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stacy837's review against another edition
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
Moderate: Transphobia, Alcohol, and Homophobia
Minor: Vomit
agateg's review
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
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
mortimerdeadsea's review against another edition
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.
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
Minor: Homophobia and Transphobia
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