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livelovelibrary's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Well this book was definitely the first book I have read with this sort of writing and representation. Cin is an trans, art student and Tom is a bisexual, billionaire tech genius who is twenty years older. I honestly still am not a fan of the whole age difference thing, but I am not apart of the male gay community so I am not sure what the general thoughts on age gap relationships are. Beyond that, I really loved this book and how sweet it was. There were definitely times were it felt like “Gender 101”, but I liked seeing my own experiences validated and shared on the page. The writing style was easy to follow and I loved all of the characters so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Body horror
Moderate: Deadnaming and Toxic relationship
Minor: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Alcohol
nickoliver's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was definitely a little different from the usual LGBTQ+-books I read - in more ways than just one. But I gotta admit, it was also kinda, sorta, really darn cute.
The story stood out particularly for its LGBTQ+-diversity. Honestly, almost no one in it is actually straight. Cin is trans and gay (or bi; to be honest, I was never quite sure if he likes girls too or not), Tom is genderqueer and bi, Poppy (Tom's sister) is trans and Rachel (Cin's best friend) is bi. And even though I'm neither trans nor genderqueer, I still felt like the representation was accurate and healthy and just overall great .
The story was told from both Cin and Tom's POV, which is my preferred way of storytelling, to be honest. They are both very likeable and adorable, though they do have very distinctive and different personalities. Cin is a twenty-year-old, snarky art student, while Tom is forty, shy, insecure and a billionaire. Intriguing about them was the fact that Cin is actually way more experienced than Tom, at least in terms of sex. Usually, when the age difference is so significant in a book, it's way more à la teacher/student - the older one decides to teach the younger one everything they know about what it means to be intimate with someone else. To have the roles practically reversed in this book was a nice change and I definitely liked it more than I would have if Wilde had stuck to the stereotype.
What I liked the most about their relationship, though, is that they talk to each other. More often than not, fictional couples - be it from books or TV shows - don't address problems, but try to ignore, lie about or even downplay them. Usually, this eventually leads to a breakup or at least a huge dispute. Cin and Tom, however, do none of these things. That was apparent especially when they are talking about sex. It is important for both of them that they weren't doing anything the other isn't comfortable with, so they always have frank, open discussions about what they like and what their partner should better avoid doing. I don't know, I just kind of liked that? Though admittedly, it also meant that there wasn't really that big of a plot going on. There is barely any conflict, because Tom and Cin are so big on talking. Essentially, 'A Boy Called Cin' is more or less simply about two guys falling in love with each other and the way their relationship evolves, without quite as many hardships as some other love stories.
Now, unfortunately, I also have some points of criticism about the book, though I don't think they're that dramatic.
First of all, the writing style wasn't my cup of tea. It wasn't sophisticated or even especially beautiful; somehow, it was just ... there. Sometimes, it also reminded me of fanfic. Don't get me wrong - I've read fanfic with such extraordinarily wonderful writing styles, they were better than some books I've devoured. But there are just certain ways of writing that make me go, 'Huh, that sounds like it could have been used in Malec-fanfic'. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it occasionally just bothers me.
Secondly, the romance developed a little bit too fast. Tom and Cin meet one day in a coffee shop, where Tom buys Cin a coffee because he looks tired and cold, and then they see each other again in a guest lecture Tom gives, and it all blooms from there. Tom is infatuated with Cin pretty much before they even go on their first date, and even more so after it. Granted, it's definitely easy to crush on people quickly - I mean, I've developed crushes on people before I even knew how old they were, sometimes even before I was capable of pronouncing their goddamn names. And it also needs to be said that the story technically spans over several months; it's just not that apparent because Wilde sometimes skips several weeks at once. But the romance still felt rushed at times.
The one thing I'm not entirely sure how to feel about are the sex scenes. I'm not someone who easily shies away from them in general, but I'm also not very keen on reading a book that's essentially just Porn Without Plot - I need to be really in the mood for it. And at the beginning, it seemed like 'A Boy Called Cin' was exactly that. I found myself skim reading passages, because I felt like I was reading the same scene over and over. Not that Tom and Cin have sex the exact same way every time, but it still kind of ... felt the same?
But after a while - probably after Tom and Cin got all their sexual tension out of the way -, the book started to focus on other relationship topics as well, and I was interested in the story again. And after I got used to them, the sex scenes kind of fascinated me - like I mentioned above, Tom and Cin discuss things rather than bury them six feet under, so they talk a lot about what they were comfortable with in bed and try to find the most pleasant way to be intimate with each other. It's just - I'm not used to people being so open with each other in regards of sex. I know that in some relationships, it's normal to be frank and honest, but I just never experienced that before myself. Personally, talking about sex always makes me extremely uncomfortable, no matter who I'm talking to. So, the sex scenes also emphasized just how healthy Tom and Cin's relationship truly is. And I appreciated that. A lot.
