Reviews with content warning for Hate crime - Anything But Fine

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Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden

7 reviews

goblindad's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.75

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dlrosebyh's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.5

Luca is prepared for his Australian Ballet School audition. One misstep is all it takes to dash his hopes… a broken foot, too. Jordan is Luca's new school's stunning rowing star and captain. Although everyone claims that he is straight, Luca isn't so sure… Luca begins to question, "Who is he without ballet?" as their strange friendship gets deeper. And is he putting himself on the hook for yet another breakup?

This one will appeal to you if you liked Heartstopper and The Passing Playbook. We watch as Luca's career comes to an end due to a fractured foot. And if you turned Charlie and Nick's narrative into prose, it reminded me so much of Heartstopper. Having saying that, I truly enjoyed the book. I only gave it 3.5 stars because I wanted to see more of Lucas' mother. That was really dismissed. When it comes to writing from the perspective of a teenager, Tobias Madden is exceptional.

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melaniereadsbooks's review against another edition

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emotional reflective 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

4.25

Thank you to Netgalley and Recorded Books for an ALC of this book.

When Luca has an accident that ruins his future career as a ballerina, he is forced to change schools and feels like he's starting his life over. Along comes Jordan, the pretty (probably straight) face that Luca is able to pin his hopes on.

I really liked this book. Luca and Jordan's relationship very much gave me Nick and Charlie from Heartstopper vibes. Luca's journey is very interesting. He is not a super likable character, but he does experience a lot of character growth and develops into more of his own person throughout the book. The discussion of what it means to lose your perceived future is really good, and I also liked the discussions around coming out.

I really liked the narration in this and definitely recommend the audio! Luca's new friend Amina is truly the MVP of this book!

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snowydaze's review against another edition

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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

4.0

I received a copy of the Audiobook Anything But Fine by Tobias Madden

from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed listening to this book for the most part. However, at times I found Luca to get a little annoying, mostly due to how repetitive he seemed to get throughout the book. Furthermore, I found the solutions to some of the relationship problems that came up through the book to be a tad wrong or resulting in glazing over the problem or miscommunication that occurred. I would have enjoyed the book a bit more if they communicated a bit more about their problems.

On the other hand, I did like how varying Matthew Backer’s narration was, as he truly embodied the characters throughout the story. Additionally, most of the characters seemed to grow a bit throughout the novel. With that being said, there was a diverse cast of characters, I would however, suggest looking up trigger warnings before reading this book.

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m_riaelle's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

5.0

My expressions while listening to this were hilarious. Did I smile repeatedly? Yes. Did I laugh? Yes. Did I gasp? Yes. Did I gasp and laugh altogether? Yes. Did I feel secondhand embarrassment? Also yes. Did I bump my knees so hard on my mini table that it has scraped? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes, worth as 'tights.' Did I just find myself another favourite Achillean book? Yes. Was it sad? There are parts it is, especially when you relate to it. Do I recommend this? 100%

I can't help but see Luca as Alex from Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston. The difference is Alex would have said those flirty, sexual 'passion' that's going on in Luca's mind that had me laughing and gasping altogether without any hesitance and shame. XD

I was waiting for Luca's ex-friends to have character development, but there are really some friends you have to let go of and aren't worth it. I wasn't disappointed that it's not shown or what happened. I'm satisfied that only one of them can grow and be ready to show that to Luca and be friends with him and Amina because she was the only one who really cared from the bottom of her heart.

I love how transferring to another school made Luca at least has a distraction from a single miss-step that happened. It didn't end there because every choice made has consequences. It seems as though he kept falling and never got back on his feet until he took action to do so.

The narrator's way of voicing out the story is outstanding. The way it's narrated made me more entertained, which I'm looking for in audiobooks, and Anything But Fine is done right! I commend Matthew Backer!

TW: De*th of Parent, Grief, H*moph*bia, H*moph*bic Slurs, Anxiety, Racism, Racial Slurs, Islam*ph*bia, Outing, T*xic Friendship, H*te Crime, and Sexu*l Content (search it up for more specifics or correct TW as mine is what I thought is TW while I read it)

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bookstarbri's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring sad 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

4.75

This book really had me immediately at ballet, but actually reading it was a remarkable experience. I think what was most beautiful was the progression of Luca. His character growth wasn't linear and there were moments he'd take a step forward only to be knocked back three more. It was authentic and wondrous to see him go through such a life-changing event and still manage to find himself at the end, while still growing into someone else.

The other characters were great too. Jordan is absolutely adorable (even though I wanted to shake both him and Luca many times). Amina is a textbook perfect best friend that I think deserves everything in the world. She was the perfect person for Luca to have during such a terrible time. I'm also always happy to see good parents in YA books and Luca's dad didn't disappoint. I thought he was such a unique figure. I've also never read a father/son relationship quite as beautiful as Luca's and his dad's and it was such a nice surprise to see their relationship grow the way it did.

This book is character driven, so the plot is more focused around events. I often read character-driven novels and they get a little slow at times for my taste, but Anything But Fine avoids that. It's a fast-paced read that does a lot in its pages. I think I wish the last 25ish pages went a little *too* fast and it would've been nice to slow it down some and linger with Luca a bit longer after he resolved some of his challenges.

I also DESPERATELY wanted a scene where Luca danced one more time (maybe even for Jordan or his dad), but these are minor complaints that are probably just me wanting to spend more time with these characters!

Such a lovely read that has become a quick favorite!

Thank you to Tobias Madden, Page Street Kids, and NetGalley for providing a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

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foreverinastory's review against another edition

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emotional 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

3.0

Rep: white gay male MC with a broken foot/crutches, bisexual/questioning Japanese-Aussie male love interest, Indonesian Muslim female side character.

CWs: Abandonment of friends, alcohol consumption, bullying, death of parent (happened in past), hate crime, homophobia/homomisia, homophobic slurs, islamophobia/islamomisia, outing, racism, toxic friendship.

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