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mrypb's review
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Transphobia
Minor: Acephobia/Arophobia
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
xoodlebooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
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
4.75
Full review to come.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
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
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