Reviews

Küsse für Jet by Joris Bas Backer

sucreslibrary's review against another edition

fast-paced

2.5

art is satisfactory but makes some scenes a little confusing + the story focuses on a lot of typical teenage relationship stuff until the very end where it feels like the trans stuff is suddenly fast-tracked to have a happy ending. I honestly thought I had missed a few pages or something but it really does tie everything up in a neat bow in a few pages after so many other pages spent on other things. it's good to have comics out there about trans guy experiences, but this one needed some more editing and a clearer focus before going to print 

maurice_greenware's review against another edition

emotional informative lighthearted reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes

3.0

bronwyn's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective 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

3.75

ndah's review against another edition

emotional reflective 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

4.0

frasersimons's review against another edition

slow-paced

2.0

I’m glad there’s another book out there with some queer and trans rep in it, but to be Frank, I didn’t think much of this actually worked. The artwork wasn’t for me and feels very rushed and pretty boring to look at. The characters and situations are contrived, things that would be happening in school aren’t, there’s weird subplots that are, again, wildly contrived. There’s barely any interiority and when it does pop up, it’s at odd times. It’s just fundamentally uninteresting and started losing me around a quarter of the way in, when the main tension was around a complete douche and his gold chain, I was on the struggle bus to try to care town. 

missmeganmann's review against another edition

hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.25

This wasn’t my favorite. The pacing was wonky in the first quarter of it. I love a trans story with a happy ending, but I feel like there were pieces of the story missing that would have felt more complete. And again, the pacing just wasn’t right for me.

christina_billhartz's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative 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? No

4.0

charlieisreading's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

3.5

maireador20's review against another edition

2.0

With it's monochromatic illustrations and somewhat meandering story this graphic novel about a young person figuring out their gender identity in the early 2000's should have been an instant hit for me but unfortunately it just didn't capture my imagination or tug on my heart strings the way I would have expected it to. It is essential that we have more diverse stories represented in graphic novels so I'm glad the book exists and I've no doubt it will connect with many young trans people who could relate directly to the protagonists experiences but for me it missed the mark.
Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk and Nobrow Ltd for the free eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

bladelikesbooks's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring 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

A YA graphic novel centring Jet, a teenage boy and his gender transition journey. The story is told in a very real, raw, way. It shows the real-life experiences of many FTM people and really highlights how much of a struggle trans people go through. I think this was a really beautiful and honest portrayal of the trans coming out journey and it’s one that will stick with me for a long time. I also really liked the illustrations and especially the blue colour palette, I thought that made it really unique! 

We see Jet go through many struggles in this graphic novel. From living without his parents in a boarding house, to starting to question his gender identity, experiencing Lesbophobic comments and even being outed by his best friend. This story really shows how imperfect people are, even the people who are trying to support you. 

Although it’s not specifically stated, I think Jet is also Aro/Ace because on page 142, Jet confesses to Ken “I don’t think I’ll ever feel like it” when they were talking about a make out session they’d previously had. 

The book also highlights how uncomfortable it can be to go to a gender clinic and how they really question your own identity and even your sanity. I think that scene could potentially be very triggering to a lot of trans people but I do think it has its place in the book. I think even if you yourself are not trans, you can benefit greatly from reading this as you’ll be able to get a better understanding of the trans experience. 

Obviously, trans people are not a monolith so this is only one person’s experience, but still I think everyone should read it! 

Rep - Trans (Jet); Fat (Sasha); Asian (Sasha); Migraines (Ken); Aro/Ace (Jet)

TWs/CWs - Blood; Bugs; Bullying; Cigarettes; Cussing; Death; Death of a loved one; Fatphobia; Harassment; Homophobia; Lesbophobia; Medical detail; Nudity; Outing; Peer Pressure; Periods; Postnatal Depression; Suicide; Suicide Ideation; Theft; Underage Drinking; Used Tampon; Violence