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vidoc's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm and Body horror
Moderate: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia
fosully's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Homophobia and Transphobia
milesjmoran's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Self harm, and Transphobia
loverrbboy's review
2.0
from what i understand, this is written by a cis person who has a family friend with a trans kid. this is clear when reading it, to me at least. it shows some of the most gory, angry, visible parts of growing up trans. but not the mental ones, to me. nathan’s relationship with his brother is sweet though. maybe it’s just the fact that this was translated from french that makes it read a bit strangely.
the main things that stand out to me:
1) this is written about a trans person who knows they are a binary trans man from a young age, something i simply can’t relate to
2) someone who wants and then undergoes a full medical masculinizing transition process. he experiences no discomfort around these procedures, and his mother’s feelings about this are touched on briefly but not enough.
3) someone who is very disconnected from his lesbianism, basically never saw himself as a girl. someone who had girlfriends early on, someone conventionally attractive and who passed before hormones
idk i wanted to like it but it wasn’t for me. why is a cis woman making this anyway?
the main things that stand out to me:
1) this is written about a trans person who knows they are a binary trans man from a young age, something i simply can’t relate to
2) someone who wants and then undergoes a full medical masculinizing transition process. he experiences no discomfort around these procedures, and his mother’s feelings about this are touched on briefly but not enough.
3) someone who is very disconnected from his lesbianism, basically never saw himself as a girl. someone who had girlfriends early on, someone conventionally attractive and who passed before hormones
idk i wanted to like it but it wasn’t for me. why is a cis woman making this anyway?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Deadnaming, Body horror, Dysphoria, Medical content, Mental illness, and Gore
celinececilia's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Self harm
jade13's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm
Moderate: Homophobia
brogan7's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
3.75
I started to read this in French, or maybe did read it a couple of years ago? I had difficulty with the graphic horror of some sections, the first time I read it, and because it's not #ownvoices, it felt sensationalistic and voyeuristic at some level.
It's a complicated story, about love and losses, self-love and change. (I didn't like that the only way the little brother could give support to his trans sibling was to get in a physical fight, as though his toughness and machismo were signs of brotherhood and not just toxic masculinity... What if the little brother had been really injured? But no he's so tough and brushes off Nathan's wound dressing and expression that there shouldn't be a repeat...reinforcing weird stereotypes).
I liked the complexity of the mother's point of view, it felt sensitively treated, not just straight up and easy for her and also not entrenched in transphobia...just a mother learning something about someone else's path.
It's a complicated story, about love and losses, self-love and change. (I didn't like that the only way the little brother could give support to his trans sibling was to get in a physical fight, as though his toughness and machismo were signs of brotherhood and not just toxic masculinity... What if the little brother had been really injured? But no he's so tough and brushes off Nathan's wound dressing and expression that there shouldn't be a repeat...reinforcing weird stereotypes).
I liked the complexity of the mother's point of view, it felt sensitively treated, not just straight up and easy for her and also not entrenched in transphobia...just a mother learning something about someone else's path.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Blood, Self harm, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Deadnaming
swordjas's review
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
I really wanted to like this book as I am a transmasc reader, and part of what drew me in to this story was the profile of the titular protagonist. We get Nathan's experiences and perspective growing into his body, but it also feels distanced and detached in that most of it focuses on displaying his traumas for the sake of trauma. Part of it also felt somewhat exploitive (as some previous reviews also mention), and the pacing of story seemed odd.
The narrative was also hard to follow at the points that the POV would switch to Nathan's family members (often abruptly).
The narrative was also hard to follow at the points that the POV would switch to Nathan's family members (often abruptly).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Deadnaming, Transphobia, and Dysphoria
Moderate: Bullying, Medical trauma, and Homophobia
Minor: Body shaming and Islamophobia
ravi_dejong's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm