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stacy837's review
- 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
Graphic: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Homophobia, and Bullying
Moderate: Violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Antisemitism, Death of parent, and Cursing
Minor: Alcohol and Religious bigotry
elliizzzabeth's review against another edition
- 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
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!
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
- 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
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
- 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
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.
Graphic: Bullying, Deadnaming, and Transphobia
Moderate: Islamophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Death of parent, and Religious bigotry
emordnilap's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
but also i found the plotline and certain points to be really odd and very bad
(they just kind of skim over many of the lies the mc tells and there are little consequences)
Graphic: Transphobia and Homophobia
Moderate: Religious bigotry
alyshkalia's review
Graphic: Transphobia, Deadnaming, Bullying, Violence, and Homophobia
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Panic attacks/disorders, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Grief, Death of parent, and Blood
There is a LOT of deadnaming and transphobia from Mark's father.maple_dove's review
- 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
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, Transphobia, Bullying, and Islamophobia
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
solly's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The LI was sweet too, though I wish the romance subplot had been a little bit more engaging in places.
There's a few times throughout the book where I wanted people to be MORE angry at Mark instead of just accepting apologies straightaway or refusing his apologies.
I enjoyed the questioning Mark had to go through to find his ground in politics, I enjoyed that one of the best friends was a self-assumed politician shark, I enjoyed some of the subverted tropes, and I enjoyed that this didn't glorify politics/politicians and that it had some critical lines about the whole thing. It was good! Probably not for everyone for several reasons, but it was good.
Moderate: Violence, Transphobia, Mental illness, Homophobia, Deadnaming, and Bullying
Minor: Antisemitism and Religious bigotry
xoodlebooks's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Things this book has: Trans author, transmasculine main character. Jewish author, Jewish side character that talks a lot about Jewish theology, identity, and intergenerational trauma. Main character with bipolar disorder, but it doesn’t come up much at all. Side character with an anxiety disorder. Depictions of panic attacks. The main character is Catholic. He isn’t very religious, but he used to go to Catholic school, and he had a super eloquent prayer scene towards the end of the book. Emotionally manipulative father. So many good quotes. Diverse cast. Basically all of the main side characters are queer. Some things felt kind of weird / token-y, but maybe I am overthinking it? I am not sure. Academic / extracurricular pressure. Competitive students. The audiobook narrator was really great and had a lot of emotion. They might have pronounced a few words. Either that or the words in question have alternative pronunciations that I am unaware of. Also, there was a bit of Hebrew and Yiddish in the book, but I can’t verify whether or not the narrator’s pronunciation of Hebrew and Yiddish words was good. I really liked this book.
Graphic: Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
Moderate: Antisemitism, Bullying, Cursing, Death of parent, Drug use, Grief, Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Violence
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia, Biphobia, Blood, Cancer, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Genocide, Islamophobia, Mental illness, Racism, and Xenophobia