Reviews

What It Feels Like for a Girl by Paris Lees

erinshinereads's review

challenging hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.25

greenfigtree's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

4.75

A brutal and compelling coming of age story that is full of hardship but manages to capture queer joy, the importance of chosen family and ultimately hope and humour despite it all. Loved it.

"I've always felt like I've had this light inside of me, that other people are tryna put out. I know it sounds corny, but I don't know how else to explain it. But the thing is, it's ma job to protect this light. So I can't let 'em win. I can't let 'em extinguish it."

fernenn's review

emotional inspiring reflective

4.0

kbweis's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

3.5

not what i was expecting, but worth the read. definitely heavy but also wrapped in humor. paris barred no holds in telling us the story of her life so far.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death of parent, Drug use, Death, Drug abuse, Adult/minor relationship, Deadnaming, and Transphobia

agracerobinson's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring tense slow-paced

3.5

emilycornelius's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.25

Fascinating insight into the challenges and absurdity of the reality of growing up trans in a socio and economically deprived northern (well midlands!) town in the early naughties, without being self pitying or depressing. It is funny, shocking, inspiring and a cultural snapshot of the moment. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Domestic abuse, Death, Deadnaming, Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Cursing, Bullying, Adult/minor relationship, Transphobia, Racism, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Addiction, Sexual content, and Cancer

erinlouisee's review

dark emotional funny medium-paced

4.0

mirandaschnoor's review

adventurous funny medium-paced

3.75

notthatcosta's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

2.75

It sounds incredibly pedantic and shallow to harp on how the book is written in Lees' accent (at least as it was in the years in focus), but it really did dampen by enjoyment of the book. I appreciate a big swing, and the concept of writing a first-person narrative via your younger self made the book incredibly touching at points, but it also made it drag.

Saying that, the ending was incredibly powerful and did manage to choke me up. Paris Lees' story is a great one and one that ought to be told, but my basic self would have preferred it to be written differently. 

If you - unlike me - are able to get over yourself, you'll probably enjoy it a lot. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Addiction, Bullying, Dysphoria, Excrement, Violence, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Cancer, Cursing, Sexual violence, Deadnaming, Drug use, Adult/minor relationship, Drug abuse, Racism, Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Child abuse, Death, Grief, Hate crime, Medical content, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, and Sexual content

louiseadelusi's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark funny medium-paced

5.0

THE BEST BOOK IVE READ IN SUCH A WHILE OMG absolutely loved reading this, and is one of my favourite memoirs