Reviews with content warning for Homophobia - When You Get the Chance

Reviews tagging 'Homophobia'

When You Get the Chance by Robin Stevenson, Tom Ryan

5 reviews

stacy837's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted 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? Yes

3.75

Content Warnings

agateg's review

Go to review page

lighthearted reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I did not like the main characters, they were annoying and badly written, picked the book up because of all the lgbtq+ representation but it was severly disappointing, there are books done much better than this one that I would recommend people.

Content Warnings

mortimerdeadsea's review against another edition

Go to review page

lighthearted 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

3.5

This is definitely one of those books that tries to be informative, but I know everything it talks about and then some, so it ended up falling flat for me. There is definitely an audience for this out there, and that is definitely the queer teenagers it was written for. However, I would also like to add that there are definitely queer teens it was meant for and queer teens it wasn't meant for and that dividing line definitely falls along cis vs. trans and monogamous vs. non-monogamous. A lot of Talia's story comes with reckoning with the fact her nonbinary significant other wants to be polyamorous; the conflict here being that Talia wants to remain monogamous. I will put more details in a spoiler section, but I ultimately just didn't care as much about Talia's point of view as I wanted to see her partner's.

I think its good that Talia and her partner Erin had to reckon with the fact that the breakup for them, while painful, was ultimately necessary. However, I kind of didn't care about Talia's point of view and her griping about feeling "uncool" for being monogamous. The fact of the matter is, being monogamous is the norm and Erin is the one who is ultimately going to get the most flack. I cared a lot more about their perspective than Talia's and it kind of just made me roll my eyes; and I say this as a monogamous person who has contemplated polyamory and ultimately decided it wasn't for me.

There is also a moment where Talia calls out her cousin Mark for transphobic comments made at Erin's expense, and again, I already know all this stuff. It was basically a moment that showed that Talia cared more about social justice than Mark did and Mark has to unpack a lot of his assholery, which he does throughout the course of the book. But it just felt really weird for transphobia to be used to show the cis characters' personalities, especially when so much of Mark's personality was believing that Talia needed to chill and take a joke once in a while.

Ultimately, the book was decent, and there are definitely queer teens out there who will get a lot out of it, especially when it comes to the sections that discuss queer history and how things have evolved and changed over time. But for some, it will probably end up falling a bit flat.

Content Warnings

martereadsbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

spearly's review

Go to review page

lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Despite the craziness of it all, despite knowing how mad my dad is going to be, despite what happened with Erin, I feel kind of okay. The marchers - with their waves, their signs, their chants, their smiles - are lifting me up. Even standing here, watching, I am a part of it all.

As someone who grew up in Toronto myself, I have to say, it is so refreshing to to read such a distinctly Canadian story. I could see Bracebridge in my head (I went to camp there pretty much my entire childhood, after all), and I know those sweaty Toronto streets, those crowded subways, those bright blue skies.

And yet... this story just didn't do it for me. The incredibly important themes and messages got lost with the immensely unlikeable characters. And for all the talk of acceptance, forgiveness, pride, identity, their arcs felt disappointingly weak. Specifically Mark - we get the tiniest glimpse of some long-overdue self-awareness at the very end, but nothing that made me want to root for him.

Maybe this was the point, but he read like a very stereotypical cis white gay guy who wields his marginalized identity like a sword and has no mind for any intersectionality. Which is fine. But he was crafted in such a way that it made Talia - the character who ACTUALLY cared about intersectionality and social issues - seem like a buzzkill. She probably only came across as unlikeable here because she was a foil to Mark's character. I was frustrated that everything magically would work out for him. There were never any consequences. Maybe this is because I didn't feel there were any stakes, either.

Paige was the highlight of the book, and I wish we'd seen more of her. I wish our MCs hadn't dropped her off before going out.

This is probably a really great story for some people. Just not for me. It didn't keep me engaged. I would have enjoyed it more if it had focused more on the family dynamics, the queer identity, Canada's history with LGBTQ+ rights, how Mark and Talia's experiences were different growing up on opposite sides of the country. WHY Toronto Pride was such a big deal for them. Truthfully, I'm not even sure what the book is trying to say.

2.5 stars rounded up.

Content Warnings

More...