Reviews tagging 'Cursing'

Autoboyographie by Christina Lauren, Anaïs Goacolou

11 reviews

1_800_fuck_off's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

ooohhh! where do i begin??? 

i deeply related to the religious aspect of this story. i was triggered by things that were discussed and it ripped my heart to shreds. i definitely had to take a few breaks to cry a bit and just take a breather. i feel a bit drained writing this right after i finished the book so i might come back later to revise this review but for now i’ll just say what i’m feeling at the moment. 

i identified myself with sebastian so much, particularly about his struggle with his family and where he stood in the eyes of God. i also related with tanner in having a supportive family because, fortunately and unfortunately, i have both the really religious dad and the super supportive mom and they’re divorced so they have shown me two prominent paths of life. and unfortunately i’m also a bit of a people pleaser especially when it comes to my family so when your parents have two very differing ways of life they want you to live…well let’s just say that’s something i’m still struggling with. this book really felt like it took my soul apart and put it back together in the form of a book for all to see. i felt understood but it also made me feel vulnerable which made me feel what i struggle to suppress everyday so i’m not sure how i feel about that yet. many feelings, ew, lol. 

for a good chunk of the story i believed this would be a five star read until that part where
tanner sleeps with autumn.
it jarred me to the point that it almost made me dnf the book. it completely disconnected me from tanner’s character and made me question why that was written in. i know it’s a real thing that happens and stuff but it’s just one of those things that i can’t comprehend and one of those actions i can’t bring myself to dismiss and move on about. so that affected my emotional investment from that point on. i didn’t feel as strongly as before and read on in a sort of detached state for the rest of the book. i no longer cried or felt much of anything for what happened. there were still things i related to, especially on sebastian’s pov chapters, but it’s like my heart closed itself off and didn’t allow me to feel it much anymore. maybe some sort of coping mechanism lol. 

overall, i did really like the book, though, and i would recommend it. especially to queer kids struggling with religious expectations from their family. i see you, i feel you, i hear you. i hope you find some solace in these pages. i hope they make you feel seen and understood. you are not alone, you lovely soul. may life be kinder to you every day. 

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vagaybond's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad tense
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.75

This was so emotional. I'm not used to a YA book having such nuance. And to be as heartbreaking as this. No one died but I feel as emotionally wrought as I did watching the movie Holding The Man (2015) which was based on a book a man wrote about the love story between he and his partner after his partner died of AIDS and before he himself did. There is so much pain in queerness and I often wish to escape it all and have fluffy romance where nobody has to deal with things like I've been through.* And I know there are people who have been luckier than me who don't know pains related to it. But this captured this pain so well and so poetically. I often wish undying love were not so undying too.




*(Disclaimer: my family is imperfect and they were abusive to me, but I did assume coming out specifically would go okay until I actually came out and reality proved otherwise. I wasn't on speaking terms with my biological family from 19-27 or so. Honestly the reaction to coming out is probably what was the last straw, and I'm not sure that a last straw would have existed otherwise. And I needed that no-contact time to survive and become the person I am.)

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unusuallyy's review against another edition

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challenging hopeful reflective tense 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

4.5


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joey1914's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad 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? Yes

4.5


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cutepatzie's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad tense 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

Love the characters, love the story, and love plot. I never thought that book about Mormons, gay love, and writing a book will be good... But it is. It's cute, funny, and sometimes sad. It heart breaking that even now people can be themself fully without fear that family, friends or even their one religion will not abandon them. I love this book and wish that have maybe a small special.

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isabel_c's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This book was cute but lacked deeper emotion with the characters. Like yes I really felt for them but I also felt out of touch with them the whole time I listened to this book. Overall though I think it was cute and a nice short read but I don’t think I would recommend it to anyone.

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lennie_reads's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative reflective sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75


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readingandteaching247's review against another edition

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challenging emotional 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? It's complicated

5.0

My favorite LGBTQIA+ book i read this pride month was by far this book.  Also I will read anything Christina Lauren write! I’m working my way through their backlist right now. This book is so different from any of their previous books but is no less lovely.

This is a YA story about a boy who is bisexual, who recently relocated to Utah from progressive California.  It is the struggle he has with not being out at school or in his community (but he is out at home and his family is wonderfully supportive).  There is a lot of discussion about religion and how that affects how many of the towns people view the world and how they choose to see those who are different from them.

Tanner falls for a boy who is Mormon.  That boy has to struggle with his identity and how to navigate his religious family (his father is a bishop) and finding his way in their secret relationship. 

This book is beautifully written, thought provoking, heartbreaking at times but also full of hope.  There is light at the end of the tunnel for both these boys and if they could just manage to escape this town then they could have a chance at an even better more fulfilled life.  I enjoyed every second of this one!  I listened on audiobook and highly recommend this to any of my readers, romance, YA, and all of the above.  If you’re looking for a book to wrap up your pride month reading go for this one!

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tabear's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0


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leahlovesloslibros's review against another edition

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

4.0

This book was a fairly easy read. I really liked Tanner's character, seeing how he grew both individually and as a partner to someone who was very clearly struggling with their identity. While there were parts that brought back not-so-great memories for me, I do understand how that was necessary to show Sebastian's growth as he figured out who he was, especially when he was raised with certain expectations as to lifestyle choices (raised Mormon, so same-sex relationships are highly frowned upon). 

I loved how Tanner's family was endlessly supportive of who he was as an individual, and thought it was an interesting and realistic twist to see how his ever-supportive parents changed their tune [a little bit] when he started getting into a relationship with a Mormon.

Overall, I liked this book. It was cute without being too cheesy, which I liked because I'm not typically a huge romance fan. The characters had real, relatable emotions throughout the book as well. I would definitely recommend this book to others, and will look at other books written by these authors (Christina Lauren is actually a combination of the co-authors' names).

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