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jenny_librarian's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
I wanted to like this so much. Unfortunately, the author didn’t deliver to the potential of this book.
Sophie Labelle is primarily a comic artist. Her strips work well and bring their point across much better than her novels, and I think that’s where lies the problem. You can read each comic strip separately, even in bound work, and if one contradicts a bit the interaction of another, it’s not the end of the world. Unfortunately, it’s not the same for a novel. And Labelle kinda shot herself in the foot by making all her novels take place in the same series.
Reusing character from Ciel in her prequel Stephie book and now in this sequel could have been great, but it ends up showing glaring continuity errors between each book. And this one is no different.
While previous books were centred on Ciel’s identity and their friendship with Stephie, this one tried to do a lot at once, and ends up being all over the place with no real resolution at the end (and a slightly pathetic cliffhanger). There’s talk of juvenile pornography/sharing nudes, of bullying, of being outed, and more. By trying to tackle so many different topics, Labelle gets lost within the array.
Ciel also seems to be demisexual and autistic. And while being demi could fit with them, the autistic depiction is clunky and something entirely new to their character. It’s like Sophie Labelle read a book from an autistic author and just decided to apply those traits to Ciel when they previously had none. Don’t get me wrong, I love more ace and autistic spectrum representation, this is not it.
I feel like authors like Marlene Nijkamp or Kacen Callender or even Becky Albertalli would have handled this book much better. Write this in graphic format, with Labelle as the illustrator and another author helping her with the story (and as a stand-alone), and I believe it could have been great. Unfortunately, in this format and with the previous books released, it misses the mark.
Sophie Labelle is primarily a comic artist. Her strips work well and bring their point across much better than her novels, and I think that’s where lies the problem. You can read each comic strip separately, even in bound work, and if one contradicts a bit the interaction of another, it’s not the end of the world. Unfortunately, it’s not the same for a novel. And Labelle kinda shot herself in the foot by making all her novels take place in the same series.
Reusing character from Ciel in her prequel Stephie book and now in this sequel could have been great, but it ends up showing glaring continuity errors between each book. And this one is no different.
While previous books were centred on Ciel’s identity and their friendship with Stephie, this one tried to do a lot at once, and ends up being all over the place with no real resolution at the end (and a slightly pathetic cliffhanger). There’s talk of juvenile pornography/sharing nudes, of bullying, of being outed, and more. By trying to tackle so many different topics, Labelle gets lost within the array.
Ciel also seems to be demisexual and autistic. And while being demi could fit with them, the autistic depiction is clunky and something entirely new to their character. It’s like Sophie Labelle read a book from an autistic author and just decided to apply those traits to Ciel when they previously had none. Don’t get me wrong, I love more ace and autistic spectrum representation, this is not it.
I feel like authors like Marlene Nijkamp or Kacen Callender or even Becky Albertalli would have handled this book much better. Write this in graphic format, with Labelle as the illustrator and another author helping her with the story (and as a stand-alone), and I believe it could have been great. Unfortunately, in this format and with the previous books released, it misses the mark.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Outing, and Homophobia
Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual harassment, Violence, Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Gaslighting
starfish_whale00's review
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.75
This book is everything I expected it to be. Perfect. I absolutely loved reading this. I think every teen in the LGBTQIA+ community should read this.
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