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Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'
The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor
42 reviews
hobbithopeful's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Murder mystery but make it *queer*! Oh my gosh I adore this book, it healed my inner child and yet was a tense page turner. (What a combination am I right!) Sam and their Dad are new to town, seeking a fresh start after an incredibly traumatic hate crime occurred at Sam's old school. Sam soon finds themselves making friends and fitting in, not an easy task as a nonbinary teenager with autism. Add to the mix a 30 year old mystery death that took place in Sam's new bedroom, and supernatural elements that have them feeling oddly connected to the victim create a fantastically written read. A loveable cast of queer characters add so much heart to this book, from page one I was fully hooked and could not put it down! Sam's Dad is so cheesy and warm and I love their relationship so much, all the subtle hints and threads make every character feel so real, no matter how brief their moments on the page. It feels odd to say a book that deals with such dark topics such as bullying, homophobia, and high school life, could have such heart and feel so warm, but it does! Reading through the pages I felt a part of my inner child heal just a lil bit more, and by the last page the tears that ran down my cheeks were a combination of relief and happiness. Maya MacGregor has cemented her place as one of my new favorite authors, and her own experience in life as queer and autistic shines through with joy and pain. I have read so many books in my life, and known have ever left me feeling so seen such as this one. If I could give it 100 stars I would- make your day better and give The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester a read.
The Cover
I really love the illustration on the cover, it is so great to see the vivid descriptions of Sam brought to life against the gorgeous smoky background. The way their tattoo sleeve smokes from their arm to create the background is just the lovely little cherry on top. I will say they are mentioned as having multi colored dyed hair strands so it would have been nice to see that depicted.
I am not a huge fan of the font, it feels a bit immature to me, especially considering this is a YA novel and deals with heavier topics. I also feel the light blue of the blurb on the front gets lost a bit, especially against the purple background.
It is hard not to be picky about a book that I so enjoyed, I always think an amazing book deserves and equally perfect cover.
Design by Barbara Grzeslo
The Cover
I really love the illustration on the cover, it is so great to see the vivid descriptions of Sam brought to life against the gorgeous smoky background. The way their tattoo sleeve smokes from their arm to create the background is just the lovely little cherry on top. I will say they are mentioned as having multi colored dyed hair strands so it would have been nice to see that depicted.
I am not a huge fan of the font, it feels a bit immature to me, especially considering this is a YA novel and deals with heavier topics. I also feel the light blue of the blurb on the front gets lost a bit, especially against the purple background.
It is hard not to be picky about a book that I so enjoyed, I always think an amazing book deserves and equally perfect cover.
Design by Barbara Grzeslo
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Homophobia, and Bullying
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Outing
Minor: Murder
merle_bookdragon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
5.0
I don't even exactly know where to start or end but this book was wonderful.
I'm usually not big on murder mystery but I guess if you package it in a YA queer contemporary with a wonderful protagonist it works. I really enjoyed Sam's POV, learning more about how they see the world and of course the wonderful realizations they had when they were finally surrounded by good friends. And my god are good friends groups one of my favorite things in literature. Sam, Shep, Sky, Aidan, and Ronnie and Jax, too, are such a wonderful group and I just wish everyone could be surrounded by such a safe group of people.
I think while this might sound cheesy one of my other favorite things was the wonderful representation we had in this book. Sam is autistic and nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, and they also identify themselves as panromantic and being on the ace spectrum. We also see Latina, Black, Vietnamese, bi, and aroace rep (and more I'm sure) in Sam's friend group and in the LGBTQIA+ club at school.
The murder mystery part starts slowly and then grows more apparent towards the second half of the book when it becomes obvious that Sam and Shep have stirred a pot that somebody clearly doesn't want to have stirred. I really liked the dynamic development and without any spoilers - I didn't guess who the murder was.
And just for a little bit of emotional pain, because Sam was really good at inflicting that on me:
I'm usually not big on murder mystery but I guess if you package it in a YA queer contemporary with a wonderful protagonist it works. I really enjoyed Sam's POV, learning more about how they see the world and of course the wonderful realizations they had when they were finally surrounded by good friends. And my god are good friends groups one of my favorite things in literature. Sam, Shep, Sky, Aidan, and Ronnie and Jax, too, are such a wonderful group and I just wish everyone could be surrounded by such a safe group of people.
I think while this might sound cheesy one of my other favorite things was the wonderful representation we had in this book. Sam is autistic and nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, and they also identify themselves as panromantic and being on the ace spectrum. We also see Latina, Black, Vietnamese, bi, and aroace rep (and more I'm sure) in Sam's friend group and in the LGBTQIA+ club at school.
The murder mystery part starts slowly and then grows more apparent towards the second half of the book when it becomes obvious that Sam and Shep have stirred a pot that somebody clearly doesn't want to have stirred. I really liked the dynamic development and without any spoilers - I didn't guess who the murder was.
And just for a little bit of emotional pain, because Sam was really good at inflicting that on me:
"I'm not afraid of the dead, Dad. They're dead. [...] The living are scarier."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Bullying, Homophobia, and Violence
Moderate: Biphobia, Death, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Stalking
Minor: Self harm, Alcoholism, Cancer, Domestic abuse, Vomit, and Outing
buttermellow's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Hate crime
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Biphobia, Bullying, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Gun violence
penguinsquack's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia and Bullying
Moderate: Ableism, Biphobia, Death, Child death, Hate crime, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, and Outing
Minor: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, and Self harm
Allergic reaction and anaphylaxislittleblackduckbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Death, and Murder
evelynyle_88's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.0
The story is really creepy somehow, but heartwarming in some way. I love how Sam Sylvester enganged himself with his autistic (neurodivergent) condition in his life.
I love every minute reading this!
I love every minute reading this!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Bullying, and Homophobia
Moderate: Murder, Biphobia, and Death
Minor: Self harm, Domestic abuse, and Cancer
therewillbenewsuns's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Transphobia, Murder, Violence, and Homophobia
aexileigh's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Murder, Outing, Child death, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Biphobia, Bullying, Death, and Transphobia
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Blood, Cancer, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Domestic abuse
betweentheshelves's review
emotional
mysterious
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? No
4.0
Not only is there great representation in this (the main character is nonbinary, autistic, and on the ace spectrum!) but I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery in here. There's a few hints of something almost supernatural at work (kind of like a ghost), and the characters were great. I especially loved Sam's relationship with their dad. Seeing such a supportive dad in a YA book like this is something I love to see. And a single dad at that!
I will say I didn't necessarily think the romance was necessary for the plot, and it fell a little flat for me. It almost felt like it happened too quickly, and I think I would have rathered that maybe it was just a hint at the end of the story.
However, the mystery worked so well, with strong twists and turns unfolding at every turn. If you like your mysteries with a contemporary spin, I'd definitely recommend this one!
I will say I didn't necessarily think the romance was necessary for the plot, and it fell a little flat for me. It almost felt like it happened too quickly, and I think I would have rathered that maybe it was just a hint at the end of the story.
However, the mystery worked so well, with strong twists and turns unfolding at every turn. If you like your mysteries with a contemporary spin, I'd definitely recommend this one!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Homophobia, and Transphobia
Moderate: Death, Murder, and Biphobia
Minor: Self harm, Cancer, and Domestic abuse
evilyn's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, Homophobia, Hate crime, Murder, Child abuse, and Death