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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
DNF at 40%. The main character is inexcusable. I understand that not all characters have to be likable but this goes beyond that. His reaction to the other main characters identity was disgusting and extremely insensitive. I know this will probably have a "happy ending", however I cannot continue on. I have never in my life not finished a book but this is really something I am not comfortable reading.
challenging
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I honestly really liked this book! Gosh, the writing was great, but the one thing that soured the book for me was Dylan's mom. I HATE helicopter parents—not because I had one but because I've had plenty of friends that did and they were awful. I just don't understand why Dylan let his mom emotionally manipulate him with his dead dad. That was supremely horrible and I wish Dylan was harder on her. This relationship really should have been addressed, I mean Like I said, I hate helicopter parents and this is extremely not cool in my book.
That being said, Dylan did waffle around and was a little insufferable... But it's not horribly done. People have to understand that others deal with inexperienced things like Jamie's gender differently. Would I have treated her like Dylan did? No, but it's because I'm a different person that he is and he was was already very insecure in his life. I guess what I'm getting at is that Not everyone can be immediately accepting, in fact— I'm glad that this novel showed the kind of uglier side of dating a transgender person. I've read a couple novels where things were more smooth sailing and while they were nice, this novel also gave me a lot of interesting things to think about, as a gay person myself.
Spoiler
blaming Dylan for making her leave a conference that was important for her career!? What the hell. The guy's a straight-A student and you treat him like he's gonna hop on drugs the minute you step away!?That being said, Dylan did waffle around and was a little insufferable... But it's not horribly done. People have to understand that others deal with inexperienced things like Jamie's gender differently. Would I have treated her like Dylan did? No, but it's because I'm a different person that he is and he was was already very insecure in his life. I guess what I'm getting at is that Not everyone can be immediately accepting, in fact— I'm glad that this novel showed the kind of uglier side of dating a transgender person. I've read a couple novels where things were more smooth sailing and while they were nice, this novel also gave me a lot of interesting things to think about, as a gay person myself.
I am in love with this book. As soon as I heard Brie Spangler talk about it at ALA, I knew I needed to get my hands on it. I'm a sucker for Beauty and the Beast retellings. This one is no different. Dylan's (the Beast's) voice is so realistic that some times it hurts and is cringeworthy. But it's not all doom and gloom. There are so many sweet moments and the humor is great, kind of TFiOS-esque! And Jamie. Just Jamie. I cannot recommend this book enough!
ARC received from Random House Children's Books at ALA Conference.
Publication Date: October 11, 2016
ARC received from Random House Children's Books at ALA Conference.
Publication Date: October 11, 2016
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
I...don't know.
First of all, anyone selling this as 'Beauty and the Beast with a trans character' is totally off. This isn't a retelling. This is about a teenager with a lot of muscle and hair who really wants to have a girlfriend, falls in love with a girl, then freaks the hell out when it turns out he was literally not listening to anything she had to say when she revealed that she was trans.
It's way melodramatic. The number of times that Dylan screamed JUST LEAVE ME ALONE and how NO ONE UNDERSTOOD and he was SO ANGRY was eyerolling.
His 'best friend' is a total douchebag who uses Dylan as muscle because he's a loan shark...IDK that whole part didn't seem to fit in and neither did his reform or whatever.
Jamie makes some awesome points about being trans, some very important points that should be repeated over and over again until it is the norm. But man alive was she Manic Pixie Dream Girl, including wishing on stars and riding around on a bike with tassels.
The more I've been typing the more I think how let down I was. Wah waaaah.
First of all, anyone selling this as 'Beauty and the Beast with a trans character' is totally off. This isn't a retelling. This is about a teenager with a lot of muscle and hair who really wants to have a girlfriend, falls in love with a girl, then freaks the hell out when it turns out he was literally not listening to anything she had to say when she revealed that she was trans.
It's way melodramatic. The number of times that Dylan screamed JUST LEAVE ME ALONE and how NO ONE UNDERSTOOD and he was SO ANGRY was eyerolling.
His 'best friend' is a total douchebag who uses Dylan as muscle because he's a loan shark...IDK that whole part didn't seem to fit in and neither did his reform or whatever.
Jamie makes some awesome points about being trans, some very important points that should be repeated over and over again until it is the norm. But man alive was she Manic Pixie Dream Girl, including wishing on stars and riding around on a bike with tassels.
The more I've been typing the more I think how let down I was. Wah waaaah.
I've read more Beauty and the Beast retellings than I could count on one hand, but BEAST just might be one of my new favorites. Set in Portland, OR instead of a mystical, European-based fantasy land, the protagonist Dylan has earned the nickname Beast because he's a big, hairy 15 year old--not a prince under a spell. Jamie, the beauty, is a girl ostracized for her recent gender transition instead of her bookish behavior. There's a charming, good-looking Gaston-type character in Dylan's best friend JP, who rules their school as a rich, popular jock, but that's about where the similarities to the fairy tale end.
If there's one thing that BEAST does extraordinarily well, it's dismantling literary character tropes. Dylan has a terrible temper that makes more than a few unpleasant appearances, but he's also one of the smartest guys in his grade. JP is rich and manipulative, but he's also one of the only characters who doesn't throw a fit when he learns that Jamie is transgender--perhaps because his life isn't all sunshine and roses either. Jamie presents herself as the kind of girl who makes heads turn, but she doesn't pass faultlessly one hundred percent of the time and Dylan is forced to confront that within the context of his attraction for her.
There are so many wonderfully uncomfortable conversations in this story--about transition and orientation, privilege, and parenting and death. From start to finish, BEAST felt honest, even and especially when its honesty was kind of off-putting. Each of the characters are held equally responsible for the mistakes that they make and the bad things they do.
This is a book that everyone should read, both because it's guaranteed to spark a dozen different conversations and because it's so damn good.
If there's one thing that BEAST does extraordinarily well, it's dismantling literary character tropes. Dylan has a terrible temper that makes more than a few unpleasant appearances, but he's also one of the smartest guys in his grade. JP is rich and manipulative, but he's also one of the only characters who doesn't throw a fit when he learns that Jamie is transgender--perhaps because his life isn't all sunshine and roses either. Jamie presents herself as the kind of girl who makes heads turn, but she doesn't pass faultlessly one hundred percent of the time and Dylan is forced to confront that within the context of his attraction for her.
There are so many wonderfully uncomfortable conversations in this story--about transition and orientation, privilege, and parenting and death. From start to finish, BEAST felt honest, even and especially when its honesty was kind of off-putting. Each of the characters are held equally responsible for the mistakes that they make and the bad things they do.
This is a book that everyone should read, both because it's guaranteed to spark a dozen different conversations and because it's so damn good.
As a retelling of The Beauty and the Beast? - Two stars.
As a YA-book? - Four stars.
Merged review:
As a retelling of The Beauty and the Beast? - Two stars.
As a YA-book? - Four stars.
As a YA-book? - Four stars.
Merged review:
As a retelling of The Beauty and the Beast? - Two stars.
As a YA-book? - Four stars.
emotional
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I think I’m too old for this book (36), because wow did I relate hard with the “wet blanket” mom, and felt irrationally irritated with the angsty teens.