Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - Bellies

This book feels patchy, it dips in the middle, but the second part of the 3rd act is wonderful and so moving. It’s really a book about friendship that happens to involve someone who transitions. It was good to read a book about transness that wasn’t only steeped in trans pain.

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innae's review against another edition

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emotional 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

I received a copy in a giveaway from book riot. It is an uncorrected proof.

I have not read a lot of novels with queer characters, and none with a trans main character. I am glad this was my first one, because it is just so dang beautiful. It is more and less than a love story. It’s a story of friendship and transformations. Of learning about yourself. I really came to love Tom and Ming.

The POV switches between Tom and Ming throughout the novel. And while the changes take place at chapters, sometimes it took a bit before I knew who was voicing the chapter. This bothered me more at the beginning, and that was when the pacing also seemed a little slow. Just stick with it, the story unfolds and it is worth it.

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amandalorianxo's review against another edition

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emotional reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this debut. I know characters being likable shouldn’t steer my opinion about a novel but I truly couldn’t find anyone to sympathize / connect with. The anxiety and tumultuous feelings Ming felt before her transition made me sympathetic. Idk for a book about being vulnerable / showing your belly … there was more selfishness and general prick like behavior (aka Tom) The abrupt past / present shifts was a tad confusing.

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leoniepeonie's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A wonderful book. I loved Tom and Ming's story, and found it achingly real and beautiful, dealing so well with anxiety and vulnerability and complicated emotions. I struggled a bit with the audiobook and am not sure I'd recommend reading it in that form - I found the way the actor playing Ming ended every third sentence or so as though it was a question very distracting, and the mispronunciation of multiple words and bits of Malaysian speech made things feel less believable. I'm glad I carried on though, because the story was a really special one, and brought me to tears at times. I'd without a doubt read other works by Nicola Dinan.

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evfav's review against another edition

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I was completely engrossed in this book, I’ve never finished anything so quickly because I was always wanting to pick it up and every time I did I got lost in it’s pages for hours at a time. This story broke my heart in all the ways I expected and some more that I didn’t. Every character revealed vulnerability and depth and felt so real. The way Tom and Ming’s relationship developed felt so natural and warmed and broke my heart. This was an amazing story about self discovery, learning to love yourself, and the hardships of growing into a chaotic world, but it was always grounded in the important lasting friendships.

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lena_and_her_books's review against another edition

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emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

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frmeden's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful sad 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

5.0

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abbieh95's review against another edition

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Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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