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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
CW: transphobia, homophobia
Honestly, this one was another hard one to figure out a rating for. I think this time it has something to do with the marketing for this one. Between the cover and the synopsis, it looked to be a lighter coming-out, coming-of-age story.
Well...it's not even close to being light. In this messy plot, you are constantly bombarded with transphobia and homophobia left and right. Mads hangs out and likes her best friend Cat, who is a pretty horrible person with an alcoholic mother. She also hangs out with Laura, who is constantly portrayed as a prude for not doing things she's not comfortable doing, who has a younger brother who has an obsession with Mads and basically stalks her until she accidentally agrees to a date with him while having a duel conversation with him and his sister on IM.
On top of all of that, Mads finds out that Mads' grandmother was actually a trans man and his entire family hates him and his partner. Sam is constantly misgendered by pretty much everyone all the time.
Kiss Number 8 is....a lot and I had so many feelings that ranged from anger to uncomfortable to really uncomfortable. I can't say I wouldn't recommend it, but I would for sure make sure that they would be aware of how much darker the story is than what is presented on the outside.
Honestly, this one was another hard one to figure out a rating for. I think this time it has something to do with the marketing for this one. Between the cover and the synopsis, it looked to be a lighter coming-out, coming-of-age story.
Well...it's not even close to being light. In this messy plot, you are constantly bombarded with transphobia and homophobia left and right. Mads hangs out and likes her best friend Cat, who is a pretty horrible person with an alcoholic mother. She also hangs out with Laura, who is constantly portrayed as a prude for not doing things she's not comfortable doing, who has a younger brother who has an obsession with Mads and basically stalks her until she accidentally agrees to a date with him while having a duel conversation with him and his sister on IM.
On top of all of that, Mads finds out that Mads' grandmother was actually a trans man and his entire family hates him and his partner. Sam is constantly misgendered by pretty much everyone all the time.
Kiss Number 8 is....a lot and I had so many feelings that ranged from anger to uncomfortable to really uncomfortable. I can't say I wouldn't recommend it, but I would for sure make sure that they would be aware of how much darker the story is than what is presented on the outside.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
overall a really compelling story. a few threads felt unresolved but in a way that they would be in real life. the use of unreliable narration overtop the visual panels depicting the truth playing out was so smart and well-executed!
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
yeah this one wasn't it...
my biggest issue with this book, and the reason i am giving it one star instead of 2.5 or 3, isthe sex scene with adam. for starters, the narrative brushes over the immensely traumatic nature of this scene WAY too quickly. it shows amanda crying immediately afterward, yes, but besides that it never comes up except when other characters complain that she "used" adam. why include such an intense and disturbing (to both character and reader) sexual experience, PARTICULARLY in a YA book, if you're just going to move past it like it's nothing??
but what somehow upsets me more about this scene is how coercive amanda is in it, and how that's never really addressed either. allow me to describe the panels: adam and amanda kiss, she reaches for his belt, he pushes her hand away.
adam: we don't need to rush. i want to enjoy it.
amanda: please. i really want to.
adam: it's just... i've never...
amanda: it's okay. me neither.
adam [looking VERY distressed]: but—i'm not... no— let's wait.
amanda: i don't want to wait. [takes off his belt]
amanda's internal dialogue [later on, while sneaking out of the party]: he didn't want to. i know he didn't want to.
what a horrific thing to include and then never bring up again. no means no.
beyond that... this book was just a bit of a mess. somehow it dragged, even though it's a graphic novel with a ton of plot lines. amanda's crush on cat is just kind of randomly told to us halfway through the book; we don't really see any believable evidence of it before the aforementioned sex scene. similarly, her relationship with nate was thrown in there with little buildup or payoff. the ending is perhaps realistic, in that she seemingly never talks to cat or laura or adam again and doesn't really make things alright with her grandparents or father, but because so many of these elements were left unresolved it felt like the story and its many plot points were pointless? particularly laura—why include the detail that she kisses amanda back if she never shows up again?
my biggest issue with this book, and the reason i am giving it one star instead of 2.5 or 3, is
but what somehow upsets me more about this scene is how coercive amanda is in it, and how that's never really addressed either. allow me to describe the panels: adam and amanda kiss, she reaches for his belt, he pushes her hand away.
adam: we don't need to rush. i want to enjoy it.
amanda: please. i really want to.
adam: it's just... i've never...
amanda: it's okay. me neither.
adam [looking VERY distressed]: but—i'm not... no— let's wait.
amanda: i don't want to wait. [takes off his belt]
amanda's internal dialogue [later on, while sneaking out of the party]: he didn't want to. i know he didn't want to.
what a horrific thing to include and then never bring up again. no means no.
beyond that... this book was just a bit of a mess. somehow it dragged, even though it's a graphic novel with a ton of plot lines. amanda's crush on cat is just kind of randomly told to us halfway through the book; we don't really see any believable evidence of it before the aforementioned sex scene. similarly, her relationship with nate was thrown in there with little buildup or payoff. the ending is perhaps realistic, in that she seemingly never talks to cat or laura or adam again and doesn't really make things alright with her grandparents or father, but because so many of these elements were left unresolved it felt like the story and its many plot points were pointless? particularly laura—why include the detail that she kisses amanda back if she never shows up again?
emotional
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:
Complicated
Read for Librarian Book Group
This book does a great job capturing the adolescent rage I think we all felt during our adolescence. And I felt the frustration right along with Amanda because the lack of clarity provided by her parents was maddening.
That lack of clarity adds a nice layer of mystery. There are also friendship expectations and identity stuff. Also, it's set in 2004, so there might be some nostalgia details baked in for readers of a certain age.
In short, great story, great drawings, really great book.
This book does a great job capturing the adolescent rage I think we all felt during our adolescence. And I felt the frustration right along with Amanda because the lack of clarity provided by her parents was maddening.
That lack of clarity adds a nice layer of mystery. There are also friendship expectations and identity stuff. Also, it's set in 2004, so there might be some nostalgia details baked in for readers of a certain age.
In short, great story, great drawings, really great book.
After Amanda discovers that her grandmother was a transgender rights activist, she starts to uncover the truth about herself and her feelings for her best friend Cat. This revelation wrecks havoc on her relationships with her friends and her very Catholic father. The best section was when Amanda's dad tells his mother’s story and the art and words are juxtaposed to reveal how his memories have distorted.
Read in an hour sitting on a lunch break. So many feels.