Overall, the story was very cute and lighthearted, but didn't really have much of a plot worth mentioning. The characters are funny and adorable and very frank, and I rarely found myself annoyed at them. Their relationships - not only Cin and Tom's, but also Cin and Rachel's and Tom and Poppy's - are depicted as incredibly healthy and just a joy to read about. If you're not comfortable reading about sex, though, I wouldn't pick this book up, since the protagonists either have or talk about sex at least half of the time. But definitely enjoyed reading this novel, and since it's so short, it was easy to get through it in one afternoon!
The story stood out particularly for its LGBTQ+-diversity. Honestly, almost no one in it is actually straight. Cin is trans and gay (or bi; to be honest, I was never quite sure if he likes girls too or not), Tom is genderqueer and bi, Poppy (Tom's sister) is trans and Rachel (Cin's best friend) is bi. And even though I'm neither trans nor genderqueer, I still felt like the representation was accurate and healthy and just overall great .
The story was told from both Cin and Tom's POV, which is my preferred way of storytelling, to be honest. They are both very likeable and adorable, though they do have very distinctive and different personalities. Cin is a twenty-year-old, snarky art student, while Tom is forty, shy, insecure and a billionaire. Intriguing about them was the fact that Cin is actually way more experienced than Tom, at least in terms of sex. Usually, when the age difference is so significant in a book, it's way more à la teacher/student - the older one decides to teach the younger one everything they know about what it means to be intimate with someone else. To have the roles practically reversed in this book was a nice change and I definitely liked it more than I would have if Wilde had stuck to the stereotype.
What I liked the most about their relationship, though, is that they talk to each other. More often than not, fictional couples - be it from books or TV shows - don't address problems, but try to ignore, lie about or even downplay them. Usually, this eventually leads to a breakup or at least a huge dispute. Cin and Tom, however, do none of these things. That was apparent especially when they are talking about sex. It is important for both of them that they weren't doing anything the other isn't comfortable with, so they always have frank, open discussions about what they like and what their partner should better avoid doing. I don't know, I just kind of liked that? Though admittedly, it also meant that there wasn't really that big of a plot going on. There is barely any conflict, because Tom and Cin are so big on talking. Essentially, 'A Boy Called Cin' is more or less simply about two guys falling in love with each other and the way their relationship evolves, without quite as many hardships as some other love stories.
Now, unfortunately, I also have some points of criticism about the book, though I don't think they're that dramatic.
First of all, the writing style wasn't my cup of tea. It wasn't sophisticated or even especially beautiful; somehow, it was just ... there. Sometimes, it also reminded me of fanfic. Don't get me wrong - I've read fanfic with such extraordinarily wonderful writing styles, they were better than some books I've devoured. But there are just certain ways of writing that make me go, 'Huh, that sounds like it could have been used in Malec-fanfic'. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it occasionally just bothers me.
Secondly, the romance developed a little bit too fast. Tom and Cin meet one day in a coffee shop, where Tom buys Cin a coffee because he looks tired and cold, and then they see each other again in a guest lecture Tom gives, and it all blooms from there. Tom is infatuated with Cin pretty much before they even go on their first date, and even more so after it. Granted, it's definitely easy to crush on people quickly - I mean, I've developed crushes on people before I even knew how old they were, sometimes even before I was capable of pronouncing their goddamn names. And it also needs to be said that the story technically spans over several months; it's just not that apparent because Wilde sometimes skips several weeks at once. But the romance still felt rushed at times.
The one thing I'm not entirely sure how to feel about are the sex scenes. I'm not someone who easily shies away from them in general, but I'm also not very keen on reading a book that's essentially just Porn Without Plot - I need to be really in the mood for it. And at the beginning, it seemed like 'A Boy Called Cin' was exactly that. I found myself skim reading passages, because I felt like I was reading the same scene over and over. Not that Tom and Cin have sex the exact same way every time, but it still kind of ... felt the same?
But after a while - probably after Tom and Cin got all their sexual tension out of the way -, the book started to focus on other relationship topics as well, and I was interested in the story again. And after I got used to them, the sex scenes kind of fascinated me - like I mentioned above, Tom and Cin discuss things rather than bury them six feet under, so they talk a lot about what they were comfortable with in bed and try to find the most pleasant way to be intimate with each other. It's just - I'm not used to people being so open with each other in regards of sex. I know that in some relationships, it's normal to be frank and honest, but I just never experienced that before myself. Personally, talking about sex always makes me extremely uncomfortable, no matter who I'm talking to. So, the sex scenes also emphasized just how healthy Tom and Cin's relationship truly is. And I appreciated that. A lot.
Overall, the story was very cute and lighthearted, but didn't really have much of a plot worth mentioning. The characters are funny and adorable and very frank, and I rarely found myself annoyed at them. Their relationships - not only Cin and Tom's, but also Cin and Rachel's and Tom and Poppy's - are depicted as incredibly healthy and just a joy to read about. If you're not comfortable reading about sex, though, I wouldn't pick this book up, since the protagonists either have or talk about sex at least half of the time. But definitely enjoyed reading this novel, and since it's so short, it was easy to get through it in one afternoon!
Content Warnings
Minor: Physical abuse and Transphobia
CW for misgendering, gender dysphoria
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