn't end neatly with all ends tied up as many books often do when touching on LGBTQIA+ issues, but it also was largely optimistic. I was so satisfied with how it ended--what a truly beautiful story to read. I loved the fleshed-out supporting characters. They were diverse and mindfully written.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Bullying
Moderate: Violence and Deadnaming
Minor: Suicide
rey_therese07's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
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? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Bullying, and Homophobia
Moderate: Deadnaming, Outing, Emotional abuse, and Violence
Minor: Suicide and Racism
jo_lzr's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Violence, and Bullying
Minor: Suicide
crackedspines_'s review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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? No
OVERALL: BPAR is an incredible book. The trans rep was so relatable for me, and it covered a lot of important topics. The writing style wasn’t my favorite, and I had some issues, but overall I really enjoyed it. I’m so glad I was able to read this book and I’m excited for Ray Stoeve’s next one!
PLOT: Dean’s growth as a character was so heartwarming to read. I was rooting for him through the entire book and I was very satisfied with the way the book ended.
THEMES: Something I really enjoyed about this book was the discussion of how Dean’s trans identity affected his relationship with Zoe. It’s a difficult topic to discuss but Stoeve did it gracefully. There’s also a strong theme of queer family and community, and it was so sweet. However, there is one scene I didn’t like: when Dean goes to a queer group, he’s too nervous to say his pronouns are he/him, so Jade says he hasn’t picked pronouns (which is what he told her). Then Isaac, the group leader, says “‘No problem […] you have options. He? She? They?’” This positions those as the only options, and it’s not okay to pressure someone into picking pronouns. Some people don’t use pronouns, and some people just aren’t ready yet.
WRITING: I didn’t really like the writing much. Stoeve relied on run-on sentences as well as long sentences that were technically grammatically correct but read as incomplete. This is fully a personal preference though, and even though I didn’t love the writing it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book too much.
CHARACTERS: I have SO MUCH love for all of the characters. Dean, our flawed, trying-his-best trans main character. Ronnie was the absolute best friend, and I love him for that. And while I hate Zoe, she was a complex, well-developed character. I do wish that Allison’s behavior was addressed more head-on, and it was very strange that it wasn’t mentioned that she was Japanese until Chapter 15. Her Japanese identity felt like an afterthought.
PLOT: Dean’s growth as a character was so heartwarming to read. I was rooting for him through the entire book and I was very satisfied with the way the book ended.
THEMES: Something I really enjoyed about this book was the discussion of how Dean’s trans identity affected his relationship with Zoe. It’s a difficult topic to discuss but Stoeve did it gracefully. There’s also a strong theme of queer family and community, and it was so sweet. However, there is one scene I didn’t like: when Dean goes to a queer group, he’s too nervous to say his pronouns are he/him, so Jade says he hasn’t picked pronouns (which is what he told her). Then Isaac, the group leader, says “‘No problem […] you have options. He? She? They?’” This positions those as the only options, and it’s not okay to pressure someone into picking pronouns. Some people don’t use pronouns, and some people just aren’t ready yet.
WRITING: I didn’t really like the writing much. Stoeve relied on run-on sentences as well as long sentences that were technically grammatically correct but read as incomplete. This is fully a personal preference though, and even though I didn’t love the writing it didn’t hinder my enjoyment of the book too much.
CHARACTERS: I have SO MUCH love for all of the characters. Dean, our flawed, trying-his-best trans main character. Ronnie was the absolute best friend, and I love him for that. And while I hate Zoe, she was a complex, well-developed character. I do wish that Allison’s behavior was addressed more head-on, and it was very strange that it wasn’t mentioned that she was Japanese until Chapter 15. Her Japanese identity felt like an afterthought.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying and Transphobia
Moderate: Violence