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spark_879's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
really enjoyed it, but the transphobia & deadnaming from the father was a lot at times. (there was a warning at the beginning of the book so i did know it was coming, and it was definitely important for the story; it was just a bit painful to read through at times)
that said, the beginning part of this kinda reminded me of middle grade books i used to read (in the vest way possible) - eg. the mc wanting to do something to make a big change in the community, the "you have the power to make a difference" type of thing. i hadn't read any books like that in a while so it was a nice change. *note: it does advance past where middle grade books would ever go in terms of the mc questioning his motives for what he's doing, so this is definitely worthy of the ya tag rather than mg.
this is much longer than what i usually write for book reviews lol but basically what i'm saying is i liked it a lot but beware of transphobia & deadnaming done by a parent & directed at their child.
that said, the beginning part of this kinda reminded me of middle grade books i used to read (in the vest way possible) - eg. the mc wanting to do something to make a big change in the community, the "you have the power to make a difference" type of thing. i hadn't read any books like that in a while so it was a nice change. *note: it does advance past where middle grade books would ever go in terms of the mc questioning his motives for what he's doing, so this is definitely worthy of the ya tag rather than mg.
this is much longer than what i usually write for book reviews lol but basically what i'm saying is i liked it a lot but beware of transphobia & deadnaming done by a parent & directed at their child.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming and Transphobia
Moderate: Homophobia and Bullying
Minor: Racism and Alcohol
earofthedog's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Deadnaming and Transphobia
Minor: Violence
stacy837's review
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Bullying
Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol and Religious bigotry
courtnoodles's review
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Would have worked better as a coming of age story about a trans boy with a Democratic yet transphobic politician as a father, and a high school student council election in the background, rather than the other way around. If you're gonna do an intense election at the forefront, with political jargon and everything, you have to go full Politician a la Netflix. Extreme camp, sheer ridiculousness, no holding back. Anything halfway won't work. And this was kind of halfway.
Excellent writing though. Lots of layered analogies that I loved.
Excellent writing though. Lots of layered analogies that I loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Bullying, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
Moderate: Child abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Blood
Minor: Alcohol, Antisemitism, Classism, and Cursing
elliizzzabeth's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I'm not someone who is into politics (especially American politics) but for some reason this book drew me to it and I was not disappointed! Despite it being about a political campaign it didn't make the narrative boring and all of the characters made it interesting. It was what Ryan Murphy's 'The Politician' wanted to be.
Benji was definitely the stand out, especially in the audiobook where you get to hear his southern twang. It was also a very authentic look at the trans experience and made it a part of the plot without making it tragic or too sensationalised. Also the relationship was predictable but very cute.
I did have a few issues, mostly that there seemed to be some weird vendetta against the GSA, constantly saying it was 'only full of straight people' but never went to the GSA so how does he know? He says there are hardly any out gay people in the school but how do you know they are not only out to the GSA? I'm not American so maybe that's just a stereotype about them but it seemed a bit sort of gatekeep-y like saying they were the 'real queers'. Also annoyed that jenny gets mad at Mark for not reading her mind? Like don't tell someone you want to give in and then get mad that they let you
But overall it was a very good read!
Benji was definitely the stand out, especially in the audiobook where you get to hear his southern twang. It was also a very authentic look at the trans experience and made it a part of the plot without making it tragic or too sensationalised. Also the relationship was predictable but very cute.
I did have a few issues, mostly that there seemed to be some weird vendetta against the GSA, constantly saying it was 'only full of straight people' but never went to the GSA so how does he know? He says there are hardly any out gay people in the school but how do you know they are not only out to the GSA? I'm not American so maybe that's just a stereotype about them but it seemed a bit sort of gatekeep-y like saying they were the 'real queers'. Also annoyed that
But overall it was a very good read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Alcohol, Bullying, Deadnaming, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Death of parent, Homophobia, Islamophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Hate crime, Grief, Racism, and Acephobia/Arophobia
Minor: Terminal illness and Dysphoria
imstephtacular's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Violence, Classism, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Bullying, Death of parent, Dysphoria, Grief, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Drug use, Racial slurs, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Islamophobia, Outing, Racism, Sexual content, Abandonment, and Blood
ritareadstrash's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
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
4.0
There are massive CWs for The (Un)Popular Vote, and I greatly appreciated Jasper Sanchez including a note in the front of the book, cautioning readers. While we are all well versed in looking up TWs and CWs, with this being a YA I’m not sure teens take the time to do the same.
