Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
Not going to finish, alas. I'm tired of trans people being used as plot devices to teach a cis character a lesson.
Review can be found on *Milky Way of Books*
I was very excited for this book! Not only it had a male POV but it also dealt with matters of identity, sexuality and high school drama.
Dylan is an overgrown, too tall, too meaty/strong but overall shy boy. Though he tries to blend in school he has one "good" friend JP and he lives with his mother. When circumstances makes him interact with Jamie, he will find himself questioning both his life and his behavior.
No one is perfect in this book; everyone have flaws and sometimes I found myself groaning in frustration with JP's behavior. But Dylan, despite his mistakes and boyish behavior he is a sweet guy with a golden heart. I really, really like Jamie. She is strong and confident, finally feeling more at ease with herself and many times in the book, she gives to Dylan verbal slaps in order to make him see and understand.
While I thought that Dylan would be like Takeo (from the anime Ore Monogatari), but he proved much smarter and I actually liked his wit and love he has for his mother, even if sometimes she is a lot to handle.
This book was sweet and had a really good ending. I wouldn't mind a companion novel or a sequel to the book. I wanted more of Dylan and Jamie! ;)
I was very excited for this book! Not only it had a male POV but it also dealt with matters of identity, sexuality and high school drama.
Dylan is an overgrown, too tall, too meaty/strong but overall shy boy. Though he tries to blend in school he has one "good" friend JP and he lives with his mother. When circumstances makes him interact with Jamie, he will find himself questioning both his life and his behavior.
No one is perfect in this book; everyone have flaws and sometimes I found myself groaning in frustration with JP's behavior. But Dylan, despite his mistakes and boyish behavior he is a sweet guy with a golden heart. I really, really like Jamie. She is strong and confident, finally feeling more at ease with herself and many times in the book, she gives to Dylan verbal slaps in order to make him see and understand.
While I thought that Dylan would be like Takeo (from the anime Ore Monogatari), but he proved much smarter and I actually liked his wit and love he has for his mother, even if sometimes she is a lot to handle.
This book was sweet and had a really good ending. I wouldn't mind a companion novel or a sequel to the book. I wanted more of Dylan and Jamie! ;)
challenging
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Self harm, Transphobia, Outing, Toxic friendship
Moderate: Cancer, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Deadnaming
I told myself I need something cute, a chaser per se in between of my The Young Elites readathon. In which I had hopes for Beast, the cover amazed me and I was intrigued by the blurb. Another bonus, Meredith Russo, who wrote one of my favorite reads this year titled If I Was Your Girl like it too.
However, Beast turned out to be a sordidly disappointing book. Maybe, I came in with the wrong expectations. No matter what reasons I can come up with I don’t see recommending this book to anyone.
As I am a cis woman, I can’t comment with the trans representation of the love interest Jamie. I like her character, she’s the silver lining of this novel. If it would’ve been written in her POV, maybe I would like it more. But, it’s told from the pov of Dylan; a fifteen years old boy who is going through a difficult time, because of what he looks. I think anyone could sympathize with what the protagonist is going through. All of us has been at a point where our society expects us to be something we are not, no matter how difficult it is we can’t fit into that box.
My problem with the novel mainly attributes with the protagonist. Dylan is that shady guy hell bent on thinking he’s one of the decent guys. Throughout the novel, readers could see him lamenting how “this is what nice guys do” instead of doing it out of the sincerity within him. That fucking turns me off. Honestly, I’m sick of white guys and their unwanted narrative. This one just screamed bad news to me. He has his moments where he learns a thing or two, but overall I couldn’t let this slide nor do I want to. It turns out, I don't want to empathize with him.
There’s the tiring back and forth loss of communication between the two main characters, bland writing. I’m only giving it one star purely because I managed to swallow the novel without dnf-ing it.
This is not a cute LGBT book, if you’re planning to read it, trigger warning for transphobia.
However, Beast turned out to be a sordidly disappointing book. Maybe, I came in with the wrong expectations. No matter what reasons I can come up with I don’t see recommending this book to anyone.
As I am a cis woman, I can’t comment with the trans representation of the love interest Jamie. I like her character, she’s the silver lining of this novel. If it would’ve been written in her POV, maybe I would like it more. But, it’s told from the pov of Dylan; a fifteen years old boy who is going through a difficult time, because of what he looks. I think anyone could sympathize with what the protagonist is going through. All of us has been at a point where our society expects us to be something we are not, no matter how difficult it is we can’t fit into that box.
My problem with the novel mainly attributes with the protagonist. Dylan is that shady guy hell bent on thinking he’s one of the decent guys. Throughout the novel, readers could see him lamenting how “this is what nice guys do” instead of doing it out of the sincerity within him. That fucking turns me off. Honestly, I’m sick of white guys and their unwanted narrative. This one just screamed bad news to me. He has his moments where he learns a thing or two, but overall I couldn’t let this slide nor do I want to. It turns out, I don't want to empathize with him.
There’s the tiring back and forth loss of communication between the two main characters, bland writing. I’m only giving it one star purely because I managed to swallow the novel without dnf-ing it.
This is not a cute LGBT book, if you’re planning to read it, trigger warning for transphobia.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved this book! It seemed very real. The struggles the characters went through were important subjects that lots of young people have to deal with. It's important to have an open dialogue. I would recommend this to anyone that's open-minded.
Almost didn't finish it, but forced my way through.
Writing style was obnoxious, characters were unlikeable. Just really a disappointment for such a promising book.
Writing style was obnoxious, characters were unlikeable. Just really a disappointment for such a promising book.
I'm torn. There are aspects about this story that I liked, but in the end I think I would have enjoyed this story more had it been in Jaime's POV. Still glad I read this and am anxious to read reviews from readers who identify as transsexual to see if the story rang true from their perspective.
I expected to be awed by this book. Meredith Russo gave it a glowing review and I am in LOVE with her book "If I Was Your Girl". I really thought this story fell flat, and I wasn't too keen on the characters.
A good YA romance told from the pov of a straight male. He falls in love with a MTF and has to deal with his feelings about this.