Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Felix Ever After

At first, I did not enjoy Felix Ever After. But as I read, I slowly became more attached to the characters, more interested in the plot and the mystery, more excited by the set pieces and the characters. By the end of the book, I was crying. God, I really enjoyed this book. Also, I really like the descriptions of the city, not just the physical descriptions of the city, but the people who live in NYC and how they interact with the city and how it makes a bunch of streets and businesses and crazy people a city.

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kshertz's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective 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

3.75

It’s a coming of age book in the new age. I love that Felix finds himself and so so young. But also, everyone in this book is a classic annoying teenager and it’s hard to not go into teacher mode and tell them all that most of what they are complaining about will not matter after they graduate. But once I got beyond that, I was able to enjoy the story more. Felix identifying as a demiboy and showing how many other identities there are out there I know is life changing for so many. It was wonderful to read this during pride in San Diego as it is set during Pride time in New York. It felt so wonderful to look around and see all the Felix and friends at Pride. I love seeing books like these and having them around for my high school kids when they ask for recommendations. More books like these please 🥰

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artemisg's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful inspiring fast-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

3.5

I genuinely really enjoyed this book while also not enjoying it. The themes and exploration into gender identity were wonderful, but the main character and narrator, Felix, was insufferable. He was selfish and seemed unable to treat others with a semblance of respect, be that his father, best friend, or classmates. This was the main reason this book didn’t hit the spot for me, a second reason was that I went in expecting a love triangle (not a trope I’m particularly fond of, but when it’s done well, I love it), and there was no love triangle at all. Or, there was the slightest hint of one, and it took over one hundred pages to reach that hint. I also think that maybe I just don’t like it when books mention pop culture or social media. This book had a particularly millennial take on pop culture and social media use, despite the characters being 17 in the 2020s (I believe this is when it was set), which really took me out of it.

That doesn’t mean this book is bad, it’s not bad by any means, and more significantly, it’s important. This book is so important. The main character and narrator is a trans-masculine demiboy grappling with his gender identity, trying desperately to figure out who he is after his deadname and pre-transition pictures are posted on a gallery wall at his summer arts program. I have to sympathise with him, his life has been challenging, and this summer became significantly more complicated. However, his reactions to the gallery wall are extreme and borderline scary, which really cements his selfish nature. When the person who made the gallery wall was revealed, I was shocked, and not in a satisfying plot twist way, just in a “huh?” way. I think the central conflict could have been done a lot better, and the supporting characters could have been more multi-faceted, rather than just one thing Felix hates about them and then one thing that he realises is, in fact, nice about them.

I guess I can’t genuinely complain about an aspect of this book; it’s a YA romance; I don’t know what I expected. It was still an enjoyable read, and it had some really emotional and important scenes and moments. And it was a story centred around LGBT+ characters with a happy ending, which we need more of.

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aly_young's review against another edition

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inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

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jess_sabal's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring 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

5.0

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davidbythebay's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

4 5 Stars. I really enjoyed this book. Not only was it from a unique perspective, it was also committed to being honest and frank. One of the greatest things I think this book does I'd contribute to and foster conversation about gender identity and sexual orientation. Filled with wonderful insight and a few new-to-me terms, it was a fun story despite the transphobia, homophobia, and racism. It was amazing to have an intersectional look at a character. Felix is trans, queer, and black. It's a perspective we don't get very often at all.

My drawbacks were the pacing was a little slow at times and I really didn't like how with each new direct message (DM) on Instagram we began at the beginning of the conversation to see the new message. It just took the wind out of the sails for me. But it didn't happen very often, so that's good. Another quibble is how I know Felix is 17 and all, but damn can he come across a little immature and amazingly single minded. From the fixation on every new possible transphobic suspect to how he can hyper focus on how his dad won't use his name, Felix just comes across as though he is immature masquerading as mature. With his dad, he never once considers the changes his dad has gone through and has to go through. Another gripe is how quickly turns happen with explosive emotional moments and then they seem to disappear - like with (no spoilers!) finding out someone you thought you knew is actually a transphobe and yet it just seems like they are still around in the background with other friends of yours.

Overall, however, it was an interesting take on a suspenseful mystery mixed with a little MM romance love triangle sort of thing, mixed with a self exploration of identity. Just plain identity in all its iterations. I really recommend this to anyone who has felt lost, anyone in the LGBTQ community, or anyone who wants to know what it's like being queer in our "enlightened" age.

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