This book focuses on Mark Adams, a trans teen, who ends up running for class president, after witnessing a friend getting bullied, and eventually suspended for the fight, for being queer. However, part of the agreement which allows Mark the freedom to transition in peace, away from his congressman father, is to stay under the radar. Running for office is definitely the opposite of that, and obviously things go awry.
Honestly, a lot of the messaging I felt, while reading, was about virtue signaling. Which is pretty relevant to the current use of social media during this current world of WTFs.
Mark’s dad is a walking TW you’d love to punt to the sun. He is an ally in name only, and dead names Mark every single time they talk. None of the CWs for this book are ones for me, but I found myself needing to pause at times because, as a parent, I cannot fathom treating my child, like he treats Mark.
But it’s not all heavy, I promise! I could easily read a book on Ralph and Benji being themselves. There is amazing rep for multiple aspects of LGBTQIAP+.There’s a lot of great banter amongst characters, and lots of pop culture nuggets. I think my favorite easter egg is the scene mirroring The West Wing Two Cathedrals episode, which is a cinematic masterpiece. I highly recommend this book, and watching that episode.
This book focuses on Mark Adams, a trans teen, who ends up running for class president, after witnessing a friend getting bullied, and eventually suspended for the fight, for being queer. However, part of the agreement which allows Mark the freedom to transition in peace, away from his congressman father, is to stay under the radar. Running for office is definitely the opposite of that, and obviously things go awry.
Honestly, a lot of the messaging I felt, while reading, was about virtue signaling. Which is pretty relevant to the current use of social media during this current world of WTFs.
Mark’s dad is a walking TW you’d love to punt to the sun. He is an ally in name only, and dead names Mark every single time they talk. None of the CWs for this book are ones for me, but I found myself needing to pause at times because, as a parent, I cannot fathom treating my child, like he treats Mark.
But it’s not all heavy, I promise! I could easily read a book on Ralph and Benji being themselves. There is amazing rep for multiple aspects of LGBTQIAP+.There’s a lot of great banter amongst characters, and lots of pop culture nuggets. I think my favorite easter egg is the scene mirroring The West Wing Two Cathedrals episode, which is a cinematic masterpiece. I highly recommend this book, and watching that episode.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
Moderate: Islamophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death of parent, and Religious bigotry
criticalbooks's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Misogyny, Bullying, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Violence, Deadnaming, and Dysphoria
theboywithallthekeys's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Deadnaming
heytherekaity's review
emotional
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? Yes
5.0
I LOVED this book so much!
**Themes**
On its surface, this book is about politics and queer kids. And while those are definitely big themes in *The [Un]Popular Vote*, I think it's arguably even **more** about privilege and intersectionality, about having faith in and hope for humanity.
**Characters**
My favorite character was Pablo! This will surprise absolutely no one when I tell you that Pablo is extremely laid back, asexual, biromantic, and fat. I also really loved Mark! He felt like a real person, and even when I didn't like what he was doing, I always understood it. Ralph was also adorable, and Nadia and Rachel and Jenny and Benji were all fantastic!
**All the Feels**
I laughed, I cried, at one point I wanted to straight up **MURDER** a fictional character. Basically, I felt ***ALL*** of the feels when I was reading this book. I think the best way to sum up how I feel about *The [Un]Popular Vote* is this quote from Ted Lasso's Dr. Sharon, ***"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off."***
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Storygraph
**Themes**
On its surface, this book is about politics and queer kids. And while those are definitely big themes in *The [Un]Popular Vote*, I think it's arguably even **more** about privilege and intersectionality, about having faith in and hope for humanity.
**Characters**
My favorite character was Pablo! This will surprise absolutely no one when I tell you that Pablo is extremely laid back, asexual, biromantic, and fat. I also really loved Mark! He felt like a real person, and even when I didn't like what he was doing, I always understood it. Ralph was also adorable, and Nadia and Rachel and Jenny and Benji were all fantastic!
**All the Feels**
I laughed, I cried, at one point I wanted to straight up **MURDER** a fictional character. Basically, I felt ***ALL*** of the feels when I was reading this book. I think the best way to sum up how I feel about *The [Un]Popular Vote* is this quote from Ted Lasso's Dr. Sharon, ***"The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off."***
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Storygraph
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Sexism, Transphobia, and Violence