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4.28 AVERAGE
4.28 AVERAGE
i'll admit i had my reservations at the start: the teen snarkage bordered on too much too fast, and i was worried the massive chip on newly-appointed student council president Wren's shoulder would compel him to take anything and everything unfavorable as a personal affront after nemesis and vice president Leo upends his agenda.
however, as we got into the meat of his arc, he gradually unfurled his layers and endeared himself to me.
“It feels like an asterisk after my name, or a warning label on the back of my head.”
i consider representation to be good and robust when it drives reflection on my own experiences in a way that makes me feel seen. the discourse around what it means to not experience sexual and/or romantic attraction (which the author makes a point to differentiate, thank you!) is incredibly important in an allo world where ace/aro stories are not as prominently heard. there's so much standing on the fringes, wrestling with our wants and what society tells us we should want, and ocean-deep fear that barges into the equation in the topsy-turvy world of relationships and dating.
but at the same time, i'm learning to refrain from sitting on that defeatist throne long enough for my tush to go numb. there was an old Ace Dad Advice clip about how, in many ways, we're socially conditioned to believe the issues we face in relationships are centered on our aceness. while it's okay to see our identity as not for everyone, it’s a heavy burden to believe that our identity is wrong for everyone. treating a part of ourselves solely as an obstacle ties us too closely to a place of rejection, when we should be celebrating: i think it's incredible that we are beyond equating sex and love, when people are more than capable of having one without the other. that we aren't basing our self-esteem on how much action we get, or feel undesirable or unloved because of it. love is complex and beautiful and wonderful in all its many forms - thinking that we can restrict it to the confines of what's portrayed in oversexualized media does it a great disservice.
(vague spoiler territory) this with Wren's other concerns coincide with many that i have wrestled with in the past and some still today.
Spoiler
it was powerful to see the common fear of not knowing what to do with our life extend to ruminations of “what's the point?” in a boy forced to face loss at a young age. my only wish was that his grief had been explored further in his interactions with his father. there was also a big twisty twist that was later nixed in a single, one-off line that had me questioning what was true/false. it was strange how quickly it was brushed off, but it didn't detract from the warm fuzzies i got during the confession scene.shout-out to my ace homies
Side note:
As an ace guy who also frequented "non-dating" apps as a teenager, this book really took me back. I never thought I would feel nostalgic for such a chaotic time in my life, but I found myself reminiscing frequently. I felt a little too seen...but I'm glad it worked out better for Wren than it did for me!
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Cancer, Terminal illness, Death of parent, Alcohol
I did not want this book to end. This has become a comfort read for me and one of my top reads of this year. I had so much fun from the very beginning and on each page. The journey the author took us on with Wren, struggling with his future, loss/grief, his asexuality and his his love life was lighthearted but touched on such important topics from start to finish.
Wren’s narration was SO FUNNY, like actually funny. it felt like an 18 year old was actually taking us through his thought process, it didn’t seem over the top, cringe and every joke landed. The message about figuring out what you want and what you need, doing things that are scary and finding people that will accept ALL of you was such a touching message throughout the story.
I absolutely LOVED how diverse this book was. It’s very rare to see ace and aromantic being represented in two main characters of the story. I loved Ryan, I saw so much in her in me (black goths that love halloween!!) and I loved Leo too especially. Wren and Leo’s love for one another was cute to see development. Even though it was fast paced, it still seemed believable too.
I wish this book could’ve gone on forever. I could stay here and ramble about everything I loved about it, how diverse it was etc but I don’t wanna be writing an essay of a review. I just wish certain things were fleshed out more (like Wren’s relationship with his dad) and maybe the ending just a tad bit longer too, but other than that I absolutely enjoyed very everything about this book. Even if YA isn’t your thing, I think this book will make everyone laugh and feel good. (Also that mini plot twist at the end was kinda unexpected ngl)
Thank you Peachtree Teen and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
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