Reviews

Little Fish by Casey Plett

knapier5's review against another edition

dark hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Transphobia, Suicide, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

eeeoooo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I just didn't connect with this one as much as I was hoping to. I found myself frustrated with the decisions of the characters at times and had a hard time relating to them. The book was beautifully written at times, but the pace was frequently too slow for my liking. The story also meandered a lot and didn't reach an end point that felt satisfying.

My favorite part of the book and one of the few parts that I really liked without any reservations was when Wendy was lying to Anna about her life and making up a beautiful and fulfilling life for the cisgender woman she was pretending to be. Wendy so so deserves to have a life like that, and it made me really sad that the closest she had ever come to it was in that lie. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely moments of joy in Wendy's life, but she shouldn't have to be cisgender to have the things she spoke about in her lie.

notsarahconnor's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense 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? Yes

4.0

This was such a beautiful and emotional book. Plett is such a talented writer and I can't wait to read more of her work!

Read the full review on my blog! 

nullpointerintime's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.0

shannonli1026's review against another edition

emotional informative 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? Yes

3.5

jess_mango's review against another edition

4.0

Wendy is a trans woman living in Winnipeg, Canada. She has her circle of LGBTQ+ friends many of whom are dealing with the messiness with life as trans people. Amongst their group, they experience substance abuse, suicide and sex-work. Wendy discovers evidence that her grandfather may also have been transgender. Wendy pokes into her family's past to see if she can find out the truth about her grandfather, all while dealing with the realities of her own life as a trans woman.

This was a powerful read. It really opened a window allowing the reader to peer into the life of a trans woman. The book was dark at times but at others very endearing. Wendy as a character is a complex human with her fair share of problems but the desire to make the best of her life and discover who she really is. The book is filled with conversations between Wendy and her circle. The dialogue is richly developed and really helps drive the novel.

Thank you to the publisher for the audiobook!

melonfizz's review against another edition

4.0

“And then she realized how dumb, pointless, childish, and princess-like it’d been to think any part of her body could be kept sheltered and untouched and loved. The thought went up in ashes without remorse or sadness.”

this book is written with such an intimately personal touch that i felt like Wendy was a friend by the time i finished reading. the style of writing is more stream-of-consciousness than i usually prefer, but it lends itself to the storyline, which is ultimately not plot-driven. unlike many books (mostly written by cis authors) featuring a trans protagonist, this felt like an insightful character study of a regular girl living in the world.

the only clichés in this book were ones also found in real life. despite my trans experience being very different from wendy’s and that of most transfem people, this book felt incredibly realistic and really resonated with me. everyone is flawed, loose ends are not tied up, people get hurt, and Wendy still keeps living.

coyotegospel's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

5.0

line's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

littlespookysmut's review against another edition

4.0

I had this from the library on my Kindle and I wasn't paying attention and it got returned :( BUT I was able to check it out again and it is so good!! It doesn't really have much of a plot in my opinion but I really loved the story and all the characters. It's pretty sad at times and doesn't really have an ending but it made me feel a lot of emotions.