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c_dmckinney's review
- 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
4.75
That said this book was absolutely beautiful and I wish everyone with queer young people in their lives would read it. Honestly I would recommend it to everyone, maybe especially people who don't have (or don't think they have any) genderqueer people in their lives.
I found the author's exploration of understanding one's gender and gender roles very considerate and sincere. It was raw and tender and not too neat. It was compassionate to a perspective that I have never previously seen explored well at all much less in middle grade fiction.
This was a very sweet young romance set in the backdrop of the trials and tribulations of middle school where identity and fitting in is perhaps the hardest in any young person's life.
Also this is somewhat unrelated but I can tell the author spends A LOT of time in various online communities. There's a lot of language that is definitely not used offline. I found it terribly endearing, but that is because I also use online lingo offline sometimes.
Graphic: Sexism, Death, Misogyny, Outing, Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Homophobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Transphobia, Animal death, Bullying, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Deadnaming, Death, Dementia, and Injury/Injury detail
blackberryjambaby's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Outing, Sexism, Abandonment, Violence, Misogyny, Bullying, Grief, Hate crime, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Classism
greenlivingaudioworm's review
- 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
3.5
Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Transphobia, Abandonment, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, Homophobia, Deadnaming, Dysphoria, Grief, Mental illness, and Outing
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
- 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
4.5
I loved this! The voice was on point, and just felt right for a middle grade novel. More to come in a full review next week!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, and Transphobia
Moderate: Deadnaming and Infidelity
mezzano's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
While reading the novel, I acknowledged that Machias' experiences create a very specific perspective of the gender nonbinary spectrum which is unique to the author. Ash feels a great deal of pressure from those they are close to and know about their gender identity to come out, even before the character has selected a label that they feel most comfortable with. The pressure to pick sides is stressful for Ash, describing themselves as Asher or Ashley at parts of the book, rather than one whole individual. The decision to choose which bathroom to enter is also a difficult one, even when gender neutral options are present. While these are all very valid and common experiences for trans and gender non-conforming people, many of Ash's pressures to identify themself came from external sources. Ash's ideologies surrounding the term gender nonbinary (that it "felt like a place people stay rather than actually are" and that it "wasn't a real thing") come from Ash's father, who places great interest in Ash picking one gender. Ash also feels pressure to choose a label from their friends also, even though past experiences that Ash has have shown how dangerous (emotionally and physically) it can be to do so. Ash's eventual identity selection culminates in a
Daniel's part of the story is mostly straight-forward. I appreciate that Daniel's emotions are shown to be a strength, but that he still struggles with overwhelming feelings of stress and anxiety throughout the book. Daniel's assumptions about Ash's gender identity was interesting, and it was great to see him grow into a more accepting individual over the course of the story. His responses to things outside of his comfort zone are sometimes laced with anger and harmful remarks, which made sense for his character and his own biases. Daniel exists in the story to add nuance to both gender norms, gender expression, and animal rights. While there is a lot going on in both Ash and Daniel's lives, I liked the grounding influence the two characters had on each others' lives. While there is romantic drama in the story which drives Ash and Daniel apart, a resolution is made that feels realistic and properly paced.
Overall, this story is a great one for a middle school classroom. Even if it misses some of the marks, it is great to have a realistic story which will allow other gender nonconforming kids feel seen and represented in literature.
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, Transphobia, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Hate crime, and Excrement
Minor: Sexism, Infidelity, and Deadnaming